Fine,” she says glancing from me to Nathan. Nathan gives me a quizzical look. I shrug. Who put sour milk in her cornflakes? Had something gone wrong with a patient? Or perhaps things have taken a bad turn with her boyfriend? I saw her earlier today and she seemed in good cheer. She finds a table not too far from ours and sits down rather noisily. “You want to join us?” I offer. “I’m good,” she says in an uncharacteristically clipped tone, glaring openly at us. Okay. I think. “Just as well,” I say, rising from the table and taking my coffee with me. “I need to be heading back anyway. Thanks for the coffee.” “Sure,” Nathan says, looking a little bewildered. It’s Friday and my shift ended at 4 p.m. so I’m pulling into our garage at 4:28. I wave at Dmitri and his brother before the garage door glides shut. Nathan is coming through the door carrying our overnight bags to load into the Jag. “Hey, babe,” I say, as I climb out of the car and greet him with a kiss. “You’ve already got
Relax, just let yourself enjoy it for a few minutes.” He wraps his arms around me, determined to keep me warm and quiet. So, I give him that, letting the tension in my neck and shoulders melt away as I lean into him, slipping an arm around his waist. He’s staring up into the night sky. Extending his hand, he points at one particularly bright star. “You see that? The glittering one, just there.” “Yeah, neat, it shines bright like a diamond, if I may quote Rihanna.” “That’s our star,” he says, his voice filled with awe. “Our star?” I glance at him. “Wait…you didn’t do one of those things where you get to name a star or something?” He laughs. “No, silly. I just meant, it feels like it’s shining for us. In fact, they all do.” Just then the stars surrounding the larger one begin to swirl in the night sky as they’re all marshalled forward. “What the?” I squeeze my eyes shut trying to banish the hallucination. “Chleo, you’re missing it,” Nathan says, drawing my hands away. The star
When the request is given, we sit at our assigned table near the bridal party and enjoy our meal. When the opportunity arises. I escort Madison onto the dance floor and take her into my arms. We move well together even though it’s our first time dancing with each other in a public setting. Our compatibility is tested when the slow song is replaced by an upbeat fast one. I try to draw Madison off the floor, but she pulls me back forcing me to join the myriad of others for the popular Cha-Cha slide dance. Despite myself, I seem to be wearing a ridiculous grin the whole time and manage to keep in step with the music alongside Madison. She’s a huge hit with the crowd, so we stick around for the equally popular Macarena line dance. “Enough,” I laugh when the song ends and another upbeat one begins to play. “I’m sitting this one out.” Some of the younger girls plead with Madison to keep dancing with their group for the Electric slide, and she glances at me. I shrug. So she waves at me and
“Oh, you can count on it,” she says with a smirk. “Later you two.” As they walk off, Chleo leans in. “Why didn’t you tell me about Kylie? She’s a hoot.” I chuckle. “She’s trouble, but she’s family.” “Meh, so, it took her an extra year to graduate, how bad can she be? I’m looking forward to getting to know her.” Before I can reply, Stieg approaches us. “Hey, Chleo, you mind if I pull him away a moment?” he asks. Chleo glances at me and then at the crowd forming around the wedding cake table. “Sure, but after they cut the cake, I’m going to be ready to go. These shoes may look amazing, but they’re killing me.” “Sounds good, I’m about beat too,” I reply. “We’ll meet back in ten minutes, all right?” “Tootles,” she says with a flutter of fingers. When we’re out of earshot, I ask Stieg, “What’s up? Is it Gregor?” “Yeah, the word is he’s itching to put one in your skull. We need to deal with that slimy turd, fast.” “I figured as much,” I reply. “I’m doubling security at my place to
Just then two of Ben men come running in with bags and boxes of medical supplies. Damn, that was fast! I have a strong suspicion they didn’t exactly purchase the materials. I put a pin in that to discuss later with Ben. “What do you have?” I ask searching through the bags. “What do you need?” Ben asks, as he hands me some surgical gloves. “I need to sterilize the area and stop the bleeding. I’m not sure how much he’s lost, so I may need to start a blood transfusion and IV fluids. I’m going to need—" “Iodine, alcohol and saline drip,” he says fishing the items out of one of the boxes. I cut him a look. “Yeah.” I take the Iodine from him. “Can you jury rig the saline bag to the bedpost? Where’s the morphine and syringe? I need butterfly needles so I can begin administering the fluids. I’m also going to need to clamp blood vessels and seal them.” “So, hemostat, sutures, surgical ligature, what else?” Nathan asks, as he withdraws those items from the curiously available supplies. W
“Great.” “She’s mad at me, not you,” I say, sitting back. “She’ll probably be here in fifteen minutes. Will probably try to convince you to stick to Last Call business.” “It wouldn’t be the first time.” “With a slug in your chest…I couldn’t blame you if you listened to her.” His gaze shifts to me, his eyes narrow. “You trying to offload me?” “You crazy, lose my right hand?” “Then stop with the bullshit,” he says. “I make my own decisions. Lorna knows that.” “I’ll never speak of it again.” “Good, cause I ain’t going anywhere, kid.” I smirk, even though I’m the boss now, I allow my friend the pejorative term in private. “The meds alright? You in any pain?” He gingerly lifts his hand to the bandage. “Had a dose earlier this morning, I don’t want to get hooked on the stuff.” His eyes fix on me. “You find the fucker who shot me?” “Yeah, took him over to Sully’s to pound some answers out of him. Then we sent him back to Gregor. Well, his head anyway.” “Ah, figured it was that w
