“You chose the best companion for me, Maceo,” she thought to herself. She closed her eyes, feeling tired suddenly, but her head seemed to whirl and she felt sick. What the hell?
Her chest began to tighten and she suddenly found it hard to breathe. Jesus … she fumbled for the call button and pressed it—only to find it had come loose from the wall and wasn’t connected.
Damn it. She pushed the sheets aside to try and swing her legs over the side—and saw the blood. Lots of it. Oh god, no … she tried to call out, but her vision grew hazy. Please help me … She shifted to try and move but her legs gave way beneath her and she slumped to the floor. She could smell blood, her blood, and then she couldn’t breathe, and everything was going dark …
Maceo woke when his cellphone buzzed. Seth. “Maceo … Ori’s relapsed. Man, you better come back, they’ve taken her back into surgery. God, I’m so sorry, Maceo, but it doesn’t look good.”
Maceo heard the words “massive internal blood loss,.” but he was numb inside. The surgeon had updated him as they struggled to save Ori’s life and when finally they had done all they could, the surgeon told him that now they would just have to wait.
“I’m not going to lie to you, Mr. Bartoli, her chances of recovery are small.”
Seth had been beside himself with guilt, but Maceo reassured him. “None of us could have known. Ori herself didn’t know.”
All Maceo could do was sit and wait and hope. He felt useless, hopeless. All of his wealth, his influence, couldn’t heal Ori— he thought about finding the best surgeon in the world, but Seth had told him the surgeon here had done everything anyone could do.
“Please don’t leave me, mio caro,” he said to her now, bending to kiss her cheek. “I cannot live without you.”
Maceo closed his eyes. If Ori died, he would spend the rest of his life hunting down the man who did this to her.
Alex. Maceo gritted his teeth. It was a good thing Alex had decided to go back to America, he thought, because the way Maceo was feeling right now, he would have gladly ripped the other man apart with his bare hands.
Run, Maceo thought. Run, Alex. Because when this is all over, I will find you.
“I’m going with Alex, Seth. I think he needs me.” Netta waited for Seth’s reaction.
Seth sighed but nodded.
“I think it’s probably for the best. For now. Which is not to say I won’t miss you, but you need to be with your brother.”
Netta smiled at him gratefully. “Thank you, darling. Look, this has all happened so quickly, and I want to explore us’ more, but I think we may have to put things on hold for a while.”
He took her in his arms. “You’re right. It will be nice to have time for us, just us, but now isn’t the time. When are you flying?”
“In the morning, so we still have all night.”
Seth slid his hand under her T-shirt and stroked her belly. “All night, hmm … what shall we do?”
Netta grinned as he began to strip her, then dropped to his knees to bury his face in her belly. She stroked his dark hair. “You’re very easy to fall for, Mr. Cantor.”
He grinned up at her, then pressed his face into her sex. Netta gave a little moan as his tongue lashed around her clit, his hands pushing her thighs apart. He expertly brought her to the point of orgasm before unzipping his pants and freeing his diamond-hard cock. He thrust into her, and she clung to him, moving with perfect rhythm as they fucked.
“Oh god, Seth, yes, yes …”
His hands pinned hers to the wall as she rode him, her light, lithe body curving into him. As his movements became rougher, she bit down on his shoulder, spurring him on, becoming wilder and less controlled as they both came. Seth shuddered, groaning her name, pumping thick, creamy cum deep inside of her cunt. Netta shivered and moaned with pleasure, kissing him hungrily.
“God, how am I supposed to leave you here after that?”
Seth laughed. “It won’t be a long separation, I promise, Netta. We’ll be together soon.”
Despite the setback and her fragile condition, the doctors were pleased that Ori hadn’t slipped back into a coma. Twenty-four hours after her emergency surgery, she opened her eyes and stared up at the darkened room.
