Chapter 175 OUR BABY.
\~~~LUCIANO.
I dropped to my knees the second the chaos cleared, my arms wrapping around Raina like she might vanish if I let go even for a second.
The ground was rough, gravel biting into my skin through my pants, but I didn't care.
Marco's body lay twisted a few feet away, blood pooling from the shots my men had finally unleashed when his grip slackened just enough.
Raina was limp in my hold, her head lolling against my chest, breaths shallow and ragged. I shook her gently, my hands trembling as they cradled her face.
“Raina, sunshine,’' I whispered, patting her shoulder softly, willing her to wake, and to look at me with those eyes that always saw right through my walls.
Her skin was cold, clammy under my touch, and the blood on her thigh had spread, dark and sticky against her torn shorts.
The top she wore hung in shreds, exposing too much. Bruises bloomed like ugly flowers across her ribs and arms.
Rage surged again, hot and vicious, but I shoved it down. Not now. She needed me to be steady.
“Get the helicopter, now!’' I hollered over my shoulder, my voice cracking despite my effort to keep it strong.
Gabriel was already on it, barking orders into his radio, but I couldn't wait. I yanked off my shirt, the fabric ripping slightly at the seam, and draped it over her body, covering the damage as best I could.
It wasn't much, but it shielded her from the air, and from the eyes of my men who averted their gazes out of respect. I shook her again, lighter this time, my throat tight.
“Please, Raina, please,” tears escaped before I could stop them, hot trails down my cheeks, splashing onto her collarbone.
Alessia dropped beside me, her knees hitting the dirt hard. She was shivering, not from cold but from the shock of it all, her hands hovering like she wanted to help but didn't know where to start.
“Why is she bleeding? Did he touch her?” Her voice was a whisper, laced with horror, and her eyes flicked to the stain on Raina's leg.
I couldn't answer. The thought alone made my vision blur with fury.
Marco had held her like meat, pressed that gun to her side, but the blood... it looked wrong, and deeper than a surface wound.
Before I could form words, Raina stirred, a faint flutter against my arm. Her eyelids cracked open, just slits, but enough to lock onto mine. Relief crashed through me, sharp and painful.
“I am here now. I am here,” I murmured, my thumb caressing her cheek, wiping away a smudge of dirt and blood.
“B... ba…” she stuttered, her lips dry and cracked, her voice barely audible.
“Don't stress yourself, please,” I leaned closer, my forehead touching hers, breathing her in despite the metallic scent of blood.
The distant thump of rotors cut through the night, growing louder, the wind kicking up dust around us. “Baby…” she coughed, the word wet and strained, her body jerking slightly.
“Yes, yes, I am here. I am here with you,” I grabbed her hand, squeezing it, and feeling the weak pulse in her wrist.
“N... no. Baby…” Her face wrinkled in pain, brows furrowing as she tried to press her free hand to her stomach.
Confusion hit me, but guilt followed fast.
“I am sorry for coming late. I am so sorry. God,”
If I had been faster, if only I had torn the city apart sooner...
Alessia's sharp intake of breath snapped the air. “You are carrying a baby?!” She stared at Raina's hand, now curled protectively over her abdomen.
“W... what?” I stuttered, my brain short-circuiting.
The world tilted, sounds muffling, the rotors, and even my men's low voices seemed to fade for a bit.
Baby? That blood... no.
“O... our baby…” Raina whispered, her eyes fluttering shut again, her body going slack as she slipped back into the void.
I nearly blacked out, darkness edging my vision, knees buckling under the weight.
Our baby. Pregnant.
How? When?
Alessia's yell pierced through, “Luciano! The chopper!” jerking me back.
The helicopter's blades whipped the air now, landing lights sweeping the open field opposite the building. I sniffed hard, wiping my face with the back of my hand, and nodded.
Safety first. Raina first.
The baby, God, if that was true… if that was real…
I scooped her up gently, her weight featherlight and terrifying in my arms, cradling her head against my shoulder.
Alessia adjusted the shirt over her, tucking it securely, her hands shaking as much as mine.
“I’ve got you,” I murmured to Raina, even if she couldn't hear.
We rushed toward the chopper, my boots pounding the floor, Alessia right behind. I didn't glance back at Marco or my men securing the site. They knew what to do.
God, I was going to ruin everyone involved in this. Talia, Marco's crew, and anyone who breathed near this nightmare.
They would pay slowly, and piece by piece.
The thought of Raina carrying our child without me knowing shattered me.
How long?
We had been tangled in our own mess, our fights, the separations, and even the reunions hot and desperate.
How had I missed it?
She had shown no signs. There had been no changes in her body, or even appetite.
And Marco... that animal had tortured, and abused her.
I should have killed myself right there for letting it happen.
The chopper ride was a blur of twenty minutes that felt like hours. Raina's head was on my lap, and my hand pressed to her stomach as if I could hold the life inside to hold on.
Alessia sat opposite, her face grim, relaying updates to the pilot. We touched down on the hospital roof, the closest trauma center, lights blazing like a beacon.
Medics swarmed the second the skids hit, a stretcher ready, their movements swift and professional.
“Female, mid-20s, multiple contusions, abdominal bleeding, possible internal trauma," one barked into a radio as they transferred her from my arms to the gurney. Raina's body jostled slightly, and I bit back a curse.
I rushed after them, Alessia panting behind, as they wheeled her through the rooftop doors into the blinding white of the emergency wing. IV lines were already snaking into her arms, monitors beeping to life, and a cervical collar stabilizing her neck.
“Clear the way!” a doctor shouted, the team pushing the stretcher at a run down the hall toward the trauma bay, an emergency room protocol for critical cases like hers.
Doors swung open, and the nurses prepped the bays with crash carts and ultrasound machines.
They barreled into the bay, and I followed, refusing to stop at the threshold.
“No, I am going in with her!” I demanded, my voice rough, shoving past a nurse who tried to block me.
“No one is going to touch my wife without me there.”
“Sir, you can't, family stays outside during treatment,” the nurse protested, firm but sympathetic.
“Like hell I can't. She is my wife, and I'll be damned if I leave her alone again,” My fists clenched, and my heart slammed.
Alessia grabbed my arm, pulling me back with surprising strength.
“Luciano, stop. Let them do their job. They know what they're doing. We need them focused, and not dealing with you,” Her eyes were red-rimmed, but her grip was iron.
“Come on. For her.”