Chapter 15
Gio
“I’m going to need you to say that again,” I barked at the doctor who’d arrived at the private suite Rory now occupied to share the results of her bloodwork.
The Midwest’s premier double board-certified obstetrician gripped her tablet tighter, clearly annoyed by my overbearing attitude, but I didn’t give a fuck. My child’s life was on the line, and if the information she was giving us was correct, this whole ordeal hadn’t been Mother Nature’s doing.
“Mr. Bellini, for the third time, we found trace amounts of a synthetic oxytocin in your wife’s bloodstream, which is what we typically administer throughout the course of an induced labor.
It more than explains why she was experiencing preterm contractions and also why they’ve stopped, since it requires a steady infusion to be most effective. ”
“And you’re sure it couldn’t have been from something she ate?” I pressed.
Dr. Mohr sighed. “That’s simply not possible.” Consulting her tablet, she continued, “Her chart mentions she received an IV prior to coming in. My best guess is that’s how the medication got into her system.”
“Son of a bitch!” The expletive was roared as I spun around and put my fist through the nearest wall.
“Sir!” the doctor cried in outrage. “I understand this is upsetting news, but you can’t destroy hospital property!”
Humorless laughter spilled from my lips as I lifted a finger and twirled it around. “I practically own this fucking hospital. If I want to put a hole in the wall, I’ll damn well do it.”
“Gio.” Rory’s soft voice could barely be heard over the rush of blood roaring in my ears.
“What?” I shouted, instantly regretting it when she flinched and the doctor gave me the stink-eye like I was the poster boy for domestic violence.
“Dr. Mohr has been nothing but helpful; it’s not fair for you to take your anger out on her,” my wife reprimanded.
I dragged a hand down my face, my knuckles cut and throbbing from where they’d broken through the drywall. “Someone tried to kill our baby, Rory.” And not just anyone, my own fucking uncle, sending his minions to do his dirty work in his quest to eliminate my bloodline so he could usurp my throne.
She pressed a palm to her hospital gown-clad stomach, her lower lip wobbling as her blue eyes filled with fresh tears. “I know. But he’s okay now.” Her gaze shifted to the doctor. “Because of Dr. Mohr and her team. She deserves our gratitude.”
All I wanted to do right now was burn down the fucking world. Maybe then I’d finally be able to cut off the head of the snake who had come for my family.
I should’ve been prepared for this type of underhanded attack. He’d already set my brother’s home on fire with his two little girls asleep inside. Stupid fool that I was, I believed my unborn baby to be safe, protected inside the comfort of his mother’s womb. God, was I wrong.
Jaw clenched, I spoke to the doctor, “I appreciate the efforts that have gone into caring for my wife and son.”
The doctor wasn’t stupid. She knew my words weren’t sincere, as evidenced by her tightly pinched lips.
Still, she maintained her professionalism, turning to my wife.
“Since we’ve uncovered the root cause of the contractions and gotten them to cease, I’m going to discharge you with strict instructions to rest and take it easy for a few days to be on the safe side. ”
A relieved exhale flew past Rory’s lips. “Thank—”
“No.” I cut her off with that single word, and both women’s heads whipped in my direction.
“No?” Dr. Mohr challenged, an eyebrow arched.
“She’ll be staying overnight for observation,” I declared.
“Mr. Bellini, that’s really not necess—”
“It’s not up for debate.”
The woman threw the hand not holding her tablet into the air in exasperation. “Fine, do whatever you want. It’s not like I’m the professional or anything.” With that, she left the room.
From where she lay in the hospital bed, Rory fixed me with an expression of disapproval.
I folded both arms over my chest. “You got something you want to say?”
The only response I received was her turning on her side, giving me her back.
“Great,” I muttered. “I’m going to get coffee.”
As soon as I cleared the threshold into the hallway, I bent in half, dropping my head between my knees, sucking in deep breaths. That had been way too fucking close.
A hand landed on my shoulder, and like a bolt of lightning had zipped down my spine, I straightened suddenly, on high alert and ready for a fight.
“Hey, it’s just me.” A familiar voice spoke while I blinked furiously, trying to bring my vision back into focus.
“Matteo?” Confusion filled my voice. “Could have sworn I texted Enzo, but my head’s so fucked up right now, I can’t even remember.”
“You did.” My brother steered me toward a small waiting area with chairs and pushed me onto one.
I stared up at him. “Then why are you here instead of him?”
“He’s busy dealing with Allie.”
