27. Raven

27

RAVEN

“R aven,” Jared says to me, “we should get out of here.”

“No,” I say succinctly.

He lays a gentle hand on my shoulder. “But he said he doesn’t want you here.”

I swat it away. “He’s saying it because he wants to keep me safe, Jared.”

“Yes, and so do I. I’m being paid very well to keep you safe. And frankly, Vinnie Gallo was right. The farther away from him you are, the safer you are.”

I shake my head. “He needs me, Jared.”

“He needs you safe .” He taps a fist against his chest. “I can keep you safe, but you’re making my job a lot more difficult than it needs to be.”

I let out a humorless chuckle. “You have to earn your keep, don’t you?” I sit down in one of the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting area.

Jared reluctantly sits next to me. “They’re probably going to be with their mother as long as they can,” he says.

I don’t answer. Instead, my gaze is drawn to an older man walking through the waiting area and checking in with reception.

Already I know who that man is.

Mario Bianchi. Vinnie’s grandfather. The resemblance between them is uncanny. I feel like I’m looking at Vinnie in fifty years.

Same facial features, same muscular build, although Mr. Bianchi is a few inches shorter. Same thick hair, only his is silver.

Same olive complexion.

Same dark eyes—except where Vinnie’s are kind and sparkling, Mr. Bianchi’s show malevolence.

A moment later, a nurse comes and escorts Mr. Bianchi into the ICU hallway.

He must be going to see his daughter. Vinnie must be back there with her, along with Falcon and Savannah, unless they went somewhere.

“That’s Mario Bianchi,” I say to Jared.

He nods slowly. “I know who it is.” He jumps to his feet. “I want to get you out of here now.”

“No. I can’t leave Vinnie.”

“You have to. That man is dangerous.”

I cross my legs. “I’m perfectly safe in a hospital waiting room.”

“Any maniac can come in here with a gun and start shooting people,” he says.

“That can happen anywhere. In any restaurant, any hotel lobby. It’s not going to happen here. And if it does? Mario Bianchi won’t have anything to do with it. He’s smarter than that.”

Jared lets out a breath but doesn’t say anything.

A few moments later, Falcon enters the waiting area.

“Where have you been?” I ask.

“I went to get a bite to eat,” he says. “What are you still doing here?”

“I’m not leaving him, Falcon.”

Falcon turns his attention to Jared. “Why is she here again?”

“I’m not her keeper,” he says. “I can’t force her to leave.”

“Well, I can.” Falcon grabs my arm and pulls me out of my chair.

“Get your hands off me,” I say, attempting to wriggle out of his grasp.

Jared rises. “You may be the one paying me, but you’re not going to manhandle her.”

Falcon shakes his head and lets me go. He rubs at his forehead. “I’m sorry, Ray. You too, Jared. I just need you to be far away from here. Savannah is my fiancée, so I have to be here. But Bianchi could show up at any time.”

“He’s already here,” Jared says. “He went back to his daughter’s room.”

Falcon widens his eyes. “See what I mean?” He turns to Jared. “Why didn’t you get her the hell out of here?”

“Because I can’t make her obey me, Mr. Bellamy. I’m her bodyguard. It is my job to keep her safe wherever she goes. And right now, despite my fervent insistence to the contrary, she wants to stay here.”

“Right,” I say, trying to sound more confident that I am. Frankly this whole discussion is making me very uncomfortable.

Savannah comes out of the hallway then and Falcon goes to her. “Vannah,” I hear him say as he takes her into an embrace.

I walk up to them. “How is she?” I ask.

Savannah sighs. “The nurse claims she’s fine, but she’s still asleep. But that’s not what I’m worried about at this point.”

Falcon grabs her hands. “Your grandfather’s here.”

“Yeah.” She swallows. “He and Vinnie are down the hall talking. The nurse came in and said I needed to leave, that my mother needs her rest. I don’t know why I can’t stay. It’s not like I was keeping her from resting.”

