by Mia Taylor
“Okay,” Mario barked with the last of his energy. “That’s enough. You can’t keep Ryker from me now, not when I barely have any time left.”
“Mario, stop saying that!” Franca cried and rushed to his side. “You can never know what miracles God—”
“Franca, stop! I have made my peace with it and you need to also. Pretending that I’m not going to die doesn’t help anyone.”
Ryker also wished his father would stop speaking so freely about his impending demise, no matter how true it was. Every time he thought about it, it made Ryker’s stomach flip.
“You being here only upsets Mom,” Bryn sneered. “Why don’t you piss off now that she’s here.”
Ryker opened his mouth to retort but as he did, he caught the tormented look in Franca’s eyes and he slowly clamped his mouth shut. His mother did not want him there anymore than Bryn did. Arguing in front of a dying man was not going to make matters any better.
Soon I won’t have to deal with this family crap, but I will have much worse matters to deal with.
“Dad, I’m going to the cafeteria. Do you want anything?”
Mario didn’t answer and a quick glance over Ryker’s shoulder told him why—his parents were lost in each other’s arms.
Mom is going to be a mess when he goes, Ryker thought grimly, striding out into the corridor. They love each other more than a married couple should. After being together as long as they have and seeing the crap that they’ve seen, I am shocked they still can look into one another’s eyes like that.
Abruptly he stopped, his attention captured by movement in one of the rooms. Rui was standing in the near dark next to a patient’s bed, speaking softly.
He knew he shouldn’t be listening but he couldn’t stop himself from watching the doctor at work.
From the minute he’d laid eyes on her at the nurses’ station, he’d had the inkling that there was something special about her… and familiar.
What is she like when she’s working? he wondered, leaning up against the doorframe to observe. He rationalized that while it was wrong, he needed the distraction from the chaos happening in room 312.
“…wish you hadn’t been so damned stubborn. Why did you have to sign that order, Carson?” Dr. Granger asked softly. “Did you know you were going so soon?”
There was no response but that didn’t stop Rui from continuing to speak.
“Your wife is beside herself,” the doctor sighed, hanging her head, the dark strands falling from her messy bun to tickle the sides of her cheeks. “She can’t bring herself to come and see you here like this. You’re selfish for not letting her be here when you went.”
What kind of bedside manner is this? Ryker asked himself, stunned that a physician would say such a thing to her patient, but as he continued to listen, Ryker had his answer.
“She’s planning your funeral instead. She said you left explicit details, that everyone is to remember you how you were before you got sick.”
Rui stepped aside then and Ryker’s eyes fell on the lifeless man in front of her. Slowly, the woman cupped his face with her palms.
“I hope your suffering is over now.”
He felt a strange ache in his heart as the sorrow in her tone touched him.
Does she do this with every patient after they die? She must be emotionally exhausted.
Suddenly, the look of intense sadness in Rui Granger’s face made perfect sense.
“Excuse me!” a loud voice screamed in his ear. “What do you think you’re doing peeking into another patient’s room?”
He turned his head nonchalantly but through his peripheral vision, he saw Rui turn.
“Hmm?” Ryker asked innocently. “I wasn’t peeking. I was looking for Dr. Granger.”
The nurse glared at him, clearly not believing the words escaping his lips, but he was saved from explaining himself further as Rui appeared beside him.
“Were you spying on me?” she demanded, all trace of the kindness he had heard seconds earlier diminished.
“No,” he answered evenly, casting the nurse a wary look. “I was hoping to talk to you.”
She eyed him balefully.
“About what?” she finally asked.
“Should I call security, Dr. Granger?” the nurse asked, her face still inches from Ryker. He wished she’d stand down slightly.
She’s like a pit bull, Ryker thought with amusement. I wonder if she might consider working for us.
“No, Lucille. His father is a patient here. We’re fine. You can go.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
There was little room for argument in the doctor’s tone and Lucille reluctantly turned away, leaving them alone.
“Why were you looking for me?” Rui asked without preamble. “I’m very busy, Mr. Luciano, and like I told you, I don’t have any part in your father’s care.”
Ryker studied her face with interest. He felt like he was seeing her for the first time and his breath was stolen for a moment.
“What?” she demanded but he could see a flush staining her cheeks, despite her olive coloring.
She is beautiful, he thought with some surprise. Even though she’s exhausted and carries the sadness of a thousand tortured souls. I wonder what her story is.
Ryker knew he would probably never know it, but it was interesting to consider.
She was an exotic mix of white with something tropical. Perhaps South Asian or Hawaiian. Her hazel eyes were large and cat-like but upturned ever so slightly at the corners. Her brows were thin and high against a heart-shaped face and she possessed the tiniest button nose which Ryker could almost envision crinkling when she laughed.
If she ever laughed. God, I want to make her laugh.
“Mr. Luciano, as I said—”
“I was just marveling at how much better you are with the dead than the living,” Ryker told her bluntly. “Have you considered being a coroner?”