My brows drew down. “What’s wrong with Allie?” Had I been so panicked earlier that I imagined she was the one who’d escorted us straight to the maternity floor? I mean, at this point, anything was possible.
Matteo dropped onto the chair opposite me, resting his forearms on his thighs as he leaned forward in his seat. “What you and Rory went through today? You came very close to joining them in the nightmare that is their reality.”
Did that mean . . .
I sucked in a sharp breath. “I had no idea.”
My brother hung his head. “We don’t talk about it. It’s too hard. For both of them.”
“Shit.” I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn’t begin to imagine their pain.
“From now on, if there’s an issue with Rory and the pregnancy, you call me. Understand?”
Swallowing on a nod, my voice came out thick. “Yeah. I got it.”
“Now, why don’t you tell me what happened?”
A scoff fell from my lips. “Let’s see. I texted Corsi that Rory was sick, unable to keep anything down and burning up. He replied that he was sending over one of his female associates, as requested.”
Matteo snickered. “Caveman.”
I fixed him with a glare. “Are you going to sit there and tell me your wife has a male gynecologist?”
“No.” He sobered, shaking his head. “But Rory had a stomach bug. It’s not like Corsi was going to do a pelvic exam if you let him be the one to treat her.”
A rumble vibrated through my chest at the thought. The doctor in Colorado was lucky I’d let him keep his hands after all the time they’d spent between my wife’s thighs.
When I remained silent for too long, Matteo prompted, “Okay, so he sent over a woman. Then what?”
Running a hand through my hair, I blew out a heavy breath. “She said the baby was fine, but there was a risk of preterm labor if Rory got too dehydrated, so she hooked her up to an IV. Joke was on us, though, because she’d laced her fluids with the medication used to induce labor.”
“Holy shit,” he breathed. “You don’t think . . .”
“Think what? That Dario got to Corsi and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse to turn on us? Yeah, I fucking do.”
“This is bad, Gio. Corsi’s been loyal to our family since Nonno put him through medical school. Hell, he even delivered us. If someone like that can be convinced to side with Dario, it’s only a matter of time before the dominoes start to fall around us.”
“Fuck!” I shouted as I surged to my feet and began pacing. “He tried to eliminate my kid, Matteo!”
“I know. He tried to take out my girls too.”
“Motherfucking coward,” I seethed.
“You’re right about that,” Matteo agreed. “But he knows he has no shot in hell of overthrowing you if he were to come at you head-on. He’s playing dirty because that’s the only chance he has of winning.”
“We need to find out what he’s using as leverage to get men loyal to us to flip sides. Pick up Corsi and meet me at the Midway warehouse in thirty.”
I was halfway to the elevator bank by the time Matteo caught up. “Wait, now? What about Rory?”
Grabbing my cell, I typed out a text. “I’ll have Enzo send over men to stand guard at her room.”
My brother huffed, incredulous. “She doesn’t need guards. She needs her husband after a scare like this.”
Barely sparing him a glance, I stepped onto the waiting elevator. “No, what she needs is for me to neutralize the threat to our family. The sooner, the better.”
“And for just one night, you can’t let me and Enzo handle it?”
“The same way the two of you have for the past four years, while I left you in charge?”
It was a low blow but not unwarranted. They’d known Dario was the actual threat—not the Russians—long before my return to Chicago, but hadn’t made inroads in tracking him down. They’d proven that if I wanted this done right, I would have to handle it myself.
Sufficiently put in his place, my brother ceased arguing. From beside me, he asked, “Would it be all right if I asked Summer to come sit with her so she isn’t alone?”
“You seem awfully concerned about my wife.”
“Someone has to be,” he muttered under his breath.
Annoyed, I barked, “What was that?” daring him to repeat the dig to my face.
“Nothing.” Matteo shook his head, staring at me like he hardly knew me.
“Do whatever you want. Makes no difference to me.”
My focus was firmly fixed on the information we could squeeze out of Corsi that would lead us to the man making all of our lives Hell.
Dario was going to pay with his life if it was the last thing I did.
Doctor Carmelo Corsi was tied to a metal chair in the middle of the empty warehouse we used for interrogation and torture.
Blood dripped from his split lip, and the skin around his right eye turned a deeper shade of purple with each passing minute.
Matteo had roughed him up good prior to bringing him in to face his judgment.
The man who had been in our family’s employ for over four decades didn’t cower when I entered the space, instead electing to dip his chin in a gesture of respect as he met my eye. “Don Bellini.”