Maria opened her mouth to scream as Lorenzo fell, but no sound came out. It was as though she was too shocked. Her body reacted instinctively, scrambling back from the edge, unable to stand up but wanting to get as far away as possible.
She clambered unsteadily to her feet, her legs shaking, and whirled round in terror, ready to run. But something stopped her. A sudden sense that, once again, she wasn’t alone. Through her daze, Maria heard a noise behind her.
A pair of eyes, amongst the trees, watching her. Lucia stepped out, her expression one of complete shock, her mouth falling open.
Maria’s adrenaline was pumping, her heart racing. Lucia Santi – was that her name? She was a younger girl whom Maria vaguely recognized from school. She had seen what had happened, and who knew what she might tell people?
A fresh fear flashed through Maria’s mind – police, a trial, a prison cell. She would bring shame upon her family; they’d be outcasts in the village. She’d done nothing wrong, but what if Lucia didn’t believe her? Had she witnessed the whole thing, or had she only seen Lorenzo’s final few moments, imagining that Maria had pushed him or—
‘It wasn’t my fault,’ Maria burst out. She hardly knew what she was saying. ‘You saw what happened, didn’t you?’ she implored, her tone almost pleading. ‘He fell, he was going to … I tried to save him but …’
Lucia swallowed, shaking her head. ‘I don’t know,’ she whispered, her eyes wide in shock. ‘I don’t know …’
‘He fell,’ Maria insisted, taking a step towards her.
Lucia jumped backwards, fear written across her face. ‘You pushed him,’ she said accusingly.
‘I didn’t! He was going to … I didn’t mean it …’ Hot tears streaked her face, dirty from where she’d lain down on the muddy ground, trying to reach Lorenzo. ‘You must never tell anyone, Lucia. Promise me.’
‘Why should I?’ Lucia couldn’t get the sight of the boy’s fall out of her mind, his horrible scream as he fell.
Maria’s face was a mask of anguish. ‘Don’t you see, we could both be in trouble now, if the police find out.’
‘But I had nothing to do with it, it was you, I’ll tell them it was.’
Maria shook her head, panicked tears in her eyes, ‘No! I’ll say it was you who pushed him!’
Lucia opened her mouth, but no words came out.
‘It would kill my father if I went to prison. Please promise you’ll never tell.’ Maria begged.
‘No, no!’ Lucia cried, finding her voice, ‘No!’ Then she turned on her heel and ran.
‘Come on, Lucia,’ Gina begged. Lucia was moaning and murmuring, slipping in and out of consciousness as the helicopter sank lower. Gina had to tilt her head backwards to keep it above water. ‘I need you to hold your breath. We’re nearly out, but we have to go now. OK?’
Gina didn’t have time to wait for a response. With a final surge of strength, she ducked beneath the water, hooking her arms around Lucia and pulling her backwards, out through the narrow doorway before kicking upwards to the surface. Lucia was like a dead weight, threatening to pull Gina back down, but she fought as hard as she could, her muscles straining, her lungs ready to burst, supporting Lucia as they broke the surface of the water, gasping for air.
Gina was dimly aware that the boats were surrounding them, hands reaching out to pull the two of them from the water. There was a roar from the crowd, cheering and whooping, as if it was part of the shoot, and Gina looked up to see a boat racing towards her piloted by … she squinted. Was that really Brad Redford?
Gina couldn’t speak as strong arms hauled her upwards, out of the freezing water.
‘I’ve got you, Gina,’ Brad said, completely in control of the situation. ‘And if you were auditioning for the movie, then you’ve got the part.’
Those were the last words Gina heard before, finally, exhausted, she closed her eyes and sank into oblivion.
Chapter 35
A distant beeping noise pierced her consciousness. Gina followed the sound; it was as though her mind was wading through treacle, and her body felt heavy as lead.
Her eyelids fluttered open, closing again as she winced at the bright light. Slowly, she tried again, squinting at her surroundings. She was in a white room, mostly bare save for some large machines which were the cause of the beeping. She appeared to be attached to them, with tubes leading from the back of her hand to a large bag of fluid hooked on a stand beside her.
‘Oh my dear, you’re awake!’
With effort, Gina turned her head to see where the voice had come from. A woman was sitting beside her, beautifully dressed in a batik print shift dress and cropped jacket, with a smart grey bob and English rose make-up. Gina knew this woman. She groped for her name … Olivia Booth.
Instantly, everything came rushing back – the helicopter, the crash, Marco …
‘What happened?’ she burst out. ‘Marco? Daniela? How—’
‘They’re OK,’ Olivia assured her. ‘A little shaken up, and some bumps and bruises, but they were very lucky. Marco’s landing was superb, given the circumstances, and he was able to get Daniela out very quickly. You’re never far away from a boat in Venice, and they got to them almost immediately.’
‘And Lucia?’
Olivia hesitated, and Gina searched her face, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
‘She’s stable,’ Olivia told her, ‘but her injuries will take longer to heal. Due to where she was sitting, she took more of the force of the impact. The doctors say she’ll make a full recovery, but it will take time.’
Gina nodded, digesting the news.
‘It was a very brave thing you did, my dear,’ Olivia said, her tone serious, as she plumped Gina’s pillow and poured her a glass of water. ‘Here, drink this.’
‘Thank you,’ Gina said gratefully. The water was tepid and her mouth felt as though it was lined with fur, but right now it was the best thing she’d ever tasted.
‘She owes her life to you,’ Olivia continued. ‘If you hadn’t got her out so quickly …’
Gina finished her water, taking in the magnitude of Olivia’s words. She didn’t quite know what that meant, or what the consequences might be, and she was too tired to think about it now. Her mind felt as though it was filled with cotton wool.
‘And as for you,’ Olivia continued, anticipating her next question, ‘you’ve also been very lucky. The doctors said you were in the early stages of hypothermia, and your body went into shock after you were rescued – you started to hyperventilate and your blood pressure was dangerously low. But you’re on the mend now, and your very handsome doctor told me that with rest and TLC, you’ll soon be on your feet again.’