Disbelief shadowed her face and she scowled furiously at him.
“Did it ever occur to you, Mr. Luciano, that maybe I just don’t care for you and that I am perfectly affable with other people?”
Ryker shook his head.
“No,” he replied honestly. “It didn’t occur to me because I don’t think it’s true. I think you push everyone away.”
Her mouth widened further and an incredulous laugh escaped her lips.
That’s not enough to make her nose crinkle. I’ll have to do better than that.
“You don’t know anything about me,” she spat, spinning away. “Now move along. If I catch you poking around where you’re not supposed to be again, I will call and have security pick you up.”
“RYKER!”
His mother’s voice howled down the hall and time slowed to a near standstill. As if in slow motion, he turned to face her, his heart thudding dully in his ears. Franca shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks, but he couldn’t hear anything anymore. He couldn’t move. Mother and son stared at one another across the hall, caught in a ball of torment.
Yes, he had known his father was going to die but perhaps a small part of him had believed that was a bad dream. Perhaps he had managed to hide that reality deep in his psyche, even though it was talked about almost daily.
He’s gone and I’m it.
Over and over that phrase played in his head until Ryker couldn’t even see his mom’s devastated face before him. The reality was far more stunning than he could have ever anticipated and he was not ready to face it. Ryker was certain he would have remained in that very spot for the rest of his life had a soft hand not touched his.
“You need to go to her,” Rui whispered tenderly. “She needs you now.”
He looked at the doctor, her face filled with compassion and even more sadness than before.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Ryker,” she murmured. “But your family needs you. You need to stick together at a time like this, no matter how great the impulse is to run.”
&
nbsp; Ryker laughed shortly and suddenly life resumed its normal pace. Rui’s words were more prophetic than she could have ever known.
“You’re right,” he told her dully. “I have no choice but to be strong and keep the family together.”
He pushed her hand from his and threw his shoulders back, striding confidently toward his mother. He was the heir to the throne. There was no place for weakness in the business.
His father was dead.
And I’m the new don, the head of the familia.
Chapter Three
First Dates and Heart Rates
She finished an eighteen-hour, on-call shift at six o’clock but when Rui stepped into the underground parking garage, she was anything but tired.
Her mind was still racing from the day’s events which was not uncommon after a particularly stressful work period. Yet this evening was different and Rui knew it had everything to do with Ryker Luciano, who she had been unable to strike from her mind.
The doctor tried to reason that it was because of his loss that he weighed so heavily on her, but she knew she was lying to herself to say that was the only reason.
The man just lost his father. Shame on you for thinking about his magnetism.
The idea that she was attracted to him was foreign to Rui. Her life had always been consumed with work and little else. From the time she was a child, her parents had instilled in her the importance of studying hard and getting ahead.
There had never been time for dating or parties, not even in her teens when other girls her age were exploring themselves and meeting boys. Rui had been confined to her books and internet research, handing in extra-credit projects and taking night school to fast-track her way into an early college admission.
All her hard work had paid off but to the detriment of her social life, but until that moment, Rui had not much cared. And why would she? She’d yet to meet a man who matched her intelligence or could handle her determination.
Why would you think that Ryker is any different? she mused. She had nothing to base her theory upon, only a deep, aching longing she had never known in her gut, one which made her wish he was standing in front of her, staring at her with those ethereal gray eyes.
And then he was.
Rui jumped, stepping backward in shock as he emerged from between two parked vehicles.
For a second, as she tried to gather her bearings, she was sure she had channeled him with her thoughts but she shoved the idea away.
You’re more tired than you think, she snapped at herself.
“Mr. Luciano!” she choked, startled. “What are you doing down here?”
“Waiting for you.”
Gone was the uncertainty she had seen in his face in the moments following his father’s passing and back was the cocksure man she had encountered at the nurses’ station earlier in the day.
“Why?” Rui demanded but she admitted she was secretly pleased by his presence, even though she knew it was inappropriate.
“I thought I could take you to dinner.”
“W-what?”
It was the last thing she expected to hear from his mouth. Going on a date was not the usual behavior of a man who had just received news of his father’s death.
“You don’t eat dinner?” he teased but there was an unmistakable sorrow in his eyes, no matter how nonchalant he attempted to keep his expression.
“Mr. Luciano—”
“First off, I’d really prefer if you’d call me Ryker. Mr. Luciano…”
He didn’t need to finish his thought. Obviously it reminded him of his father. Rui gritted her teeth, knowing she shouldn’t be encouraging him, but given the circumstances, she didn’t want to brush him off.
Who am I kidding? I don’t want to brush him off regardless.
“Ryker, you should be with your family,” she told him sternly. “Your mother and sister—”
“Told me to get out,” he finished for her and Rui was slightly shocked by the revelation.
“They can’t mean that,” she murmured. “People say things when they’re upset—”
“Doc, I appreciate your justifications but honestly, I just want to get the hell out of this hospital and away from all of this, if only for a few hours, okay? Is that something you think you can help me with?”