“If you want to be in there, Vannah, that’s where you’ll be. I’ll take care of it.”

“Right now I’m more concerned about Vinnie and my grandfather.” Her face twists, and she reaches into her purse for a tissue. “God, sometimes I wish Vinnie were still in Europe. I missed him, but he left when I was ten. I got used to life without him. And now he’s back, and I love him, but you know what?” She dabs at her eyes. “I don’t really even know my older brother.”

“I do,” I say. “He’s a good man, Savannah.”

“Oh, Raven…” Savannah sighs. “There’s still so much that you don’t know.”

Falcon turns his head sharply toward his fiancée. “And we’re going to keep it that way.”

“For your information, Savannah,” I say, “I happen to be in love with your brother. And there’s nothing that you can say that will change that.”

Savannah looks at me, and just when I think she’s not going to say a word, she finally opens her mouth, only to close it abruptly when Mario Bianchi returns.

The muscles in my jaw tense. Then my whole body tenses. He walks out—perfectly clad in a designer suit—and he looks first at Falcon and then at Savannah.

Finally, his gaze rests on me. I feel a cold chill run down my spine, my whole body erupting in goosebumps.

“Ms. Bellamy,” he says to me, “I can see what my grandson sees in you. You are absolutely stunning.”

Is he being facetious? I’m wearing baggy sweats and a tight tank top. Flip-flops on my feet, my toes unpainted.

And of course we all know what my head looks like.

But I can see the lecherous look in his cold, dark eyes. He means what he’s saying. He’s mentally undressing me as we speak.

I swallow down a fresh wave of nausea.

“Grandfather,” Savannah says, “please…”

Mr. Bianchi holds up a hand. “Oh, I’m being serious, Savannah. Ms. Bellamy is as lovely as they come.” He turns his gaze back to me. “And yes, I realize you have no hair. That your eyelashes and eyebrows are only beginning to grow back in. I can only imagine how beautiful you were before your illness.”

Falcon steps in between the two of us. “What the fuck do you want?” he asks through gritted teeth.

Mr. Bianchi looks Falcon up and down, his expression unchanging. “You look as though you’re healing well.”

“No thanks to your goons,” Falcon says. “But it was about five against one, and I was tied to a chair.”

“Yeah, and thanks to you, my son-in-law’s now in prison.”

“Grandfather, please…” Savannah rubs her forehead.

“You should be thanking your brother, Savannah.” He turns to Falcon. “And you too, for that matter.”

“I think most of my thanks go to your son-in-law,” Falcon says. “If not for him, I’d be a dead man.”

“And the world might be a better place,” Bianchi says.

Savannah’s eyes widen, and my temper flares.

“What the fuck?” I say. “My brother is alive thanks to your son-in-law. And he’s a better man than you’ll ever be.”

Bianchi scoffs. “He’s an ex-con.”

“And you’re a current con!”

I take a few steps toward him, but Falcon gestures me to stop. “Don’t stoke the fire, Ray,” he says. “It’s not worth it.”

“Where’s Vinnie?” I demand.

“He’s with his lovely mother,” Bianchi says. “And now, please excuse me. My work never seems to be done.”

“Figuring out who to kill next,” Falcon mutters.

If Bianchi hears him, he doesn’t show it.

“I’m going to go find Vinnie,” I say.

“If he’s with his mother, Ray, let them have a minute,” Falcon says.

I want to tell my brother to fuck off, but he’s right. Vinnie needs this time with his mom.

“Is there anything you need, Vannah?”

“Yeah. I need to eat something,” she says. “Have you eaten?”

“I grabbed a bite while you were in there,” Falcon says. “Come on. Let’s get you something to eat. Raven, you should come with us.”

“I’m going to stay here and wait for Vinnie.”

“Have it your way.”

I nod, watch them leave, and then I walk back to Jared and take my seat next to him.