Mobster's Mistress (A Caparelli Family Romance Book 1)

by Lara St. James

  “I’m going to stick with the original plan, I think the supporting stint is going to go in smoothly.”

  “Wonderful. Now what are you going to do about Tony?”

  I paused my motions for a moment in consideration of her question. I then busied my hands once more continuing the delicate procedure. “Well… I think that he at least deserves a chance to explain himself so I’m not going to jump to conclusions at the moment. I think we all come to that point where as mature adults we have to consider there may be two sides to every story.”

  “That’s very true. That’s also very mature of you Rach. What’s the plan though if it turns out that he just simply neglected to tell you the facts from the beginning? I mean, the guy is a mobster.”

  “He is a businessman first it seems, but if that should be the case I suppose I’ll have to do the most painful thing because it seems like that’s the often the best decision. It’s kind of like when at the end of life when one of our patients’ family members must make the decision to end supportive care. It’s better in the long run to ease the suffering by simply ending it. That’s the contingency plan if that should be the case.”

  “Okay… listen I know that he seems to have some type of hold over you, and I don’t think you’re fully prepared for what may happen.”

  “That’s true but if that’s the case then I’ll bounce back, after all I was alone for many years before Richard. I’m a grown woman, I can take care of myself should that happen.”

  “You know I’m here for you right? Listen I’ve seen this happen before with some of my associates and all of them ended up falling into a deep depression. You’ve got to promise me that you’ll try to keep you head above water with this alright?”

  I made a few more delicate slices and then switched instruments once again. “Clamp.”

  “Here you go, Rach.”

  “I mean… yeah I get how it’s going to be life changing, but I really do have the belief that he’s different. I felt like we were completely honest and open with each other. If he were married, I’m sure he would have told me.”

  “Wow. The Rachel I know would have never given a man the benefit of the doubt like that. He’s truly got you hooked it seems. You can’t even hear yourself can you?”

  “What?”

  “Haha! I hope for both our sakes you’re right about him and he’s telling you everything, otherwise I think we’ve got an uphill battle. It’s going to be even more complicated than this surgery.”

  “Nah. The surgery is the easy part, the recovery is what will make or break both this patient and my heart should anything happen.”

  “That’s very true, Rachel.”

  14

  The surgery was touch and go at times but I was pleased that overall it went well. We’d managed to get Amato stabilized and while his pacemaker would take some time to adjust in accordance with his body’s natural rhythms, I felt as if it were a success. I called for a team to take him to post-op recovery and afterwards I sat after the surgery in the locker room with Selena for a few moments. “Well, that was tense.”

  “Yeah, it was pretty brutal in there for a while. You had a good plan going into it though.”

  “It was a good plan I wouldn’t have come up with if it hadn’t been for your help. Thanks, Selena. You just saved a man’s life by being my friend.”

  “You saved a man’s life because you have gifts and a brain the size of Texas. I just realized how much I stink. The wife’s going to hate me when I come home.”

  “Oh, I’m sure once you get situated everything will smooth over.”

  “Yeah. I’m thinking pizza and beer tonight. Wanna come for a slumber party?”

  Fuck. I hadn’t even planned where I would be staying. I really wasn’t in the mood to see Tony, but I also didn’t want to go back to my house either. Even though with Richard dead, there wouldn’t be a threat, I also knew that I had to go through the business of sorting through his things and encountering memories, both good and bad I wasn’t ready to face. “Nah. I’m going to have to take a rain check on that one. It sounds like you two are definitely in need of some quiet time anyway. There are things I should probably do at the house. I have to get Richard’s things taken care of and I don’t know. I don’t know what to do about the house, I mean, we bought it together, when we were happy, ya know.”

  Selena looked at me with concern on her face. She put a hand on my shoulder and said, “Yes. I remember, you were so excited to have a big, open kitchen. You said something about being able to bake the best Thanksgiving pies in a room with an oven that had space in front of it.”

