by Mia Taylor
No, it was not a one-night stand, but things were moving so quickly, Rui wasn’t confident that they could last.
It’s too whirlwind, too fast. He’s going to get bored of me.
She hated that she worried about such childish things but no matter how much she reminded herself that she was a doctor, that she had gotten by just fine without a man her whole life, she knew she was falling in love with Ryker. And it scared her a little bit.
They spent every spare moment together, usually in Ryker’s condo at his insistence.
“Your place is… charming, Rui,” he teased. “But let’s face it, my place has cooler stuff.”
Rui couldn’t blame him—she had spent about as much time housekeeping as she had had taking care of her appearance. If someone were to rob her apartment, she probably wouldn’t be able to give the police an accurate rundown of what was missing because she spent so little time there.
“Well, whatever this guy is or isn’t, he’s attracting bees in here,” Dr. Sheldon grumbled, shoving aside yesterday’s vase. “Seriously, doesn’t this guy have an off switch?”
“She won’t even tell us his name,” Lucille sighed. “Or where she met him.”
“Because it’s none of your damn business,” Rui snapped, reaching for her tablet which sat on the countertop. “Now if you’re done complaining about beautiful flowers in the reception area, I have work to do.”
She moved away from the gossiping staff who Rui was sure continued to speak about her in her absence. She couldn’t entirely fault them—it was as good a piece of gossip as any, the mousy Rui Granger finding a man.
Ryker doesn’t think you’re mousy. He thinks you’re beautiful.
It wasn’t just that he told her so constantly—he showed her in everything he did.
Three days earlier had been the funeral for his father and he had attended but when Rui had seen him afterward, his face had told her that things had not gone well.
There were secrets hidden behind his intelligent gray eyes, ones which she hoped to crack one day, but in the interim, she was relishing the heady, foreign feeling of being doted upon.
She was working a double shift that day, her rounds finding her in emergency that afternoon after checking on the patients she had in oncology. It was her specialty but like all the residents, she was bound to work two shifts a week in the overflowing ER to alleviate the overworked trauma staff.
Most of the physicians loathed the bustle of emerg but Rui didn’t mind the change of pace when her own patients were often near death. Emergency room patients were rarely more than those in need of stitches or antibiotics, at least in Rui’s experience. That didn’t mean she didn’t also witness some horrors which she wished she could scrub from her mind.
“Oh, thank God you’re here,” Vera grumbled when she approached the nurses’ station. “Laceration in bed six, severe stomach cramps in bed four and a GOMER in bed one.”
“Luke Denver?” Rui guessed in response to the last patient mention. GOMER was an acronym for “Get Out of My ER” and reserved for hypochondriacs who incessantly came in for treatments for their non-existent injuries.
“How did you know?” Vera asked dryly.
“I’ll get rid of him first,” Rui sighed, looking around the busy area. “We need the bed.”
“Good thinking.”
“Have one of the nurses ensure that bed four isn’t having a heart attack.”
“Already done, Dr. Granger.”
Rui smiled and nodded. She wished Vera was an oncology nurse. She was so much more efficient than Lucille.
“How are we doing today, Mr. Denver?”
Luke looked up at her with myopic brown eyes, blinking rapidly.
“It’s serious this time, Doc,” he promised, sitting up. “I think it’s a brain tumor.”
Rui stifled a groan. She only saw this man once a week. She could only imagine how many times her fellow doctors had to deal with him.
“What makes you think so, Mr. Denver?”
“I’m getting these headaches, Doc. Bad ones. Sometimes I can’t even see.”
Under normal circumstances, Rui would conclude that he was suffering from migraines, but it was a story she’d heard from this patient several times before. A litany of tests had proven time and again that there was nothing wrong with him.
“Oh,” Rui commented softly. “That does sound serious.”
Luke looked shocked.
Of course he does. No one listens to his maniacal medical rantings anymore.
“You think so?”
