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PROLOGUE
BRUNO
30 Years Ago . . .
When I met her, I had no idea she was at the bottom of the food chain. I suppose that’s my own fault for not doing proper research. I didn’t know she knew about her bloodline but chose to stay away from them. Part of me being with Aisling was because of her royal blood. I’ve put myself in situations with mafia women for a reason, to create an empire that no one will want to fuck with.
What I never expected was for a woman with mafia blood to fall into something tragic, something that could’ve killed our unborn child if medical professionals didn’t intervene. She was careless, and the only reason I even know is that for some unknown reason, Aisling put me as her emergency contact. It’s the very reason the hospital called me. She must’ve told them I was the father of her child, but I won’t know a damn thing until I’m there.
I sit in the back of a town car I chartered when I landed in Belfast. It’s already driven through the center of the city and is heading toward a lower-class area. I narrow my eyes as I scan through the windows, unsure if this is where we’re supposed to be going.
“Are you sure this is the way?” I ask the man driving me.
“Yes, sir, it is,” he tells me as he focuses on the road ahead.
Hmm, odd. I settle back against the leather seat and pass the time by taking in the scenery. Even so, all I can think about is what the physician told me over the phone. How my son was born six weeks early, how they didn’t know if he was going to make it through the night. I took the first flight from Italy to be here, praying to God that he doesn’t take my child.
I blame myself for this. I’ve been gallivanting around the world, handling my family’s business, building a better name for myself in the process, and for what? He could’ve died. If I would’ve been here, keeping an eye on Aisling, would he even be in this situation? Would he be in the NICU? I won’t ever know the answer, but I’ll do what I must to ensure my son makes it through the night and every night thereafter.
The giant ‘H’ is lit up in the front of the hospital. “Here we are, sir. I’ll be parked in the garage across the street. Give me a ring when you’re coming down, and I’ll meet you here,” the driver tells me as he pulls into the ‘c’ shaped drop-off area. He exits and opens the door for me.
“Perfect. Do you have a card?” I question him, and he hands me a business card with his number. I head for the mechanical doors, and heaviness washes over my shoulders. My gut begins to coin in my stomach, and I dread what news I’m going to walk into.
There’s a desk in front of me, and a woman with long, blonde hair sits behind it. “Good evening, can I be of service?” She blinks her eyes a few times, likely uncertain why I’m here at this hour.
“Good evening. Dr. McGonigal called me a couple hours ago. He informed me I should come to the hospital as soon as I could.”
“Okay, I’ll get everything done as quickly as I can for you. What’s your name? Let me ring him, and I’ll be with you in just a moment. All right?” Kindness comes over her eyes, and I’m certain she knows what this means. I imagine parents being called into the NICU is never a good thing.
“I’m Bruno Bernardi, and my ex-girlfriend, Aisling, is upstairs with our son.”
“All right, thank you.”
I do as the woman requests and take a seat, but I’m only there a moment before she calls me back over. “I have your pass ready for you, Mr. Bernardi.”
I walk back over to her desk, and she hands me a sticker to put on my suit. I’d hate to ruin it by putting this on it, but if it’s how I get to see my son, I’ll have to suck it up. “For what it’s worth, I’m sending my well wishes to your son, Mr. Bernardi.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Of course. Now, you’ll head down the hall here and make a sharp right. You keep going until you get to the lift. The NICU is on the 5th floor, so once you’re up there, you’ll speak to the charge nurse, and she’ll fetch the good doctor for you.”
“Perfect. Thank you.” I begin to follow her advice, walking down the hallway until I make a sharp right. Then I walk until I think I’m going the wrong way because the hallway doesn’t seem to end until it does. I get to the elevators and press the arrow that goes up. Fortunately for me, it takes but a moment for the doors to open. I walk inside, tap the number five, and then wait for the elevator to take me up.