She heard Maceo’s breathing, steady and regular. He was asleep, and Ori decided to let him rest. He looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes, his skin wan. She sighed, pressing the little button to release morphine into her system. She was getting way too used to it and decided that as soon as she could bear it, she’d stop using it. Easier said than done, she thought now, as pain screeched through her body. She had no idea what had happened to her, but she presumed it had been a bleed, obviously. There were new dressings on her wounds, and even a new site, just above her navel. Maybe they’d had to open her up.
Fuck. She was so tired of feeling like this, so sick, so vulnerable and useless. She wanted to go out into the world, be with Maceo, enjoy their life, but at every turn, something or someone stymied them. Was this the price she had to pay for finding happiness with him?
She turned her head so she could gaze at his sleeping form. I could not imagine my life without you. But she felt depressed, run-down, and dirty from spending so much time in bed. Her skin still felt sticky with blood even though she knew she had been cleaned up.
Her thoughts went back to the night of the stabbing. It had been so quick, so brutal, so cruel. Her would-be-killer kissing her. This is how I show my love. It was all so fucked up. She could still feel every inch of the steel slicing through her body, ripping her apart. Feral. Ferocious.
She felt sick and press the call button, hoping it wouldn’t wake Maceo. The nurse came in and asked her if she needed anything.
“I feel like I might throw up,” Ori whispered, “but I’m scared of ripping my stitches.”
“I’ll get you an anti-emetic, honey. Just take some slow deep breaths.”
Maceo lifted his head as the nurse left the room and Ori smiled ruefully at him. “I’m sorry I woke you, baby.”
Maceo rubbed his eyes, looking like a lost little boy. Ori hid a grin. “It’s okay, mio caro, I’d rather be awake. Are you okay?.”
“Just a little nauseous.”
“I sometimes have that effect.”
Ori laughed softly. “Never.”
Maceo laced his fingers with hers. “How’re you feeling, bella?”
She stroked his cheek as the nurse came back in. “I’m … okay.” She gave a soft laugh. “I’m sick of being asked that, and I bet you’re sick of asking it.”
Maceo grinned at her. “Then let’s make a deal. I won’t ask if you promise to tell me the second you don’t feel good.”
“Deal.” Ori winced as the nurse injected her, but the relief was almost instantaneous. She relaxed back against her pillows.
“Do you want a sedative?” The nurse, a middle-aged woman with thick black hair pulled up into a bun, smiled down at her, but Ori shook her head.
“No, thanks. I think I’m tired enough to sleep for a year. He might need one, though,” she grinned and nodded at Maceo. “I think he’s trying to set a record for staying awake.”
Maceo shook his head, laughing. “I’m good, thanks.”
The nurse chuckled and left them alone. Maceo shifted his chair so he could sit closer to Ori. “Listen, I was thinking, when you’re a little stronger, we should move you to a private facility in Venice. Be closer to home.”
“Agreed. Not that Florence isn’t beautiful … what little I’ve seen of it,” she said in a wry voice, gesturing out of the window, and Maceo laughed.
“I promise I’ll bring you back when you’re ready.”
Ori sighed. “Going home does sound good.”
He stroked her hair. “It does. But please, mio caro, don’t push yourself.”
“I won’t. Say, is Seth okay? He called me earlier and kept apologizing for leaving me alone that time. Jeez, he only went for some water. It wasn’t his fault.”
&nb
sp; Maceo nodded. “He feels guilty. I’ve tried to persuade him otherwise, but he’s very fond of you. Which reminds me, two things. One, Shiloh says unless she sees you before she and Benoit go back to Paris, she’ll beat my sorry ass’—her words.” They both laughed.
“I want to see her.”
“No problem. And the other thing.” His smile faded. “Alex is going back to America.”
“Okay.”
Their gazes locked. “He won’t come near you again,” Maceo said softly, and Ori nodded.
“I know. He hasn’t tried. How’s Netta?”
“Going with him, I think.”
“Good. Good, she should—maybe she can help him sort his head out.”
Maceo gave a disgusted snort. “I don’t give a fuck what that figlia di puttana does as long as he never comes near you again.”