“Oh yes, given your history, this might call for brain surgery.”
Terror filled his eyes.
“Wait, what?”
“Yes,” Rui said thoughtfully, looking down at her tablet. “Let me see when I can schedule that in.”
“But… but you haven’t even touched me! You haven’t run any tests.”
Rui looked at him innocently.
“Mr. Denver, you’ve spent more time here than most of the staff. If anyone knows what’s wrong with you, it’s you. I see Dr. Steinman has an opening tomorrow at one p.m., so I suggest you get your affairs in order because this surgery is risky.”
“WHAT?”
“What?”
“Are you crazy? What the hell kind of hospital is this?” he roared, jumping from the bed. “You need to run tests and call in specialists!”
“Why? You already know what’s wrong with you.”
Luke was at a loss for words and he continued to gape at her.
“I will never be back here!” he choked. “This is outrageous! I am going to the local news stations and—”
“You should do that,” Rui continued calmly. “I hope they won’t investigate you and see that you’ve been in this very ER over seventy times this year alone, each with a different complaint and never leaving without so much as a prescription for antibiotics.”
“Th-that’s because your doctors are incompetent!” he spat. “There’s something wrong with me! You just can’t see it.”
Oh, there’s something wrong with you, all right.
She wisely kept her thought to herself. Rui knew she was already pushing her ethical boundaries by treating Luke Denver in such a manner but it infuriated her that men like him took beds from people who genuinely needed them.
“Then I suggest you find another hospital,” Rui told him coldly. “Now if you’ll excuse me…”
She spun and left him glaring after her but when she reached the nurses’ station to inform Vera, the nurse was already in tears, laughing. She slapped a hand against the countertop and gasped for air.
“God, I hope he doesn’t file a law suit but if he does, it will be worth every penny just to have seen his face!” she howled. “I think you might have actually gotten rid of him this time, Granger! Good work!”
“It’s not funny,” Rui growled. “One day, he might have something wrong with him and no one will treat him. He’s shooting himself in the foot.”
“The little boy who cried wolf,” Vera shrugged. “Too bad. Even my five-year-old grandson knows better.”
But Rui knew it was not that simple. Despite how harshly she had spoken to Luke, his problem was deeply rooted in his psyche. No words would help him outgrow his issue until he sought help.
Unfortunately for Luke Denver, Rui was not a psychologist. Rui hoped for his sake that there was one on staff at another hospital for him.
“I’ll take bed four. How bad is the lac on bed six?” she asked, Luke Denver all but forgotten. There was no time to dwell, only time to keep moving forward.
“It’s holding. She cut herself with a kitchen knife. She’s more concerned about getting back to her apple pie than getting stiches.”
“Have one of the nurses stitch her up and I’ll check on her before she’s discharged.”
Vera grinned and saluted her.
“Are you sure oncology is your calling? You’re so good at trauma. Half the idiot doctors they send in her
e are useless. They can’t balance a check book, let alone a patient schedule.”
“Are you sure you want to live in this madness every day? Come upstairs where it’s much calmer,” Rui urged. “I have a nurse or two I could trade.”
“I’ll go upstairs with you,” a sonorous voice intoned from behind her and Rui didn’t need to turn to see who it was. Whenever she managed to sneak a nap in the on-call room, she heard the same tone as if it was right in her ear.
“What are you doing here?” she laughed, spinning to look at Ryker. “I thought you had to fly to New Jersey on business today.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Rui saw Vera sizing up Ryker without shame. It gave her a shiver of pride.
I have the hot boyfriend for once. Everyone is gaping at Ryker.
She blushed at her silly thought and turned her eyes fully on her man.
“I’m back,” he replied, dropping a kiss onto her cheek. “And you were the first person I wanted to see.”
He turned to Vera’s interested face.
“Hello. I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Ryker Luciano.”
Vera’s bemused smile froze on her face and she stared at Ryker unmoving.