There was an undeniable hardness in his tone and Rui realized he was trying to keep it together in his own way.
“So, what do you say? I know there’s a great Mexican restaurant a few blocks from here. Authentic.”
He looked at her imploringly and Rui considered his offer. There was nothing unethical about joining him for a meal. In fact, it was probably her duty to comfort him.
Wow. You’ll say anything to justify this, won’t you?
“Don’t make me beg, Dr. Granger.”
She offered him a tight smile. Something told her that Ryker Luciano had never begged for anything a day in his life.
And God knows, he isn’t going to start by begging for a date with me.
Still, she did feel bad for him, being exiled by his family at such a time. It wasn’t going to kill her to join him.
Everyone handles their mourning period differently and no one should do it alone no matter how much of a hard ass he’s pretending to be.
“I wouldn’t do that,” she replied crisply. “Should we walk?”
“It’s not far,” he agreed, relief coloring his face. He extended his arm and Rui looked at it in surprise. It was both bold and gentlemanly.
He’s kind of from another era, isn’t he?
Rui accepted his arm and was suddenly aware of how she must look after her shift but it was too late to recant her decision now.
If he doesn’t seem to notice, why should I?
Again, she was surprised by her own concern. Her appearance was not something she often thought about, not with her gruelling schedule. Rui loathed the doctors on medical dramas with their immaculately coiffed hair and make-up. Who were these women anyway? If Rui ever bothered to put on mascara, it would be smeared in circles around her already bagged eyes within an hour of running from floor to floor, tending to the sick and suffering.
“You know, I asked you to dinner to distract me from my own thoughts,” Ryker commented dryly. “Not talking isn’t going to help with that.”
Rui glanced at him quickly and smiled apologetically.
“I’m just thinking myself,” she replied.
“About?”
She debated whether to tell him what was truly on her mind. He didn’t seem to want to discuss his family, after all.
“Why doesn’t your family want you with them?”
She felt the firm muscles of his arms ripple with tension as they continued to walk east on 20th Street, away from Crossroads, and he didn’t answer. Rui had a feeling he wasn’t going to, but abruptly, he stopped moving and turned to face her.
“Sometimes,” he started, “we do things that we aren’t proud of and we can’t expect people to be proud of us either.”
Apprehension slithered down Rui’s spine and she wondered what unimaginable thing could cause a family to shun him in such a difficult time.
“Sometimes,” he continued, “we don’t have a choice in the matter either, but that doesn’t matter to some people.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him what he had done but something in his slate eyes told her that she probably didn’t want to know the answer.
Ryker turned and moved along the sidewalk again, his body close to hers, and Rui felt a surge of energy course between them. She closed her fingers subconsciously around his bicep and squeezed the muscle below his suit jacket. She was shocked at her own action but to her relief, Ryker didn’t seem to notice.
Or if he did, he made no comment.
Once more, she was overcome with the sense that she knew him from somewhere, but the origin of her feeling remained elusive.
“Maybe they’ll come around,” she said but the words sounded lame to her own ears. If h
is mother and sister weren’t willing to forgive him now, when would they? On their own deathbeds?
“It doesn’t matter,” Ryker said shortly but everything in his tone contradicted his words. “I do what needs to be done when no one else will. I always knew I would inevitably end up alone.”
Rui cast him another look through her side vision and tried to read his expression but it was as if he had put a firm guard up around his face.
“Ah,” Ryker declared. “Here it is. Picante.”
He gestured at the brightly lit restaurant, its sign encased in chili lights.
“After you,” he said cordially, holding the door open for her to enter. Rui giggled in spite of herself and instantly felt ridiculous.
Keep it together. He’s going to think you’re an airhead.
She was angry at herself for the thought.
Who cares what he thinks? This isn’t a date.
They made their way inside and were immediately shown to a table, but as they walked, Ryker paused, his eyes narrowing as they fell on a couple.
“Excuse me,” he murmured. “Go ahead to the table. I’ll be right there.”
“Wait, what?” Rui demanded but he was already gone, headed toward the duo who had not yet noticed the tall man walking toward them.
“Senorita?” the waitress called. “This way.”
Rui was not left with a choice and she moved back into the half-filled restaurant, her eyes darting back to where Ryker finally caught the attention of his friends.
“Can I get you a drink?” the server asked but Rui waved her away, distracted.
“No. I’ll wait for my friend,” she replied absently.
“Si, senorita.”
Rui barely noticed as she wandered off, her eyes still fixed on her new companion who seemed to be in a heated discussion with the male at the table. What they said, she couldn’t hear, but judging by the look of anger growing on the seated man’s face, the young doctor knew it was not good.
Suddenly, the man rose and threw his napkin on the plate, gesturing for his date to follow, and the two scurried from the restaurant.
Ryker turned and headed toward her, his face not displaying anything about what had just occurred.