Chapter 16 - TEN STEPS
Luca canceled the charity walk.
Sophia refused to accept it.
“No.”
“It’s not safe.”
“You promised.”
“Things changed.”
“They always change when I want to do something.”
“This isn’t about therapy.”
“It’s always about me being scared.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
She threw one crutch.
It clattered across the room.
Everyone froze.
Sophia burst into tears.
“I practiced.”
Luca knelt.
“I know.”
“I wanted everybody to see.”
“You don’t owe anybody proof.”
“I owe me.”
That silenced him.
Sophia wiped her face.
“For three years everyone looked at the chair first.”
“I wanted one day when they looked at me.”
Luca sat on the floor beside her.
“So we make another day.”
“When?”
“Soon.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“Bad people keep stealing days.”
The sentence hurt more than she knew.
First the accident.
Then Hannah.
Therapy.
Her mother.
Now this.
I crouched beside her.
“What if the event moves?”
She sniffed.
“Where?”
“Somewhere Salvatore doesn’t know.”
Luca looked at me.
“No.”
“What?”
“You are not turning my daughter into bait.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You were about to.”
“I was going to say hold it privately.”
Sophia looked between us.
“You fight like married people.”
Dr. Benton coughed.
Luca closed his eyes.
“Sophia.”
“What?”
Despite everything, I laughed.
A new plan emerged.
The public event was canceled.
The foundation announced security concerns.
Privately, Sophia would still complete her ten steps inside the rehabilitation hospital surrounded only by patients, therapists, and trusted staff.
No press.
No public schedule.
No opportunity for Salvatore.
Or so we believed.
The morning of the walk, Sophia wore the same pale blue dress from the gala.
“Lucky dress.”
she said.
“Your legs may disagree.”
Clare answered.
Sophia rolled her eyes.
Luca stood at one end of the therapy room.
I stood at the other.
Sophia started between the parallel bars.
Step one.
Her right leg shook.
Step two.
Her breathing sharpened.
Step three.
She looked at me.
“Three breaths.”
I said.
She smiled.
“Then home.”
Step four.
Five.
Six.
She released one bar.
Clare started to object.
Sophia continued.
Seven.
Eight.
Luca was crying already.
Nine.
Her knee buckled.
I moved.
She caught herself.
“No.”
I stopped.
She straightened.
Ten.
The room erupted.
Patients applauded.
Therapists cried.
Luca crossed the floor and lifted her into his arms.
She laughed.
For one perfect minute, everybody forgot murder.
Then the fire alarm activated.
Clare looked toward the ceiling.
“No drill.”
Security moved instantly.
Luca set Sophia in the wheelchair.
“Evacuate secure route.”
Smoke appeared beneath the west door.
Not fire.
Smoke canisters.
Matteo shouted.
“Lockdown.”
A therapist screamed from the hallway.
A man wearing hospital security entered.
He raised his weapon.
I saw the tattoo first.
Not a bird.
A small black crown.
Salvatore’s men.
Luca pushed Sophia down.
Matteo fired.
Glass shattered.
People screamed.
The gunman fell.
Then the lights died.
Emergency lighting filled the corridor red.
I grabbed Sophia’s wheelchair.
“This way.”
Clare led us toward a service stairwell.
Luca remained behind with Matteo.
“No!”
Sophia screamed.
“He’s coming.”
I lied.
We reached the second floor.
A man stepped from the stairwell.
Older.
Silver hair.
Expensive gray coat.
No weapon visible.
He smiled.
“Sophia.”
She froze.
I knew without introduction.
Salvatore Moretti.
He looked almost kind.
That was the worst part.
“Hannah Carter.”
he said.
“You have been very inconvenient.”
I moved in front of Sophia.
“You murdered Alessandra.”
“No.”
“My nephew’s wife made a series of unfortunate choices.”
“You ordered Victor to continue after he told you Sophia was in the car.”
His eyes shifted toward the child.
“Victor says many things when he is frightened.”
Sophia spoke.
“You tried to kill my mommy.”
Salvatore smiled sadly.
“Your mother misunderstood the world she married into.”
“No.”
Sophia’s voice hardened.
“You were scared of her.”
His smile disappeared.
Footsteps sounded below.
Salvatore pulled a gun.
Clare gasped.
He pointed it at me.
“Move.”
“No.”
“Hannah.”
“No.”
He looked irritated.
“You are a waitress.”
I almost smiled.
“Apparently that keeps disappointing people.”
He raised the weapon.
Then Sophia stood.
No crutches.
No bars.
No therapist.
She stepped beside me.
Salvatore stared.
For a second, even he looked stunned.
Sophia said, “You missed.”
The words confused him.
“What?”
“The bridge.”
One step.
“You missed.”
Another.
“You missed Hannah.”
Another.
“And you’re going to miss Daddy.”
Salvatore’s hand tightened.
Then Luca’s voice came from behind him.
“Put the gun down.”
Salvatore turned.
That was his mistake.
Matteo hit him from the side.
The weapon fired into the ceiling.
Clare pulled Sophia back.
I dropped.
Luca and Matteo wrestled Salvatore to the floor.
Police flooded the stairwell seconds later.
When it ended, Sophia sat against the wall shaking.
I crawled to her.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head.
Then looked at me.
“I walked again.”
I laughed through tears.
“Yes.”
She looked toward Salvatore being handcuffed.
“Was that eleven?”
I counted backward in my head.
“No.”
“Twelve.”
May you like
Sophia smiled.
“Good.”
