The room was silent apart from tears being shed for all the wrongs thrust upon the love of my life.
As I pushed away from Rome, I looked to Austin and Levi and said, “Axel, or Elpidio, is seen as one of the most talented and inspiring Contemporary Modern Artists in the world. But Axel doesn’t see it. He doesn’t see how anyone can think he’s worth anything. Doesn’t see that he deserves a second chance because he can’t move past all the wrongs he’s committed in his past.”
Sniffing, I glanced back at my marble face and said, “It’s time to put the past to bed. Stop judging him on yesterday, and accept the man he is today… the most amazing man I’ve ever known, ever will know.”
Austin and Levi lowered their heads, seemingly in regret. Suddenly, Vin rushed through the door. Seeing me beside my sculpture, he rushed over to me, flustered and breathless. The look on his face...
“Vin? What’s wrong?” I rushed out.
Vin’s face was flushed and his hand lay on his chest. “I’ve… I’ve just received a call from the hospital. It’s Elpi…”
My hands instantly started shaking. “What… What’s happened?” I asked, breathlessly.
Vin stilled. “Elpi’s been shot.”
Staggering back at his words, I ran into Rome’s chest. His strong arms stopped me from falling to the floor.
“What?” I whispered. Austin and Levi ran forward. Austin gripped Vin’s arms and said, “Axe? Axe has been shot?”
Vin, clearly seeing the family resemblance, nodded his head. “Yesterday afternoon. He was shot in the stomach. He’s in the hospital now. He had no ID on him at the scene. They took his fingerprints and because he was here in Seattle under my guidance, they called me. It took a while to track me down, I’ve been here all day getting this piece ready for the exhibition.”
All I could visualize was blood and guns, when suddenly a name entered my head. “Remo…” I called out in panic, “Remo must have found him.”
Austin and Levi’s head’s whipped to mine. “Remo? What do you mean Remo? What’s Remo Marino got to do with anything?”
My lips and voice quivered, but I was able to say, “He told Axel he was going to kill him. He got word to Axel in prison that he would kill him in revenge for Gio’s death.”
“SHIT!” Austin bellowed, his deep voice breaking, echoing off the gallery's walls. “Why didn’t he tell us? Why the fuck did he keep this from us?”
“He… he never wanted you to worry about him… he was trying to protect you… all he wanted to do was to keep you safe.”
Snapping his head back to Vin, Austin demanded, “Which hospital?”
In a fluster, Vin told him. In seconds we were all running out of the door.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ally
“Mr. Carillo took a gunshot straight to the stomach. He lost a lot of blood. When he was brought in we had to operate straight away. We managed to repair the wound and successfully remove the bullet. He’s been transfused with blood and is now stable.”
The doctor had yet to let us see Axel. My nerves were shot. I felt sick to my stomach as the doctor explained the extent of his injuries and how it could have killed him if the police hadn’t found him when they did.
“Give us a few minutes to get him into his new room and he'll be ready to receive visitors, but only two at a time.”
The doctor left the room. As I tried to breathe, a police officer walked in. “You’re Axel Carillo’s family?” he asked and looked at Austin.
“Yes, sir,” Austin said and got to his feet. “You know what happened to him?”
The police officer closed his notebook and nodded his head. “You know a Mr. Remo Marino?”
I closed my eyes feeling my world was falling apart. I was numb, totally numb knowing that I could have lost the love of my life. The love of my life who deserved this new life he had—literally—carved out for himself.
Remo… Remo Marino. That bastard almost took my heart from me.
“Yeah, I know Remo,” Austin said, the tone of his voice dropping to arctic temperatures.
The officer raised his eyebrow. “Old crew member?”
Austin stared at the officer, but didn’t say anything. The officer swallowed and nodded his head. “Okay, I get it.”
“What happened to Remo?” Levi asked, seeming to take himself by surprise.
The officer ran his hand down his face. “Mr. Marino was wanted on five counts of drug related felonies as well as two homicides. He’s been on the run for years. He crossed state lines in a stolen vehicle and it was only a matter of time before we caught him… unfortunately he managed to attack Mr. Carillo before we discovered his whereabouts. Another car passing by saw the incident and called it in.”
“And?” Rome asked. “Where’s the prick now?”
“Mr. Marino open fired on the attending officers. He had no intention of going to prison. He was shot dead on the scene.”
The silence that followed the officer’s news hung heavily in the room. But I couldn’t help but be thankful that Remo had died… that meant… that meant Axel was finally free.