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“You are losing,” Fisher replied. I looked at him with a warning look and he shut his mouth without saying what he was thinking next.
He knew better than to cross me and I was already at a boiling rage.
“I need a drink.” I dismissed him and walked out of the room to get to the bar. I took a second look at the destruction that had been caused in the bar. It was a lot, and it would cost Fisher quite a bit. I would give him some money to get the business back up and running.
Fisher had a rule about firearms. Throughout his time as a gangster, he never used them himself. He kept fighting with his fists and made sure that the rule extended to his club. I wondered if the events of the evening would have gone any differently if his boys had been armed. The men who had attacked the bar were only successful because they had come against unarmed people. I picked up a seat and moved it towards the smashed counter, waving at one of the boys to walk over.
“We need drinks. Something strong for me,” I began as Benny and Leonardo joined me at the bar.
“Sure, Mr. Preston,” the boy turned around and grabbed one of the few glasses that hadn’t been broken. He reached for the shelf where the drinks lay and touched a secret button hidden under it, which brought out some of the more expensive drinks.
“Is Fisher okay?” Benny asked, taking a sip of his drink. He turned to look at one of the boys who had begun sweeping the glass into a plastic bucket.
“He’ll live. He is very,veryupset with the whole thing,” I began.
“Who wouldn’t be? It’s a real shit show. I’m just glad that no one is dead or seriously hurt,” Leonardo added.
“What if we play dirty, like him?” Benny asked.
“What?”
“Vasquez is doing that. He’s playing dirty. What if we do the same? Get some of our guys on his turf and wreak some havoc?” Benny looked over at Leonardo for some reassurance but got none. “We could go there and get him in a real pinch.”
“And then what?” Leonardo asked. “He hits back? It never ends once we go like that. You know this.”
“I would love it if we could hit back,” I began. I really wanted to make Vasquez and everyone else remember who has the power in this shitty world. The Commission were older men who had no respect for me, and even my own people felt that I was weak and did not have what it took to go against him. “But my father believed in the connection between the two families, and up until his death, he did what he could to make sure that we were held together. As much as I hate what is happening to us, I won’t rise to the bait and take out Vasquez.”
Leonardo and Benny stared at me. Both men knew how violent I could be. They had seen me back when I was an underboss. I had been the one who would go out and tackle the tough guys on the east side. I was the one who was itching to go on hits, but now I’m taking the decisions to honor my father, even I did not recognize myself. Benny cleared his throat. “What if he comes after you?”
“Then… Then I’ll take him down and will enjoy every moment of it. If the Commission asks, they will have to try me.” I said with a dark look, while my anger only grew as I thought more on the day’s events.
Benny finished his drink in one swift swig, “Well, that’s a dangerous stance to take.”
“But regardless, we are with you. We’ve got your back,” Leonardo added.
Both men had served me for as long as I could remember, and I could not imagine what I would do without their council. They were still young and had a lot of rage within them, which we carried over from our youth, but they were slowly starting to understand the nuances that went into running a mafia family. I finished my drink and got to my feet as they followed behind.
“There is something that we do have to do before anything else.” Thoughts of the woman we hit kept torturing my mind, and I knew I had to find her.
“Where to, Boss?” Leonardo asked without further question as he picked up the keys. He had learned not to ask much.
“Closest hospital was Merriweather; we can start there.”
CHAPTERFOUR
Maria
I watched as Donald made the incision on the patient. Victor, the other doctor in the operating room, slipped a pair of chrome clamps into the body of the patient on the table. Blood began filling the incision site, and one of the doctors called to me. I reached in with a sponge and mopped up the excess blood. By the time they had finished, they left me to clean things up before the patient woke up.
I had been trained as a nurse, but only because I had not had the funds to take myself through medical school and become a proper doctor. But I continued to practice on my own, taking whatever free courses I could get at the open university, and studying as hard as I could. In the end, I was definitely fit to enter full practice, but since I was not able to get certified, I was restrained to my duties as a nurse. It was better than nothing.
My only source of income was the hospital, even though it had just taken a huge chunk of my savings to treat my fractured arm, which I still had in a sling. Vanessa had listened to my plea and allowed me to work, but in a very restricted fashion. I was only allowed to check on patients who were out of surgery, help them with their drugs, and monitor their vitals. There was no paid leave for me, Vanessa wouldn’t have it. The woman would sleep happy if I never came into work, and so if I wanted the pay, I had to do the work.
“Maria, we’re going to need these sterilized.”
I walked out when I was done cleaning the equipment and went down to the nurse at the counter to get a look at all of the duties that were available. As I did, I noticed Vanessa walking down the hall holding a clipboard. Not willing to deal with her drama, I stepped into a supply cupboard to hide from her. I began browsing the shelves, so that if someone walked in they would think I had come in to get bandages or something else. I waited until I heard her feet walking past. I let out a breath and peered out the door to see her take a turn to the left wing of the building.
I left the storage room and continued down to the front desk. I took the elevator down and decided to head to the other side of the building. As long as I was away from her, I could ignore whatever she would do or say to annoy me.
