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“You’re a competent and hardworking nurse,” I said because that much was undeniable. “I value having you on my team.”
Raven nodded. “Bene.But now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, do you want to tell me what happened?” she asked. “Deo was pretty vague.” She was sitting comfortably in the cafeteria chair, and her shoulders were relaxed like we were talking about the weather or the abysmal cafeteria food.
I, on the other hand, felt a knot in the pit of my stomach. I had no idea how to answer her even if I’d wanted to.
“A man I knew,” I waded in carefully, “tried to hurt someone close to Amadeo. I believe that man won’t be repeating his mistake.”
Raven grinned. “Si,Deo has a way of communicating with people, doesn’t he?”
“Strip,” he’d said.
“Is this whatyou want, perla?”he’d asked me as he pulled his incredible, pierced cock free and stroked it.
I pushed the memory away as my cheeks suffused with warmth. “Yes, I believe he does,” I replied with as much composure as I could muster. “I think I’ll go for a walk,” I said before Raven saw everything clear as day on my face.
“Enjoy your tail,” she said as I stood.
I froze, my hands halfway toward my cafeteria tray. “What ‘tail’?” I asked as I dropped my arms.
They felt colder.
The whole room felt colder.
Raven shrugged like she hadn’t felt the shift in temperature at all. “I have a feeling Deo’s just being over-cautious, but we all kind of get that way. It’s hard not to after some of the things we’ve seen.”
“You’re saying he has someone following me?” The car outside my apartment? That had been because of him? Perhaps he was more worried about me speaking to the police than the big, bald man had let on.
“It’s not a big deal,” Raven said as she stood up. She stepped closer. “Whoever he has looking out for you knows enough to hang back; they won’t get in your way.”
“Oh good. Because that’s truly my biggest concern here.”
And yet, the thought of his men’s eyes on me felt in some way like it washiseyes on me, which sent hot and cold shivers chasing up and down my spine, even if it shouldn’t have.
I nodded, grabbed my tray, and left the cafeteria. My legs felt a little shaky as I navigated the halls to the hospital’s main doors. The moment I stepped outside, I breathed in deep, which was a mistake; the heavy car fumes were hardly a recipe for inner well-being.
I supposed that was one thing that could be said for my forced vacation; the air at the cabin Amadeo had taken me to had been clean and light. It had smelled like crisp pine and warm earth. At least, it had until it smelled like blood and antiseptic.
As I looked around, searching for the “tail” Raven mentioned, a dark gray Mercedes pulled up to the curb right in front of me. I took a step back as a man got out of the driver’s side and came around to open the rear passenger door. Though the driver didn’t look at all familiar, the passenger did.
“What are you doing out of bed?” I asked as the man I’d performed surgery on in the cabin eased himself up off the back seat.
The driver leaned down to help him up, but the man waved him off and slowly got to his feet.
“You were shot, Mr…” I shook my head. “I don’t remember your last name.”
He smiled, despite the furrow between his brows and the grimace that made the corners of his lips quiver. “It’s Carbone, but call me Aurelio,per favore.”
“You were shot, Mr. Carbone. You should be in bed, not—” I slammed my mouth shut as it dawned on me that I wasn’t chastising a patient; I was berating a very dangerous man. “What are you doing here?” I asked instead.
“I came to see you, in fact. To say thank you.”
That was hardly necessary. “You already thanked me.”
“Si, well, you did good work under a great deal of pressure when others would have stood by and let me die. I’m very glad you did not.”
He was charming; it struck me a bit like a bucket of cold water. And there was something about him. The cardigan he wore, it reminded me of someone. I couldn’t think who.
I motioned to the bench a few feet away. “If you’ll not return to bed, will you at least sit down?”
