An offer
Chapter 3
An Offer
Dr. Amara Queen was trying very hard to forget Lorenzo Vitale existed.
Unfortunately...
Lorenzo Vitale seemed determined to make that impossible.
Three days had passed since the emergency surgery.
Three peaceful days.
Three glorious days without armed men appearing in her clinic at ungodly hours.
Amara had almost convinced herself the entire experience was over.
Then her receptionist called.
Immediately ruining everything.
"Dr. Queen?"
Amara didn't look up from her paperwork.
"What?"
A pause.
Then:
"There's a man here to see you."
Silence.
Immediate silence.
Amara sighed.
"There are always people here to see me."
Another pause.
Then:
"This one brought flowers."
The pen stopped moving.
Immediately.
Flowers.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Amara slowly removed her glasses.
"How many flowers?"
Her receptionist hesitated.
"Um..."
A longer pause.
Then:
"All of them."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Amara closed her eyes.
Immediately.
Because there was only one type of man stupid enough to send an entire flower shop.
A rich man.
And she already knew exactly which rich man.
The lobby confirmed her suspicions.
A massive arrangement of roses occupied the reception area.
Another stood near the elevator.
A third sat beside the waiting room.
There were flowers everywhere.
Red roses.
White roses.
Black roses.
Expensive roses.
The kind that cost entirely too much money.
The kind purchased by people who had never worried about budgets.
Or consequences.
Standing in the center of the floral apocalypse was Lorenzo Vitale.
Naturally.
The man looked entirely too comfortable.
Black suit.
Tattooed hands.
Expensive watch.
Dangerous face.
The usual.
Several nurses openly stared.
Amara couldn't blame them.
The man looked like trouble wrapped in designer clothing.
Lorenzo's eyes immediately found hers.
The realization irritated her.
A little.
Maybe more than a little.
"You're blocking my lobby."
Silence.
Immediate silence.
Several nearby employees froze.
Lorenzo smiled.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
"I brought flowers."
"I noticed."
The man glanced around.
Then back at her.
"I wasn't sure which kind you liked."
The audacity.
The complete audacity.
Amara crossed her arms.
"Most people ask."
"Most people aren't me."
Fair.
Annoyingly fair.
The smile tugging at the corner of her mouth disappeared before anyone could see it.
Especially him.
Lorenzo stepped closer.
Not enough to invade her space.
Just enough to command attention.
A skill she'd noticed he possessed naturally.
Dangerous men often did.
"I came to thank you."
Amara blinked.
Once.
Slowly.
"Three days later?"
"I've been busy."
The answer came so quickly she almost laughed.
Almost.
The man looked completely serious.
Which somehow made it funnier.
"Your patient survived."
She shrugged.
"He'll recover."
Lorenzo nodded.
"I know."
Silence.
Then:
"He asked about you."
Amara frowned.
"Why?"
"Apparently you threatened him while he was under anesthesia."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Amara stared.
Then stared harder.
"I did not."
Lorenzo looked unconvinced.
"The nurse said you told him if he got shot again you'd charge double."
The betrayal.
The nurse betrayal.
Undefeated.
A smile escaped before she could stop it.
Tiny.
Brief.
Gone immediately.
Unfortunately Lorenzo saw it.
Of course he did.
The man's expression changed.
Subtly.
Like he'd discovered something valuable.
Something rare.
Amara did not appreciate being studied.
Not one bit.
"What do you actually want?"
Silence.
The question hung between them.
Because she knew.
And he knew she knew.
Nobody brought enough flowers to start a botanical garden without a reason.
Lorenzo's smile faded.
Business returned.
The dangerous version of him.
The version that ruled an empire.
"I want a meeting."
There it was.
Finally.
Amara nodded once.
"About?"
"The future."
Silence.
Immediate silence.
She hated vague answers.
Passionately.
"Try again."
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Amusement.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"My family has medical needs."
Amara listened.
Patiently.
Professionally.
The way she listened to everyone.
Lorenzo continued.
"We need someone we can trust."
Silence.
The sentence carried weight.
More weight than he probably intended.
Trust.
An interesting word coming from a mafia boss.
Amara considered him carefully.
The man wasn't lying.
She'd spent years studying people.
Reading body language.
Detecting deception.
Lorenzo Vitale genuinely meant what he said.
The realization surprised her.
A little.
"You're offering a contract."
"Among other things."
The answer was immediate.
Prepared.
Planned.
The man had thought about this.
For days.
Maybe longer.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Amara walked toward her office.
Without looking back.
"If you're pitching something, come inside."
Silence.
Immediate silence.
The entire lobby froze.
Because apparently nobody had expected that outcome.
Including Lorenzo.
The man recovered quickly.
Of course he did.
Then followed her.
The office door closed behind them.
The city stretched beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Chicago glittered beneath the afternoon sun.
Power recognized power.
And for the first time since they met...
Neither of them had a dying patient distracting them.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Amara sat behind her desk.
Lorenzo remained standing.
The man looked entirely too comfortable in her office.
Like he'd already decided he'd be back.
Repeatedly.
The thought irritated her.
A little.
Maybe more than a little.
"So."
She folded her hands.
Professional.
Calm.
Controlled.
"What exactly are you offering me, Mr. Vitale?"
Lorenzo's dark eyes locked onto hers.
And slowly...
The mafia don smiled.
The kind of smile that meant trouble.
The kind of smile that changed lives.
The kind of smile that preceded very expensive conversations.
"I think," he said quietly, "we can help each other."
And for reasons she couldn't explain...
Amara had a feeling this meeting was about to change everything.
End Chapter 3