Ori felt unhappy. “We don’t know for sure that he’s the killer, Maceo.”
Maceo said nothing. He stood and sat on the edge of the bed, carefully not to jostle her too much. Ori ran her hand along his muscled thigh. “I miss you,” she said. “I know that doesn’t make sense. I mean, I miss being physically close to you.”
Maceo hesitated, then maneuvered so he could sit on the bed next to her. “I’m not hurting you?” He put his arms around her, and she leaned into them.
“Not at all.” Her head was on his chest, and he buried his face in her hair.
“Ti amo, Orianthi.”
“Ti amo, mio caro.”
Two boys playing at the edge of the river Arno saw what they thought was a mannequin at first. When they realized it was the body of a young woman, they ran away, yelling, and soon a crowd formed at the riverbank. The body was caught in some weeds, and when finally they managed to fish her out, they laid her body on the cold stone and waited for the police.
At the morgue, the pathologist confirmed that the unidentified woman had been murdered, her throat cut. From the water and blood in her lungs, he told the police she had been stabbed and pushed immediately into the river, where blood loss and drowning had finally taken her life. “Horrific,” he said, shaking his head.
Police tried to identify the woman, but after a few days they had to rely on the public, releasing a sketch of her to the news stations.
Lucia stared in horror at the television, then grabbed her phone. “Yes,” she said. “I know who the woman is. Her name is Cassie.”
Benoit laughed at Shiloh as she struggled into a T-shirt which stretched over her burgeoning belly. “Nothing fits.”
Benoit was watching her from the bed as she peeled off her top. “When we get back to Paris, mon amour, we’ll have maternity clothes made for you by all the best designers. I’m sure Lisander would be delighted.”
Shiloh laugh, finally deciding on a loose-fitting top. “Lisander has better things to do with his time. Did you know Kate is going to move down to Buenos Aires with him?”
“Already?” Benoit looked surprised, then laughed as Shiloh gave him an incredulous look. “Yeah, I guess we’re not the poster children for taking things slow, are we?”
Shiloh grinned and came to sit by him. “We are most certainly not. And, you know, Benoit, given what I’ve seen Maceo and Ori go through, I’ve never been so thankful that we weren’t careful. I have never been this happy or excited about the future.”
Benoit kissed her, placing his hand over the bump in her belly. “Me neither. Look, I think we had better go back to Paris and figure out what to do. You still have your work in Africa, and we have to discuss living arrangements. Shiloh, I’m not wild about heavy security, but I think that until the killer is caught, we need to be extra vigilant. Maceo knows he made a mistake blowing off his security coming here, leaving Ori vulnerable. He’ll never forgive himself for that, and I’m not prepared to make the same mistake.”
He could see the doubt in her eyes. “I know it’s asking a lot for someone as independent as you. So I’m not telling. I’m asking. Please, let me do this.”
Shiloh nodded slowly. “Okay. Okay, then, Benoit. God, I hope they get him soon.”
“Me too, ma chére, me too.”
When Lucia came to tell him that Cassie had been murdered, Maceo barely acknowledged it. “I don’t care. I really don’t.”
“The police want to speak to you.”
“Let them come.”
They talked to him about his whereabouts the night Cassie was killed, but he answered them in a monotone and, realizing he knew nothing about the murder, they released him.
“Hey, you.”
It was a week later, and Ori was getting really sick of her hospital bed. At least today they had let her shower, albeit with a nurse present. She had sent Maceo home for his own shower, a good meal, and some sleep, but now she was bored, having finished the stack of paperbacks on the nightstand.
She looked up and saw Seth at the door and grinned at him. “Hey, you. Tell me you brought me some contraband.”
He laughed and held up a cotton bag full of books. “Oh, god, Seth Cantor, you are a life saver.”
“That’s not all,” he said, bringing up a paper bag. “I have fresh bread, cheese, and some peaches.”
Ori moaned. “God, that sounds good.”
“Shall we eat?”
“Hell, yes.”
As they ate, he studied her face. “You look brighter. More … awake.”