“What about your decision to keep seeing me at the hospital even though I wasn’t even your patient?” I fire off the questions like bullets. “What about your decision to go on a date with me? What about your decision to come back to my house and sleep with me? To live with me, to drive my car and wear this ring as a promise of our future together!” Her eyes are tearing up and she’s moving away from me toward the edge of the bed. But I keep coming, having this all pent up inside. “You’re in gross violation of the medical standards for your profession as a result of failing to report the gunshot wounds you treated!” Her face is twisted with bitter anger and fear. “I did it all for you and now you throw it back in my face!” She climbs off the bed and makes toward the bathroom. “You unbelievable asshole!” I fly after her and shoulder the bathroom door open when she tries to shut it on me. “You did it for me? Why, Chleo? Why’d you do it?” I shout. “I thought you needed my help!” she sc
Content with that knowledge, we drive the rest of the way home in silence, but our hands remain joined.I welcome the return of the routine life back at the hospital. When I check in with Dr. Wood , I recall the information that Ben gave me. Chleo cheated on her medical school exams while she struggled with motherhood. Had she not been dealing with the stresses of a newborn, I’ve no doubt she’d have been capable of passing them on her own merit. But this information certainly cast her in a whole different light. She’s fallible and doesn’t deserve to be on any pedestal we students have placed her on.“Good morning, Dr. Wood,” I say with a knowing smile when I run into her at the nurses’ station.“Chleo.” She smiles back apprehensively as if she suspects something is up but hasThings are pretty slow today. No interesting procedures taking place in the OR, at least nothing I’m interested in adding to my procedures list. So, I stick to the , lending a hand wherever I can.While I’m
Surprisingly, Chantel nods like she understands.“You like her enough, though. Enough to parade her around like she’s yours. I wanted that so bad. I still want that,” she says softly.Ah, fuck.If I’m being honest, if Andrew and I had started our relationship in a normal fashion, we would have probably ended up here—with me having to break her heart because I just don’t see how I could trust anyone enough to give them my heart.But we didn’t. Our relationship’s backwards. She snuck inside my heart without me even realizing it and I can’t get her out.Cara was my friend. And we had a really good thing going, but I would have never let it go beyond that. I put up too many walls to allow it. There’s no way to explain it to her without making it all worse so I simply say I’m sorry.“I hate that I hurt you,” I tell her.She nods, hugging her arms around her body. “I’ll get over it. ”Sensing that she wants to be alone, I start walking for the door.“And Chantel,” she calls, “I’m happy fo
My heart clenches and my voice softens. “Who’s blood is it?”He laughs then. A cruel, awful laugh.“On that bullet? Mine.”I’m taken aback but I do my best to maintain composure. “I thought you said your dad gave that to you? Why did your father have a bullet necklace with your blood on it?”His countenance softens, and a glint of vulnerability pierces through his tough exterior. “When I was fifteen, I accompanied my father on a business venture. It was meant to be a routine deal, but those other guys got too greedy. The moment we set foot on their turf, all hell broke loose. John Luciano himself shot me, right in the chest.”“Is that the reason your family unleashed a hail of bullets within the sanctum of his private mansion? I remember hearing all about that in the news and thought it was just awful.”“His family, and every last blood relation he had. He had a chance to snuff out my old man and me, and we weren’t about to let that slip away without a fight. We went at them with a ve
Your lips are so fucking distracting,” is all he says before kissing me.He tastes like vodka and spice. I tilt my head up to give him better access and Nathan responds by thrusting his tongue into my mouth. His hand tightens on my neck while his other hand drifts down to my thigh, drawing me closer. Carlo suddenly pulls away and I moan the loss of his mouth on mine.He rests his forehead against mine. His hand is still around my neck. It’s carnal and possessive at the same time.“No one touches you but me,” he says firmly. “Say it,dolcezza.”My eyes narrow. “You’re being ridiculous.”Because despite that passionate, earth-shattering kiss, he still needs to know I am not his possession.“Say it, Astoria,” he repeats, his eyes burning like coals.“Move, Nathan ,” is all I say before he removes his hand from my neck and steps back.“Tori, I’d never harm you.”“I know that,” I assure him and he signs in relief. “But I am not your toy.”He walks closer to me and I start stepping back unti
