Page 7 of Wounded King

And no clue why I'm even thinking about this. I'm his nurse. Nothing more, nothing less.

Even the four burly, very handsome men in dark suits with tell-tell bulges by the sides of their jackets don't look like what I would have imagined a mobster's bodyguards to look like. There is nothing sleezy or cheap about them. Their suits are definitely not off the rack; they're stylish and form-fitting. They greeted me with ma'am when I entered, and they only intimidated me because, hell, there are four burly, armed men at the entrance of my patient's room.

And then there is Luciano. Since the four bodyguards are very deferential toward him, I assume he's some kind of boss. His eyes have been glaring at me since we introduced ourselves, watching me like a hawk from a chair by the end of the bed. Now,helooks like a gangster. His frown, his dark, almost black eyes, the scar crossing his right cheek—everything about him screams ruthless killer.

He wasn't pleased when the CEO of the hospital refused to empty the entire ICU wing for Marcello—not pleased at all. I have no idea how Henry, the CEO, stood up to him, but he did. He explained that we still have victims of a mall shooting from a few days ago in here, and that the other hospitals are already overcrowded with additional victims from that incident and simply don't have the room to accept these patients.

"I'll be back in a moment," I excuse myself to the big, scary man. I don't owe him an explanation, but I do need to go pee, and I need another dose of Labetalol to keep Mr. Orsi's blood pressure down.

He rises from his chair and moves his over six-foot, all-muscle body over to me, staring intimidatingly down. "Just in case you get any funny offers or ideas when it comes to Mr. Orsi's life, let me tell you something."

His voice drops, raising goosebumps all over my flesh, and not in a good way. More in theyou're in the middle of a horror movie and about to meet the killer, kind of way, "Your mother is Linda Meade. She works at Doll's Beauty Parlor. Your sister, Elaine Conolly, just gave birth to her first son, your nephew, Mark. She is a stay-at-home mom. Her husband, Lee Conolly, makes his money as a YouTube streamer and instructor."

Sweat builds behind my ears and neck. I can feel my blood rushing through my veins.

"Your brother, Sebastian Meade, is in his third year at Hudson City College—HCC."

I know he isn't telling me all this just for shits and giggles and prepare myself for his next words, which still manage to freeze the blood in my veins. "If anything happens to Mr. Orsi, an unfortunate, very painful accident will happen to all these people, including the baby, understand?"

A shiver moves through me. Now I get why Kelly quit. Even though she hadn't met Luciano yet. Or at least I don't think she did. Looks like she has more smarts than I do.

It's not too late to quit, I tell myself. Out loud, to my surprise, in a steady voice, I say, "Mr. Orsi is in a critical condition." I manage to hold my cool and am proud that my voice trembles only slightly. "You can't hold me responsible if… his heart stops or he develops a blood clot."

"I won't," Luciano replies, unsmiling. "But if any of those scenarios seem suspicious…"

How he expects anybody to make it through the four burly men standing constantly in my way is a mystery to me, but I take his warning seriously. Serious enough to call my mom.

I shut the door behind me and dial her number before I can second-guess myself. My fingers tremble around the phone. It rings once, twice?—

"Vi?" she answers, upbeat. "Everything okay?"

"Hey, Mom." I try to keep my voice light, but it wobbles. "I need you to do something for me."

Her tone tightens. "What is it, sweetheart?"

"I need you to take everyone to the lake house. Just for a few days. Maybe a week or two. Call it a mini vacation. It's quiet, safe. You'll love it."

There's a pause. "Vi, what's going on?"

"Nothing, I swear. It's just..." I hesitate. "There's been some tension at work. You know Marcello Orsi is here."

"I told you not to take that case."

"I had to, Mom." How can I explain that nobody else was willing to deal with him? "Please, just do this for me. Pack a few bags and go."

"You need to quit, Vi." Her voice hardens with that familiar maternal steel. "Nothing good comes from hanging around mobsters."

"I'm not hanging around mobsters. I'm caring for a patient who just happens to be?—"

"A mafia boss, yes, I remember." Her sigh nearly crackles through the line. "Promise me you'll quit. Right now."

I press my fingers to the bridge of my nose. "I can't just walk away. This job is?—"

"Dangerous, Vi. It's not just a hospital anymore. It's a war zone waiting to happen." She interrupts with a mom edge to her voice.

"I promise I'll think about it. But right now, can you just go? Take Elaine, Sebastian, Lee, Mark... even Felix. I'll feel better knowing you're somewhere safe."

She exhales slowly. "Come with us. Please. I don't think I'd survive if something happened to you."