Ori yawned immediately, and he laughed. “Sorry.”
Ori grinned wryly, sipped her soda, and looked at Seth now, suddenly shy.
“Can I ask you something?”
Seth nodded. “Anything.”
“Why aren’t you married? Lord that came out wrong. I meant to say, you never mention any partners or girlfriends apart from Irina. I don’t even know what you do for work. I apologize for being so self-involved. Can we start again?”
Seth put his hands up. “Completely understandable. No need to apologize. It’s been quite a ride since I met you, what with … anyway. To answer your questions. There have been women. Just not for a while, and none of them really, well, they weren’t around for long. I’ve never felt the inclination to marry. Never met the right woman.”
He held her gaze for a beat too long, watching as two spots of pink flushed across her cheeks. She looked away, down at her food.
“And your job?”
He bowed his head. “I am lucky enough to be, let’s say, independently wealthy.”
“That is lucky,” she teased, and he laughed.
“That’s not to say that I haven’t worked hard; I have, it’s in my nature. I can’t sit still.”
Ori smiled at him. “I always thought of you as the calm one, the one who the others look to. I know Maceo does.”
“He’s a good boy,” Seth laughed. “Man, how old did I sound just then?”
Ori chuckled. “Granddad.” She shifted, suddenly uncomfortable, and Seth noticed.
“Are you okay? Should I get a nurse?”
Ori shook her head, smiling. “Don’t worry, just a little stiff. I’m fine, Seth, truly.”
Seth sighed. “I’ll never forgive myself, Ori. Never.”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” she assured him. “I didn’t even know it was happening until it did.”
Seth didn’t look convinced. “Well, I’ll let you rest.”
“When are you going back to Montreal?”
“When I’m not needed here.” He got up and kissed the top of her head. “You’ll be okay until Maceo gets back?”
“Of course. Thanks, Seth. I really enjoyed this. And thanks for the books. You don’t know how bored I was.” Ori smiled gratefully, and he flushed a little.
“My pleasure. Later, sweetheart.”
“Later, dude.”
Ori was soon asleep and didn’t wake even when the nurse came to check her vitals. When the door opened silently later in the afternoon, Ori was so deeply asleep that she didn’t even feel it when the visitor touched her cheek.
“So lovely …” He st
ared down at her. I did this. I’m the reason you are here, my darling Ori, do you know that? You weren’t supposed to survive my knife.
He heard voices outside and slipped out of the room, regretfully casting a last glance at the sleeping woman.
A doctor passed him and stopped. “Can I help you?”
The man looked at him without speaking and then turned and walked away. He strode out of the hospital and into the inky Florence night.
New York, one month later …
Netta grabbed her keys just as her cell phone buzzed. She smiled when she saw his name on the caller I.D. “Hey, you.”
“Hey.” Seth’s voice was warm, “How are you?.”
“Missing you. I’m just on my way to see Alex.”
“How’s he doing?”
Netta sighed. “Not great. He’s lost, Seth, utterly lost.”
She heard Seth’s deep breath. “Look, I’m going to fly down. Nothing’s happening up here. I think I’m needed there.”
“Always,” Netta smiled. “Hey, did you hear? Ori’s being moved to a hospital in Venice.”
“I did. It’s great news. I know Maceo is delighted; he called me last night. Did you know they got married? Right there in the hospital a week ago. Maceo promised they would have a proper wedding when Ori is well enough, but they didn’t want to wait anymore.”
“So sweet. I must call them. Look, when will you be here? Shall I wait?”
“No, I’ll be a few hours yet. I’ll meet you at Alex’s.”
“Okay, baby. I’ll see you soon. Can’t wait,” she said, dropping her voice, her meaning clear, and she heard him chuckle.
“Me either.”
Alex Milland had locked himself away in his Vermont mansion, torturing himself, remembering when Ori stayed here, remembering the night he kissed her. There had been something there between them, he was sure. At least, the half-empty bottle of whiskey at his side made him sure.
Nightclub Surprise Page 72