“As you know, I’m my father’s first son. First children usually have a lot riding on them, and in my family, it was no different. He had a lot of expectations for me. He wanted me to be the best because I was meant to be his legacy. His successor. Growing up, I had to be the best in school, the biggest, the strongest. He pushed me to exceed all his expectations, and I tried my best but it was never enough. My younger brothers have always been smarter than me. Hell, Topher’s a fucking genius.” He lets out a wry laugh.I hold my breath. I don’t say a single word because this is what I’ve needed all this time. For him to open up to me. I just want to know who he really is.“It was like, I could never really measure up. But what I could do is try my fucking hardest when it came to the family business. When I was younger, I thought I was going to be the next Don. Then my dad placed that gun in my hand when I was fifteen and told me to shoot. Christian had to do the same when he was sixteen
Take off your shirt,” I command. “Use it to apply pressure.”He stares at me, uncomprehending.I cock my head to the side. “Do you want to die?” I ask calmly. He hurriedly shakes his head before doing as I asked. I smile. “Well done. Your arms next.”“It hurts, doesn’t it?” I ask, staring at him. “You should have thought things through before going after my girl.”“No!” Tori yells, distracting me. I look up at my girl, feeling something clench in my chest. Fuck. I can’t believe I almost lost her. “That’s enough.”“No, it’s really not,” I say, shaking my head.“Please, don’t kill him,” she says, her eyes welling up with tears.I clench my jaw. “Of course I’m going to kill him. He just hasn’t suffered enough, and I’d hate for him to bleed out too early.”“Carlo, you have. You’ve tortured him enough. Look at him.”I grit my teeth. This wasn’t what I had in mind for Marino. But I can hear the hysteria in her voice, the way it quivers. She’s been through enough. And it’s Tori. There’s not
I’m trembling uncontrollably too terrified to move or think clearly. What’s happening down there? With three cars, how many men is Sebastian facing on his own? I’ve got to help him!I set the gun down and fish in the backpack for a flashlight. I find it and switch it on to light up the space. I stick my arms through the sleeves of the shirt and pull on the jogging pants. The bag also contains wads of cash, a cell phone, false IDs for us, another gun, and some energy bars and water.I hear muffled noises, the crashing of glass, and the bumping of furniture being knocked over.“Oh, God, Ben,” I cry, clamping my hands over my mouth. I know Bash told me to stay insideI grab the gun out of the bag and stick in my pants pocket. I take the gun Bash gave and bring it to bear. I struggle with the door for a bit but manage to yank it open. I’m dripping with sweat as I shove the boxes aside.I pause as I stand in the closet, mentally preparing myself to do what needs to be done. I could be
I grit my teeth, I’d prayed it'd never get this far. But desperate times…I find the video and open it for him.He watches it eagerly, a slow ugly grin spreads across his face. “Send me this video.”My instincts tell me this is a huge mistake, but what choice do I have if I want his support? “Is that really necessary?”The color rises in his face. “You want my support, you give me the collateral I need. Who knows what this girl will do? She could be the very weapon used to destroy you!”“She won’t because there’s more at stake than just her career.”His eyes narrow as he glares at me. “What else?”“She’s pregnant, we just found out. Our child will serve as the guarantee on her silence.”His expression turns a degree more devious. “Yes, yes. This could work.”I feel like a fucking fiend for even suggesting our child could be used as leverage, but I know it’ll never come to that. This is just a bargaining chip to get what I need right now and that’s Victor Volkov’s backing.“You
Fine, fine, it’s your life.”“It’s our life,” I say firmly. “We’ll work through it, just not now. Can you give me that?”She nods. “Sure.” Her eyes brighten. “Can we go see Red Square now? I’m dying to see the iconic St. Basil cathedral.”“Let’s go.” I toss a few ruble bills on the table and rise. I grab my backpack off the chair as Chleo adjusts her jacket.We spend the rest of the day winding our way around the city, visiting several iconic landmarks.We strolled through the grand entry way with towering columns down toward the fountains. Before entering, Chloe had said she was exhausted, but she had a new burst of energy upon seeing the beauty of the park. Several friendly park goers offered to take our photo, so we’d have plenty to remind us of the wonderful day we’d enjoyed.Once again, seeing it all with Chleo made it magical and creates memories that I’ll always treasure. I look at the happy couples walking by pushing strollers with their babies. And I envision Chleo and
My legs give way and I crumble to the floor. Hot tears sting my eyes and roll down my cheeks. All this time I’d been strutting around here acting like I was God’s gift to the medical world, all the while Ben knew the truth and said nothing. I am so humiliated.I feel Ben near me. Hear his voice in my ear. “I’ll give you the world, Chleo, whatever you want. But don’t youevertake me for granted or try to dismiss me. Your career and the hospital aren’t the center of your universe…I am.” He then takes me by the hands and gently lifts me to my feet. “The private jet leaves for Moscow in 2 hours, you need to be ready.”Feeling utterly deflated, I allow Ben to lead me up the stairs to finish packing. I feel so utterly disillusioned and uncertain. What do I do with this information about the residency? What do I do about this pregnancy? I am so lost and torn.And now I must fly thousands of miles away to a place I’ve never been with this man whom I love but hardly Nathan chartered for our