  “Hah! Yes, I remember. All my pies since then burned on the bottom. I realized then that I wasn’t quite the best baker in the world to be concerned with pies anyway.”

  “Go home. Try to get some rest and forget all of this mess with Tony. I’ll go with you to give a report on Amato to his family and after that I’ll walk you out. I’ll follow you to the gas station so you can get some gas in your car. It has been in your space for two days.”

  “Oh yeah, I don’t know how I even forgot about. Selena I don’t know what I’d do without you keeping me in line.”

  “You’d have a car towed or a hefty parking ticket. Now come on, I can already taste the pepperoni and cheese waiting on me.”

  I playfully swatted Selena on the ass and gave her a wink. “Oh I think you can taste other things waiting on you, but I’m a lady so we’re not going to discuss this.”

  Selena blushed fully and only cocked her eyebrow at me. “You may not be wrong. I guess we’ll have to see.”

  We walked to the intensive care unit where Amato had been taken for recovery and I found Tony waiting. He came to me with open arms, but I quickly back peddled, crossing my arms professionally. “Tony I have some good news. Amato’s surgery was in my opinion, a success. We were able to get the stint implanted at a good angle and it seems to be functioning properly. It provided enough expansion to ensure adequate blood flow throughout the body. We also were able to insert a pacemaker in his heart to keep his rhythms steady. As long as he doesn’t overexert himself and maintains a careful eye on his blood pressure and stress levels, he shouldn’t have much trouble out of the organ itself.”

  “So in English you’re saying he’s going to be okay?”

  “For the most part, I’d like to think so, but we will be monitoring him closely. I’d like for him to stay in the ICU for a couple more days just to make certain the pacemaker doesn’t have any mechanical defects. After that he should be free to resume fairly normal activities. I looked at him and swallowed a lump that formed in my throat his electric blue eyes were concerned and there was a sadness to them I had yet to encounter. They were in direct opposition to the brilliant twinkling I’d seen earlier that morning when we made love and then made love once again. “I think the thing to remember, Tony is that everything is eventual and everything is actually in a constant state of decomposition. In life there are high periods and low periods and the same can be said for the heart. Over time, the highs of youth are eventually carried away by exhaustion and disappointment of old age. Time literally takes its toll on the heart.” I then placed Amato’s chart on the edge of his bed with my instructions for the nurses on duty and turned on my heel, walking away and into the hallway with Selena in tow. Seeing me leave, Tony quickly ran out into the corridor, hoping to catch me before I left. “Hey doc! Wait!”

  I continued walking toward the exit with tears brimming in my eyes. I couldn’t help a sob that escaped my mouth and I heard him continue to call out for me, but I kept on walking until I reached the exit. It was nearing dusk and it was getting chilly outside. I was actually glad for the cooler weather and the overcast evening that was approaching. It seemed to match my mood. “Hey doc! Doc! Wait! I want to talk with you… Rach! What’s wrong?”

  Selena stepped back and watched as I turned around and confronted him in the privacy of the parking lot. “What’s wrong? Oh I don’t
know, Tony? You tell me. Maybe I’ll just keep it a secret or are you the only one allowed to have secrets in life?”

  “Rachel… Rach, calm down. I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

  I reached for his hand and picked it up, pointing to his ring finger. “This! This is what the fuck I’m talking about! Did you not think it was important for me to know that you were fucking married Tony?”

  He opened and shut his mouth in shock. He was still for a moment and then hung his head. Before he had a chance to respond I continued. “Yeah. That’s what I thought. You always have all the answers, don’t you?”

  “Rach—you don’t understand, just give me a minute to explain.”

  “Explain what Tony? What exactly are you explaining? Your ‘wife’ came to see me today and she seemed really pissed off that I was fucking her husband. After all those wise cracks you let your family make about you not wanting a commitment… I assumed you were single. I guess that’s what I get for assuming, right?”

  “Rachel—.”

