“I can’t walk out, Stan.”
“Yes. You can. Fuck them. Fuck how they treat you. Fuck the whole fucking system that turns nurses into indentured servants. Come. Home.”
Feeling flushed with his righteous outrage on my and my fellow nurses’ behalves, I dipped my chin. “You’re right. Okay. I’m on my way.”
“Good. See you soon. Be safe,amore.”
Amore?!
“See you soon, Stan,” I squeaked, touched and overwhelmed and badly wishing I could kiss him and crawl onto his lap again.
Later, I promised myself as we disconnected the call.
Exiting the stall, I headed into the hallway and walked toward the exit. It was irresponsible and terrible and undutiful, but I shoved aside my guilt.
Just getting here had been hard, never mind having to fulfill a shift.
If Alan had given me a moment’s grace, things would never have come to this.
Grateful that a huge line kept Sharon distracted, I was on the brink of leaving the hospital for good when I saw them and blanched.
“Fuck!”
FIFTEEN
STAN
“I appreciate you doing me a solid,frate. Even if I wish I were the one who’d obliterated her.”
“Jen might not have liked her mother, Luciu, but I doubt she’d want to sleep with the man who killed Diana.” Rory wriggled in her seat for the tenth time in five minutes. “Less of the posturing, more of the gratitude.”
Hunter ignored the bird Luc flipped Rory’s way and pressed a hand to her lower back. “Why would she return to the city at all?”
Rory stopped squirming, instead leaned forward to give her husband better access, and sighed as Hunter rubbed there. Watching her relax had me grimacing. Rory was more prickly than a porcupine without being pregnant. For her to relax told me everything I needed to know about how much pain she was in.
“Money?” Luc tossed in easily.
Hunter snorted. “Pussy’s a commodity that can be sold in every city. She had no reason to return.”
Rory’s brow furrowed. “What’s your point, Hunter?”
“My point is, unless she had a death wish,whywould she come back?”
“From her wailing and pleading, I’d say she’d have preferred to stay alive,” I mocked. “Now that I think about it… Dante and Diana appeared to know one another. There were signs I should have picked up on sooner.”
“A plant?” Rory slipped in, groaning then hissing at whatever knot Hunter uncovered.
“Why bother?” Luc sipped his espresso. “Why would the Albanians return her to the city? They had to know what’d happen if we found out.”
I drummed my fingers on the dinner table. “Don’t you shepherd Maxim Lyanov around the city’s galas because Dubrov was related to someone in the Bratva ranks?”
“True. Vlad wasn’t Bratva, but his brother was. Avinnitta?” Luc queried.
Rory jolted. “You think this is revenge?”
“I think I don’t trust Russians. If Jen wasn’t so touchy about that whole murdering him thing, I’d give her a round of applause. You owe her another bauble at least, Luc.”
Sorurolled her eyes. “Men can be so dumb?—”
