Chapter 239

• GUSTAVO
• ~•~
• I lay completely still on the cold marble floor of the central hall while blood continued to spread in a widening circle beneath my body. The pain from the knife wound between my ribs burned in steady waves that matched the rhythm of my heartbeat. I kept my eyes closed and my breathing shallow and controlled. Every muscle in my frame stayed limp. The guards had dragged me only a short distance before Ricci ordered them to stop. Now I rested in the open space where every witness could see the supposed corpse. The staged strike had worked perfectly. From this position I could hear everything. I could feel everything. I could memorize every detail without moving a single inch. The pain kept me conscious. The love I carried for Valentina kept me perfectly still. I focused on the sound of Ricci’s voice as he stepped closer and began to speak.