  “You know what, Tony… don’t. Just. Don’t. Excuse me while I go back to the home I shared with my dead husband and take care of some business. Goodbye Tony, I’ll be in touch about Amato.”

  I couldn’t help it, I walked to the car and when I opened the door, I locked them behind me and erupted into a full sob as Tony knocked on the window, begging for me to talk to him. I waited on Selena to pull up beside me, then I started the car, loudly revving the engine as a warning to Tony before I put it in reverse and peeled off. Sniffling and sobbing with my mascara running down my face, I looked in the rearview mirror a few times and saw Selena following me closely. I turned off at the gas station closest to the hospital and she pulled in behind me. She knew that I didn’t want to make a production out of my feelings, nor did I want to talk about what just occurred, but she still waited patiently behind me, making certain I had a full tank before she want home. With that minor detail taken care of I got back in the car and I decided to take the freeway home. Recalling the feeling of sitting beside Tony as he had full control of his own machine at top speeds, I accelerated. I was angry. I was hurt. I was tired. Most of all, I was saddened. I passed several cars with all my windows down, feeling the rush of air against my face. I embraced the cooling wind as it dried my tears and soothed my pain. I knew though the worst of it wasn’t over and that was the hardest part.

  Pulling up in my driveway I slung my bag over my shoulder and keyed myself into the home Richard and I shared for most of our adult lives. I stood in the entryway and looked into the empty house. I half-expected to glance over and see Richard sitting in his armchair bitching about a baseball game but was greeted only with silence. I threw my keys down on the counter and sighed. Kicking off my shoes, I sat my bag by the door and immediately crossed into the kitchen. I took a wine glass off the shelf and opened up a bottle of vintage merlot I’d been saving for a special occasion. I wish the occasion had been a celebratory dinner or even a family holiday, but instead the special occasion was one that I never thought I’d have to be a party too. Taking a few sips of wine I wandered through the empty house. Things were just as Richard had left them. Things didn’t really look as if they’d been disturbed since our fight. I shed a few tears as I passed by the television set, it was already programmed to record the next game in the series and I frowned, shutting it off. Richard’s newspapers lined the table by the recliner and there were numbers and box scores circled in red. It looked as if he were already planning his next round of bets. Suddenly I felt like a stranger in my own home and despite its emptiness, it felt claustrophobic. I didn’t know where to begin in handling Richard’s affairs. I was thankful that Selena already handled most of the arrangements. I sighed set down the empty wine glass on the kitchen island. I would shower, then begin packing Richard’s things in any empty boxes I could find. The sooner I got rid of any trace of him, the sooner I could take some time and mourn the man I both loved and hated.

  15

  After taking a shower and washing off the worst part of working in a hospital, I put on my soft grey sweats and cozy oversized socks and towel dried my hair to the best of my ability. My long brunette, almost back tresses were soaked and I realized I was well overdue for an oil treatment or for that matter even a haircut as the dead ends were starting to show along with those greys. I walked to the kitchen where I placed my wine glass in the sink and while I was there I grabbed my phone off the charger, and texted Selena. “Hope your night’s going well. Remind me at some point to get some boxes, I think I’m going to run out.” Selena responded immediately with the phone making a dinging noise.

  “I’ll remind you. Are you sure you’re okay and don’t want to come over? There’s plenty of pizza left.”

  “Nah. I’ll order something later. I’m starting to pack up Richard’s things.”

  “Okay, well if you need anything let us know.”