“This is Vera Drummond,” Rui offered when the nurse didn’t speak. Vera seemed to regain her senses and nodded quickly.
“Nice to meet you,” Vera muttered, turning away. “Excuse me.”
She hurried off but Rui barely noticed, her focus fully on Ryker.
“I don’t suppose a dinner break is in the cards,” he teased, looking around the emergency room. “Romantic date on a gurney maybe? Separating the rest of the hospital by a curtain perhaps?”
“Not a snowball’s chance in hell. I’ll be lucky if I can grab a stale sandwich from the machine tonight.”
“I thought you might say that.”
He lifted up his hand and Rui saw a paper bag from Forino’s.
“You got me penne alfredo, didn’t you?” Rui sighed, reaching for the bag. “With chicken!”
She inhaled the scent of the rich, creamy pasta and her mouth began to water almost instantly.
“Ah, ah, ah!” He held it out of reach. “You can’t have it this easily.”
Rui’s mouth curved upward into a smile.
“Oh no? What blackmail are you demanding?”
“The price is steep for this,” he told her. “I don’t know if you can afford it.”
“Try me,” Rui giggled. Suddenly, the waiting patients didn’t seem as important, like a shroud of invisibility had been cloaked around them and no one else existed in that minute but her and Ryker.
How does he do this to me? she thought in wonderment. He makes me feel like a little kid.
“You have to agree to go away with me this weekend.”
Rui blinked, her mind traveling to her work schedule.
“Before you think about it, you’re not on call and I already booked our suite.”
Relief touched her shoulders and she nodded.
“Well, then, how can I refuse?”
“You can’t. Not if you want your pasta.”
Rui chuckled, her eyes locking on his handsome face.
“Where are we going?”
“Now, that, I cannot tell you.”
Rui feigned a pout.
“Why you gonna be like that?”
“Dr. Granger,” Vera interrupted. “The woman on bed four is getting worse.”
Abruptly, Rui was brought back to reality and guilt flooded her as moans of pain met her ears.
“Of course,” she said quickly, shooting Ryker an apologetic look. “I’ll see you later.”
Playfully, she snatched the bag from his hands and set it on the counter. She knew she wouldn’t be able to eat for a while but she realized that every time Ryker walked away from her, he left her with something to look forward to.
“You can bet on it,” he called, waving as he disappeared through the exit. Rui could not help but stare after him.
He’s even got a cute butt! Oh, God, how old am I, checking out his ass?
She wished she had the decorum to pull her thoughts together but it was like Ryker had cast a silly spell on her and it caused her to act like a teenager.
Rui reasoned that she’d never really had the opportunity to be like other teenagers.
That’s no excuse. Stop drooling!
“Is that your boyfriend?” Vera asked, her voice oddly flat. Rui turned and blushed, nodding shyly.
“It’s new but… yeah, I guess he is. He’s gorgeous, huh? I saw you checking him out.”
The nurse studied her face closely but when she didn’t smile, Rui shrugged.
“What? I don’t mind if you admit it. I know he’s handsome.”
“Do you not know who he is, Rui?”
She pivoted back and eyed Vera questioningly.
“He’s Ryker Luciano. He told you that.”
“No,” Vera sighed. “Do you know who he is? What he does for a living?”
Confusion was seeping into Rui’s bones.
“I—he’s in construction and some other stuff…” It sounded terrible when she said it. It dawned on her that she knew very little about Ryker’s work.
I’ll have to change that. He knows everything about me, my work schedule, my favorite foods. I can’t even answer a simple question about his work.
“Vera, what?” she demanded when Vera didn’t respond. The nurse inhaled heavily and gestured for Rui to come closer.
“What? You’re freaking me out. Is he married or something?” A thousand terrible thoughts consumed Rui as she read the expression on Vera’s face. “Is he your ex?”
