I took the elevator to the ground floor and followed the signs to the cafeteria. With Dante and the twins stuck at the hospital, I lived here. Nico brought my clothes from home. The staff even rolled a bed into Dante's room so I could sleep beside him.
He was an important man in this town. The same rules other guests had to follow didn't apply to us. We didn't have regular visiting hours, though Dante refused to see anyone other than his brothers.
A few times, he spoke to Paulie but wouldn't look him in the eye. He was good at pretending not to hate him. For a long time, he even had me fooled. But now, we were inseparable.
Dante didn't make me leave. He seemed to like having me by his side. We ate meals together. I read books to him from the Kindle app on my phone. At night, we watched TV together. I wasn't all that surprised that he liked to watch Jeopardy and knew most of the answers. In the past week, I learned a lot more about Dante. But I could tell it was killing him to stay in this bed and listen to the doctor's orders.
Whenever he tried to leave, I talked him into staying. Once, he even called me Boss. His Don. It was so fucking cute that I couldn't stop smiling.
I poured myself a cup of hot chocolate and took a few sips, thinking about the cup I drank last night while I watched TV with Dante. He kissed me and said I tasted delicious, and he couldn't get enough of me.
On my way down the hallway, headed back upstairs, a man dressed in a suit approached me. He was in his forties and had dark brown hair. "Miss Vianello, you need to come with me."
Vinnie Corallo worked for Stefan and hung out at Lucky's a lot. We'd met over the past few months, but I hadn't spoken much to him. He always gave Stefan a hard time and mocked him. However, Stefan didn't seem to mind.
I stopped in front of him. "What's wrong?"
He extended his hand to me. "Dante sent me. He says you’re not safe in the hospital and need to come with me back to the Portofino.”
I bit my lip, confused about why Dante would send someone for me.
Why didn't Nico come?
Or even Tony?
I didn't know Vinnie as well as Tony, but he was one of Stefan's most trusted men. So I placed my free hand in his and let him lead the way. Vinnie ushered me through the bustling hospital, dodging orderlies pushing wheelchairs and anxious-looking patients.
When we reached the elevator bank, he yanked on my arm and steered me in the opposite direction.
"Hey, what are you doing?" I slapped his arm to get him off me, but he didn't release his grip. "Why are you taking me this way?"
"Shortcut," he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
Vinnie pushed open a back door markedFire Exit. Outside, he guided me over to a black SUV with tinted windows. The front window was down so that I could see a man in the passenger seat. It wasn't Tony or any guys I'd seen around the casino.
My stomach knotted as we moved toward the vehicle. It was too dark to make out the man's features.
I threw my weight into Vinnie's side, attempting to knock him off balance. "I want to go upstairs. Let me go."
Another man got out of the SUV and grabbed my arm, squeezing hard. My foot made contact with his body as he dragged me toward the open door.
"Get off me!"
I tried to elbow him in the stomach and missed. His hand covered my mouth, and the scent of tobacco on his skin was enough to knock me out.
"She's being difficult," he said to a man in the car, who opened the door and got out.
He walked toward us and reached into his pocket. But I couldn't make out his features in the darkness.
I only smelled him.
Heard him breathe.
And then, he jammed a needle into my neck, taking away my will to fight.
ChapterSeven
AVA
