That doesn't sound good. "I'm on my way."
"Thank you, Vi. I owe you one."
I'm still not sure why Kelly quit over the assignment. A patient is a patient, but I'm not going to question it. So, he's notorious. He's a gangster. He's not my first, nor will he be my last, patient who probably doesn't deserve to be saved. But as doctors and nurses, we don't get to make that call. Our responsibility is to the body, not the person, at least in theory.
At least I won't run a risk of getting emotionally attached to this one, unlike my last, a young girl of fifteen who was hit by a drunk driver. She fought for two weeks before she died. That was hard. I got to know her family. Her parents, her siblings, her friends. That's the part of the job I hate.
Well, no danger of that with this new patient.
A little earlier…
My mind is still on the meeting I just left while the elevator takes us down to the garage level. Matías's audacity isn't just irritating—it's an insult that makes my gut churn with rage. Does he really think I'm going to swallow his bullshit like some naive street rat? Like I didn't build my empire on men smarter, harder, and deadlier than him? I should have ripped his throat out the moment he opened his mouth. I bet the sniveling jackass is on the phone with Edoardo right now, bitching about me. That thought amuses me. I wonder how long it'll take Edoardo to contact me. That, more than anything, will be proof that the two of them are working together.
My phone vibrates with an incoming text.
Sophia:
Sorry, I can't make it tonight.
A frown creases my forehead. This is the third time my sister has canceled our plans. I've only seen her once since I've been back, the night she picked me up from the airport. She looked a lot skinnier than I remembered her. And much older than her twenty-two years. She had dark circles under her eyes, a look I didn't like. It hinted at either too much partying or an unhappy life. Our father married her to Roberto Giordano three years ago. A union I didn't favor, but with me being disgraced in Sicily, there wasn't anything I could do about it.
Sophia and I have always enjoyed a close sibling relationship, the opposite of what either of us had with our brother Angelo. Angelo was an asshole, but Sophia has always been sweet and kindhearted. She is the only one from my family who ever called me in Sicily. She even came to visit me once, while Carlos was busy in Russia and didn't realize she was gone.
With the shitstorm all around us, I haven't been the attentive brother she deserves since my return, but that will change. If my asshole brother-in-law is mistreating her, I'll put a stop to it. It won't matter what my father or Edoardo says about it. Roberto is and has always been an asshole.
Me:
I'll come by your house now
Sophia:
…
No, don't. I'm not home.
Me:
Where are you?
Sophia:
…
Let's meet tomorrow.
My fingers hover over a reply. I'm just about to tell Luciano that we're going to her house when he curses, "Shit, boss."
Right at the same time, the elevator dings, announcing we've reached the parking level. Instantly, my radar is up.Something's wrongruns through my mind while I watch Luciano fidget with his pockets. He's not a fidgety man. "My phone. I must have left it upstairs."
"What the fuck, Luciano?" My voice turns cold. "That's a rookie mistake."
Luciano doesn't make mistakes, not like this. I wait for an explanation, something—anything—as to why the hell my most trusted man suddenly turned careless. He looks stunned, so I grunt out, "Go. Get it."
My gut twists when I step out of the elevator. I don't like this.
"Sorry, boss. " He looks from me to Casimo, who shrugs his shoulders. "No worries; I've got him."
"You okay going alone?" I ask, thinking how pissed Matías was when we left.
