Their first date
Chapter 23
Their First Date
Dr. Amara Queen had performed brain surgery.
She had operated for sixteen consecutive hours.
She had presented medical research to rooms filled with Nobel Prize winners.
None of those experiences prepared her for getting ready for a date.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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The realization irritated her.
Immediately.
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Amara stood in front of her bedroom mirror staring at three different outfits.
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The betrayal.
The clothing betrayal.
Undefeated.
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Because somehow...
Nothing felt right.
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Too formal.
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Too casual.
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Too obvious.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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The surgeon looked at the clock.
Then at the outfits.
Then back at the clock.
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A dangerous cycle.
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A very dangerous cycle.
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Finally she chose a simple black sundress.
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Elegant.
Comfortable.
Beautiful.
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Normal.
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Or at least as normal as possible.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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Her phone buzzed.
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A text message.
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Lorenzo.
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Silence.
Immediate silence.
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Amara stared at the notification.
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The betrayal.
The smiling-at-her-phone betrayal.
Undefeated.
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I'm outside.
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Short.
Simple.
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Very Lorenzo.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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Downstairs, Lorenzo Vitale was having his own problems.
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Specifically...
His bodyguards.
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"Boss."
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"No."
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"Boss."
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"No."
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Silence.
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The head bodyguard rubbed his forehead.
Immediately.
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The universal sign of suffering.
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"She's going to kill us if she sees six SUVs."
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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Lorenzo frowned.
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"It isn't six."
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Silence.
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The bodyguard stared.
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Then stared harder.
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"There are four."
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The mafia don looked pleased.
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The audacity.
The complete audacity.
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Amara exited her building moments later.
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And froze.
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Immediately.
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Because Lorenzo was leaning against a black Aston Martin.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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The man wore dark jeans.
A black button-down shirt.
A tailored jacket.
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No tie.
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No suit.
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No armor of professionalism.
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Just Lorenzo.
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The realization hit harder than expected.
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Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
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His eyes found hers instantly.
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Of course they did.
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The betrayal.
The staring betrayal.
Undefeated.
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For a moment...
Neither spoke.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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Then Lorenzo smiled.
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Slowly.
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Warmly.
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The smile reserved only for her.
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And suddenly...
Amara understood why her nurses kept calling him handsome.
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The traitors.
The complete traitors.
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"You look beautiful."
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Silence.
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The words landed softly.
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Gently.
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Without games.
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Without flirting.
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Just honesty.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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Amara adjusted her purse.
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A tactical retreat.
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Nothing more.
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"You're staring."
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The answer came automatically.
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A habit.
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A dangerous habit.
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Lorenzo laughed.
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Immediately.
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The sound warm and familiar.
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A growing problem.
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A very serious problem.
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The drive across Chicago surprised her.
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Not because of the car.
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Not because of Lorenzo.
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Because it was easy.
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Conversation flowed naturally.
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Effortlessly.
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Dangerously.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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They talked about everything.
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Medicine.
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Books.
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Travel.
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Childhood.
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Favorite foods.
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The fact that Lorenzo couldn't cook.
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At all.
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The revelation shocked her.
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Deeply.
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"You can't cook?"
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The surgeon looked genuinely offended.
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Lorenzo laughed.
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Again.
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The traitor.
The complete traitor.
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"No."
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Silence.
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"You run an empire."
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"Yes."
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"You manage hundreds of people."
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"Yes."
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"You can't make pasta?"
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Silence.
Absolute silence.
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The disappointment in her voice hurt.
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Actually hurt.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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Eventually they arrived at a small restaurant near Lake Michigan.
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Small.
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Quiet.
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Beautiful.
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Normal.
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The realization surprised her.
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Because this place felt...
Personal.
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Not impressive.
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Not expensive.
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Meaningful.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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The hostess smiled immediately.
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"Mr. Vitale."
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Lorenzo nodded.
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Then looked toward Amara.
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A dangerous softness appearing in his expression.
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"We come here every year."
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Silence.
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Amara blinked.
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"We?"
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The mafia don looked toward the lake.
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Thoughtful.
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Quiet.
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"My father and I."
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Silence.
Absolute silence.
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The answer settled between them.
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Warm.
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Sad.
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Honest.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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For the first time since meeting him...
Lorenzo looked vulnerable.
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Not weak.
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Never weak.
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Just human.
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The realization made something inside her chest tighten.
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Dangerously.
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Very dangerously.
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Dinner passed in a blur of laughter.
Conversation.
Stories.
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At one point Amara laughed so hard she nearly spilled her drink.
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Lorenzo spent the next ten minutes smiling about it.
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The traitor.
The complete traitor.
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Outside, the sun began setting.
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Orange and gold painted the water.
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Beautiful.
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Peaceful.
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Dangerous.
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Because somewhere across the city...
Viktor Romano's men watched from a distance.
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Taking photographs.
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Recording movements.
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Gathering information.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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And for the first time...
The old mafia boss finally understood something.
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Lorenzo Vitale wasn't casually interested in Dr. Amara Queen.
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He was falling.
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Hard.
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Which meant if Viktor wanted to hurt Lorenzo...
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He knew exactly where to aim.
End Chapter 23