  I send back a smiley face and went to the hall closet where I’d stored some empty boxes. Pulling an old one out, I carried it to the bedroom where I opened our shared closet and saw Richard’s shirts hanging there. I saw them lined up in order by color from lightest to darkest. Richard was big on organization and insisted on keeping his shirts pressed and immaculate. He also found the need to spend a lot of money on his clothing. He only bought designer suits even when he was having trouble getting work. He’d just insist that they were investments that would eventually pay themselves off. I begged to differ, even with all those details, it still landed him six feet under. Everything was eventual. I suddenly found myself angry. I was angry at his stupid pressed shirts and insistence on the finer things in life. I was angry that he loved money and betting on his baseball games more than he loved spending time with me. I was angry that what started out so innocent in the beginning had crumbled down when he decided that he really didn’t want a family. He was too selfish to love anyone more than himself. I took down the first set of shirts and threw them into the box after taking time to remove the hangers. I even threw up my hands and a laughed when I looked down and saw that they had become a mess of wrinkles and looked far from perfect. In some kind of trance I repeated the action with the second set of shirts and the last set until the box was full. I then taped it up and labelled it and started a second box for Richard’s pants.

  I had just finished pulling the first pair off the hanger when I heard the doorbell chime. “Oh for fuck’s sake, what now?” Walking to the door, I still carried the packing tape absent-mindedly in one hand. I opened the door crack to see two men in suits at the door. I cautiously opened it a crack and an older man with salt and pepper hair introduced himself. He had a mustache that was greying and it made his look not only wise but professional as well. “Hello, ma’am. Are you Rachel Whitelaw?”

  “Yes. Who are you?”

  “Well I’m Detective Chambers and this is my partner, Detective Harmon. We’re with the homicide unit of Boston PD. I was hoping we could speak with you a few moments concerning your husband?”

  “Yeah. Certainly come in. I’m sorry if you’re been trying to reach me, I haven’t really been too available.”

  “Yes we stopped by the hospital earlier, but the staff informed us you were in a heart surgery, so we thought it best not to disturb you. I’m sorry for your loss, I know it must have been quite a shock.”

  I clutched the packing tape tighter in my hand and sighed. I knew that partly I was still in shock. I also knew, though that I didn’t exactly seem heartbroken over my husband’s death. I could feel the detective watching me like a hawk and I frowned. I dipped my head and sighed loudly. “Yes. I actually didn’t know that Richard had been found until a friend of mine told me she saw it on the news. We weren’t exactly on good terms these past few weeks.”

  “Oh really, wanna tell me about that, Mrs. Whitelaw?”

  “Oh it’s Rachel. Just call me Rach…that’s what all my friends do.”

  “Okay…Rach. So you and Richard, er Mr. Whi
telaw, had been on the outs? What happened exactly?”

  I took a deep breath and hung my head. I had to tell the detectives what had happened. It was better they find out from me how Richard’s behavior wasn’t exactly as stellar as he portrayed it to be. “I think you’d better come in. Do you drink coffee? I could certainly use a cup myself.”

  “Yes… please, that would be great Rach. I like mine black, but my partner here, he likes the sweet stuff.”

  “Okay. I’m with him by the way. I like a little coffee in my sugar, but you didn’t hear that from me.”

  I busied myself with the coffee pot in the kitchen and opened the cupboard getting three clean cups. I never really considered myself a fastidious housekeeper, but I did like to keep everything in its place. It was just easier that way. When it finished brewing, I returned to the living room with steaming mugs and settled down onto my comfy beige sofa, sitting crossed-legged with my feet under a light throw I had on the sofa. “So Rachel you were telling me about the fight you and Richard had?”

  I took several sips of the warm beverage and it reached the deepest part of me that had suddenly turned cold from the conversation. “Fights. We had lots of fights, detective.”

  “Go on.”

  “Well I came home from work and found Richard in the same spot he usually was. Right there in that armchair, watching television. I’m sure his notes are still over there. “My eyes suddenly teared up and I had to wipe a teardrop from the corner of my eye and take a drink of coffee before I continued. “Anyway he was watching a baseball game and following the scores. He like to bet on the games, it was a habit he’d developed shortly after we started dating and I thought it was harmless fun. I thought it was harmless until I noticed our bank account slowly dwindling. He’d get drunk and confrontational though every time I suggested that he should pursue another hobby, so I just dropped it. It was worth a tirade to me anymore. I’d just pull some extra shifts or I’d fine some private client work to make up the difference.”