Chapter 1 #2
I review the charts and get everything ready for the inevitable emergency. It’s bound to happen. The emergency room is usually busy and bustling, but tonight it’s eerily quiet. Almost too quiet.
In the first two hours, we see only a few minor cases. Cuts and scrapes. A couple of dislocated shoulders. Nothing out of the ordinary for this hospital.
Then, when I think we may have a relaxed shift, all hell breaks loose.
Two men burst through the doors, hauling a third between them, blood soaking his clothes. I’m the first person they see, and the taller of the two, his white button-down soaked in blood, looks directly at me.
“Hey, you. Fix him.”
Okay, that was specific.
“What happened?” I ask.
“Isn’t it obvious?” the shorter one deadpans. “He’s been shot.”
Without visibly rolling my eyes, I yell, “Doctor Mitchell. Tanner. I need a gurney. Gunshot wound to the abdomen.”
Tanner, another nurse, runs over with a gurney and immediately helps maneuver the injured man onto it.
Dr. Mitchell and another nurse join him, and together they move the patient quickly into a trauma room. “Vanessa, get as much information as you can, then get in here,” Dr. Mitchell says.
I turn back to the two men and notice they’re both wearing black suits soaked in blood. There’s no way all of it belongs to one person.
“You heard the doctor. Tell me what happened.”
“We can’t do that,” the taller one responds firmly.
“Then can we start with his name?” I ask.
“His name is Alonso.”
“Alonso what?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“I need to know so we can make sure insurance and medical records are accurate.”
“I’m still not telling you, and you don’t worry about insurance.”
“I don’t care if you’re paying cash,” I say, a sharp edge creeping into my voice. “I still need a last name.”
The two men exchange a look. The taller one, clearly the one in charge, finally speaks. “It’s Antonelli.”
“Alright. Is he allergic to anything, or has he ever had a reaction to anything?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Any major surgeries or recent injuries?”
He hesitates before answering. “No.”
I don’t believe him, but I don’t have time to argue.
“Can I get your names so someone can call you when we have an update?”
“I’m Mateo, and he’s Gabe,” he says, pointing at the shorter guy.
“Okay. That’ll do for now. Someone will let you know when we have more information.”
I turn around to head into the trauma room.
Mateo grabs my arm and turns me back around. I look directly into his green eyes. He looks down at my badge that is clipped to my scrubs.
“Vanessa, you better save him. Or there’ll be hell to pay,” he says quietly.
Okay, not terrifying at all.
“We’ll do our best,” I say, forcing an innocent smile.
“I mean it.”
“Okay.”
I turn and run toward the trauma room. Before I do, I hear the two whisper to each other.
“Did you see her last name?” Gabe asks Mateo.
“Yeah, I did. Esposito,” Mateo responds.
“Do you think?”
“No. There’s no way.”
Well, that was cryptic as fuck.
I know I have a fairly recognizable last name, but I really hope they don’t know another Vanessa Esposito, or worse, that they are looking for one. Because if they are, I’m screwed.
And if I’m being honest, Mateo is hot. Dark hair.
Medium tan skin that contrasts almost too well with his soft green eyes.
Gabe is attractive too, in a way, but there’s something about him that’s more menacing than appealing.
He has that I will kill you if you piss me off look, which I am very much trying to avoid provoking.
I run into the trauma room to find Dr. Mitchell and Tanner already working on getting him prepped for surgery.
Dr. Mitchell focuses on locating the bullet or bullets, while Tanner cuts off the man’s shirt, clearing his abdomen to get a better view of the wounds.
His heart rate is slow but stable, to where he can get to surgery.
I pull on gloves and start getting an IV set and drawing blood for a transfusion. He’s lost so much already that without the transfusion, he could die from blood loss alone.
We get Alonso stabilized and transferred up to surgery. He’s been shot twice and lost a significant amount of blood, which explains why he passed out. Neither immediately life-threatening, but serious enough that he’ll be here for a few days.
I step out of the trauma room once the surgery team takes him up, ready to give Mateo and Gabe an update. I look all around the waiting area, and they’re gone.
I head to the desk and ask the administrator if she’s seen them. She tells me they left as soon as I ran into the trauma room.
Well, I guess they didn’t need the update.
The rest of the shift passes without any more men in black suits. No threats. No intimidation. Just quiet.
After my shift, I decide to grab some bagels and stop by Aunt Lucy and Uncle Kevin’s place. After overhearing those two men talking like they knew me, or my father, there’s a possibility this could finally lead us to him.
I reach their building and take the elevator up to their apartment. I’m just about to knock when I hear voices on the other side of the door. Not talking. Yelling. Arguing.
“Lucy, we can’t just tell her,” Kevin says.
“Bullshit, and you know it, Kevin. She was here last night ready to tear me a new one. She’s starting to realize we know more than we’re letting on, and now this. Come on, she’s twenty-four years old, she’s old enough to know.”
“I want to tell her, but I just found out the whole fucking reason my best friend hasn’t been around for over two years. Do you really think she’s ready for her life to be completely fucked and dismantled?”
“Kevin, you are grieving. She needs to grieve too, before Gino comes knocking on her door.”
“He won’t drag her into it. He won’t come anywhere near her.”
“How can you guarantee that?” she scoffs.
What the hell is going on? Who is Gino? Grieving. Who am I supposed to be grieving—oh shit.
That’s when I unlock the door, easing it open as quietly as I can. Maybe they won’t notice me right away. Maybe I can listen a little longer. A little closer.
“Gino doesn’t know she exists.”
“What?” Lucy yells.
“I didn’t tell Gino when I saw him yesterday. He thinks she’s our kid.”
“We both know he won’t believe that for long.”
“She’s going to be just fine. I doubt Gino will care enough to look into it. Considering he’s in charge now, he didn’t even tell us Antonio was dead until I went there myself and asked what was taking so long.”
That’s when I cut in.
“What?” I yell.
Both of them turn toward me. The bagels and coffee slip from my hands and hit the floor as I turn and run. Tears stream down my face harder than they ever have before. I hear Kevin and Lucy behind me, calling my name, their footsteps pounding as they chase after me.
I run all the way back to my apartment as fast as I can and lock the door behind me. Minutes later, I hear Kevin and Lucy knocking. I don’t answer. I know they have a key. If they want to talk, they’ll come in.
I sink into the couch, hoping they’ll open the door and finally tell me everything.
A few minutes later, I hear the lock turn. Lucy rushes over and pulls me into a hug, while Kevin stands nearby, staring at me with sad, guilty eyes.
“Vanessa, we’re so sorry. We should have told you sooner,” Lucy says with a remorseful look.
“Why couldn’t you just tell me he was dead? Why hide that from me?” I sob.
“Vanessa, I just found out last night that he’s been dead for two years,” Kevin says.
“You were best friends—how could you not know?” I whisper.
“Your father wanted you completely hidden until he was ready to bring you into his life in the mafia.”
“I want you both to tell me everything. And I mean everything,” I say sternly.
They exchange a look, then nod.
I spend the next few hours listening as they lay out every horrifying detail of my father’s life, and I guess now, mine too. From the death of his first wife to the vast empire he built over decades, nothing is left unsaid.