9. Marcus
Ipace in Sarah’s office, unhappy to be stuck in here. At least the waiting room when we waited for news on Lio didn’t feel quite so closed in. But fuck, having to stand by again for news on one of our own… It’s unbearable.
I check my phone, trying to find out if there's anything new, but so far, Keegan doesn’t have an update for me on Cristian. We barely had any time to have a discussion about how things went. I was assigned to accompany Sarah to the hospital, and the rest would be staying there for news on Cristian.
Knowing he took a bullet for my Sir… Fuck.
It screws with my head. As much as I hate him, I would never want Carter or Roman to be hurt, and losing Cristian would only cause them pain.
Still, owing him doesn’t sit right. I shake my head, hoping to put it out of my mind.
There’s no sense worrying about who owes the other until we know how serious this injury is, and considering Doc is operating…
Well, we’ve seen him pull off miracles before.
The quiet clicking of keys sets me more on edge than normal. I frown as a thought suddenly comes to me. “Sarah, won’t you have to give this up if you’re going over to the Bratva?”
Her fingers falter on the keyboard before she glares at me. I immediately sit in her visitor’s chair, and her eyes soften slightly. She takes a deep breath as she brushes her hair back with her fingers.
“In the past, I’ve always been able to come and go from my job due to Il Padrone’s standing in the community.
Not to mention, the hospital wants to keep me as I bring in money from donors that they need.
However, since the Bratva is a full-time position, yes, I’ll likely need to separate.
But, I’ve been holding off on doing that. For good reason.”
“It’s definitely been beneficial for us,” I muse. “Honestly, I was surprised Doc was willing to let you bring Nario to the hospital, after his response to Lio coming here.”
She shrugs one shoulder. “This one was actually his decision. It was the right move. There’s no way I could have done what was required at the mansion, even with a fully-stocked medical wing.
From what I gather, we’re looking at potential amputation of one or both legs.
It’s better to have that done in a controlled environment, like the hospital.
And Doc knows a very good trauma surgeon, one I’ve worked with before, so it was easy enough to set up. ”
I snort and raise an eyebrow at her. “So, in other words, you’re pissed off that Doc will use a hospital when he deems it necessary, but he refused to listen to you when Lio’s life was on the line.”
Her glare is brutal, but as my quasi sister-in-law, it doesn’t do anything except bounce off me. With exaggerated patience, she replies, “I may have decided that going to the Bratva was a solid decision, for multiple reasons.”
“And one being Doc.” I cross my arms, unsure how to feel about that. Keegan is not thrilled he’s losing his sister when they’ve finally reconnected, not to mention Lio’s response. I’m surprised Sandro is holding up as well as he is, facing the loss of Sarah.
Sarah massages her temples as she sighs.
“Look, there are a lot of reasons. For one, there's the fact we’re having to hide in my office because we can’t trust the Senator not to send his minions to pick us up if we were in the general waiting room.
Switching to the Bratva, while it's not safe, it offers me a different challenge. And yes, while I respect Doc, you have to remember that us surgeons—well, doctors overall—have egos. I’m certainly not going to sit there trying to prove my worth time and time again. ”
“That, and you find the Russians hot,” I retort quickly, teasing her. Her slight blush, and the way she looks anywhere but at me, gives me even more information to pass along to her brother.
Oh, this is going to be a shitshow if she ends up with someone from a rival Organization—allies or not. Lio and Keegan do not understand that Sarah is a grown-up. I wonder if I can get a heads up before they find out, so I can have popcorn ready…
Clearing her throat, she glances at her watch. “Has there been any updates from anyone?”
“Changing the subject will not save you from further inquisition,” I say wickedly, before checking my phone again. With a sigh, I shake my head. “No, nothing. The only thing I have is that Jude, Antonio, and Nicolo are being watched heavily as they want to be here.”
“Too dangerous. I can hide you in my office, but several people? No, that wouldn’t work. Not to mention, with the Senator likely looking for payback, this will be a place he’s monitoring.”
“I know. But I do have sympathy for what they’re going through. Even if there’s nothing they can do from here. Do you have any idea how long it’ll take?” I yawn, my body still tired from everything we’ve been through.
She shifts her focus back to the computer, typing fast as she frowns. With a vicious curse, she pushes the keyboard away. I lean forward in the chair, desperate for news.
“It should be wrapped up soon, according to the notes being inputted. It’s…not good.” She cringes, dropping her eyes from me. “I need to talk to Doc… I know he wants to get Nario out of here immediately, but…fuck. Shit, who do I call?”
I jump to my feet, resuming my pacing as Sarah mutters. When the door suddenly bursts open, I stiffen, ready to take on whoever it is. Instead, I pale at the sight greeting me.
“You are in a restricted area. I ask that you remove yourself immediately.” Sarah’s voice is glacial, but I notice the way her fingers tremble as she stands.
Another man enters the room and she immediately relaxes, but I don’t.
Not even when she addresses him more civilly. “Robert, what is the meaning of this?”
“The Board of Directors was notified that there have been…discrepancies.” He’s an older man, and his pale blue eyes flit over me to focus on Sarah.
“As such, an inquiry was started. You are currently under investigation for misappropriation of funds and failure to report required information to law enforcement.”
“I have never messed with any of the finances at this hospital!” Sarah’s vehement denial glosses over the failure to report, and from the unhappy twitch on Robert’s face, he caught it as well.
He shakes his head in exasperation. “Regardless, our hands are tied. It was flagged by the officers, and I saw that you had badged in. Now, I have no clue who this gentleman is, but that’s a HR violation of its own. You know that. He’s not wearing a badge, nor has he checked in with security.”
“I’m merely catching up on some work, and this is my brother-in-law. I was unaware of any policy change regarding him needing to check in. That must have been implemented after I started my leave.”
Robert sighs, unamused by Sarah’s steady voice.
“Let it go. You were a good administrator. I don’t buy your excuses, and it’s not up to me anyway.
The entire board voted. You are suspended pending the final outcome of the internal investigation.
I need your badge, and then I believe this gentleman will be escorting you out.
Your…brother-in-law can leave on his own or I’ll have security throw him out. ”
“Very well.” She unclips her badge and hands it to him. She turns to the other man in the room, raising her eyebrow. “Do you have a warrant for my arrest?”
“I do.” The officer presents her the paperwork and she reads it closely.
Fucking hell, Keegan is going to be pissed. “I’ll have a lawyer meet you there, Sarah.”
She doesn’t bother to acknowledge me and merely icily responds to the officer. “You may escort me to the precinct. As for you, Robert… Expect a call from my personal attorney. I’m not the only one who signed paperwork, or who kept receipts…"
His face pales, but he says nothing as the officer escorts Sarah out. Robert hesitates before gesturing for me to precede him. “Do I need to call security?”
“No, I’ll leave. But if I can give you some friendly advice? Sarah’s brother is just as fun as she is about these things… And even more protective.”
If I thought Robert was pale before, it has nothing on the sickly gray he turns after my statement.
Still, I walk calmly toward the exit, glad I drove.
I have no idea how I’m going to report this, or how the fuck we’re going to get an update on Nario.
But first, I need to leave without being ambushed myself.
If they were here to pick Sarah up, I doubt they were expecting me.
I’m not going to give them time to figure out a plan to take me too…