I should have known this was too good to be true. You can’t just meet someone and fall in love with them, no matter what Ryker says. He’s been playing me or—
“You should Google the Lucianos, Rui,” the older woman breathed. “How in this day and age can you date someone without Googling them?”
“Vera!” Rui snapped. “I don’t have time to go home and Google anything. I barely have time to shower, for God’s sake. Now tell me what’s on your mind because bed four sounds like she’s getting worse.”
Vera gritted her teeth together but when she spoke again, Rui wished she had not been so insistent.
“Mario Luciano…” she cleared her throat. “Mario Luciano was the head of the Verlucci crime family before he died.”
“The mob?” Rui choked. “Are you sure?”
“Oh, I’m sure,” Vera said grimly. “I’ve seen the aftermath of the mob wars in here more times than I care to count.”
Blood drained from Rui’s face as she understood the implications of what Vera was telling her.
“Ryker is in the mob?” she whispered, her eyes darting around, looking for prying ears but no one was bothering with them.
I knew he had secrets but something like this? What does he do? Extort people? Run drugs? Beat people? Kill people?
She was finding it difficult to breathe but she knew she couldn’t lose control, not at work and not until she spoke with Ryker and heard his side of all this.
What will I do if he tells me it’s true? Am I in danger now?
She was growing dizzy, Vera’s face fuzzy before her.
“You had no idea.”
“That he was in the mafia?” Rui choked. “Uh, no, no I didn’t.”
“No, Rui,” Vera sighed, shaking her head almost sadly. “Ryker’s not in the mob, he is the mob. He’s the don now that his father is gone.”
Chapter Six
Vendetta
“I’m not sure I understand the problem,” Ryker replied slowly. “It’s a done deal. I’m my father’s heir. What are you saying?”
Justin pressed his steepled hands to his lips and closed his eyes for a long moment before speaking.
“The problem,” Justin sighed, “is that you’re being met with some opposition from some of the other families.”
Ryker’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Who?
Which families?”
“Ryker, I’m your attorney and whatever you tell me is held in the highest confidence but I can’t go around telling you about my other clients.”
“You just did!” Ryker exploded, glowering. Justin Bentley had been his father’s attorney for only five years but Ryker knew that Mario had trusted the slick lawyer implicitly. It was not unwarranted trust but Ryker found his lack of regard for conflicting interest beyond irritating.
“Ryker, I like you,” Justin insisted. “Your dad was one of my favorite people on the planet, which is why I am forewarning you that some people are not happy about your new position.”
“Well, that’s too bad for them, isn’t it?” Ryker snapped, any remnants of his good mood vanishing. After dropping lunch off to Rui, Justin had called him to an emergency meeting and while Ryker had suspected that it was not going to be pleasant news, he had not expected to be hearing about an ambush either.
“So, what do you want me to do about this?” Ryker spat. “Sit back and wait for someone to shoot first?”
“I know what your dad would have done,” Justin volunteered and Ryker sighed.
“So do I,” he retorted, remembering his last conversation with his father.
He foresaw this. He knew trouble was brewing in the family and didn’t keep tell me. That’s why he wants me to show my ability, to show that I can’t be messed with, no matter what they try.
Ryker felt suddenly very alone.
“I guess you’re not even going to give me a clue as to whom I’m up against,” Ryker commented but the statement was rhetorical. He knew Justin well enough to know that no amount of cajoling or threatening would get the attorney to spill. Ryker was aware that Justin telling him anything at all was doing him a favor—well, at least in Justin’s perception. It did Ryker little good if he didn’t know what he was preparing for.
“I’m heading home,” Justin said, rising from his chair, but he paused to splay his hands on the surface of the office desk. “I brought this to you because I don’t think this is just grumbling, Ryker. I feel like something’s about to happen.”
The hairs on the back of Ryker’s neck rose and he stared at the man balefully.
“You feel or you know, because if you know something, Justin, and you’re not telling me—”