Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
The newcomer ignored me and looked straight at Cesare. “We’ve got company.” This man was a few inches shorter than Cesare, but still pretty tall. And his muscles weren’t as big and bulky, but he moved with an easy confidence, like his bigger friend. His dark hair and eyes showed that he was likely Italian, too. These two looked like they could be related.
Cesare strode to the door as if to take a look down the hall, but his buddy had already shut the door behind him. He spared a brief glance for me and for Leonardo before addressing Cesare.
“He okay?”
“He will be,” Cesare replied. “How many?”
“Two.” The new man said. “There were three.”
They exchanged a look and then Cesare moved over to my side of the bed. “You need to go to the bathroom,” he ordered.
For a moment, I stared at him, utterly confused. “What?”
“It’ll be safer there.”
He gripped my arm, pulling me to my feet.
“What?” I repeated again. Slowly, it dawned on me that he hadn’t meant that he thought I needed to use the bathroom. He just wanted me to go in it.
Because it was safer.
Fear flooded through me.
The other man flattened himself against the wall behind the door and he had a gun in his hand. My legs started sharking, and I almost fell back into the chair.
A gun. Inside the hospital.
That should’ve scared, and it did but it also infuriated me. “Listen, you can’t just—”
Cesare’s large palm covered my mouth and he hissed at me to be quiet. What little self-defense training I’d had trickled into my mind, but what was one supposed to do against a man of his size? I had to crane my neck just to look him in the eye, which wasn’t easy to do when he had his hand clamped over my mouth.
Besides, though I might’ve been crazy, I wasn’t scared of his anger. It clearly wasn’t directed at me. But I was mad as hell at his friend for bringing a weapon into my workplace.
Cautiously, Cesare removed his hand, watching my face intently, no doubt ready to silence me again if he had to. But his demeanor was getting to me. He and his buddy by the door were clearly worried about whoever was out there.
“Get ready,” his friend whispered in a voice so quiet I could barely hear it. Cesare nodded, not taking his eyes off me. But his hand moved. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a handgun of his own.
Okay, now I was scared. Being around guns always did that to me. I hated them with a passion. But it was more than that this time. I was also frightened because of the tension radiating from these two. It couldn’t have been more obvious that they thought something big was about to go down.
Something big and bad.
And then there was a sound right outside the door. A footstep. It cracked open as my heart pounded painfully in my chest.
It took effort to remember how to breathe as I looked up at Cesare’s dark eyes. His grip was tight on his gun, and he looked ready to whirl around and shoot. And maybe whoever was at the door would also shoot. His buddy certainly looked ready to.
God, someone was going to get hurt. Maybe Leonardo who was still unconscious. Or a patient or staff in the hallway. Or me here in this little room. I didn’t want any of those things to happen. Hell, I didn’t even want these two men whom I knew nothing about to get hurt. Even though they were armed and ready to fire.
The door opened farther, as if in slow motion. Cesare’s muscles tensed as he prepared to turn. His buddy, still hidden by the door, had his pistol ready to take down anyone who entered.
Something snapped inside me, and I knew I couldn’t let that happen. I stepped forward, pressing my body against Cesare’s, my hands linking behind his thick neck. His gun got caught between our bodies as I pressed myself against him, but I didn’t let myself think about it. Instead, I focused on his face as I went up on my tiptoes. I cupped the back of his neck to pull his head down as I raised my lips to his.
His body was stiff and unyielding for a long moment. I felt the coiling of his muscles and wondered if he’d push me away and continue along the path of violence. But then his freehand wrapped around my waist and he smashed me against his massive chest, his mouth engulfing mine.
My mind raced as I pantomimed being in the throes of passion. Due to Cesare’s large body, I couldn’t see who had opened the door, but I could sense the surprise coming from that direction, either from Cesare’s friend or the intruder. But I didn’t let it distract me. This was the only way I knew to avoid people getting hurt.