Shirley
There’s dust in my nose. It’s so fucking irritating. I try to wiggle my nose, but that seems to wake me up more, and then I realize I’m incredibly sore. There’s pain and dust, and I cough some of it out as I blink open my eyes. Noises around me seem distant, almost as though something is blocking my ears as I try to remember where I am and what I’m doing.
Something sharp digs into my back, and I groan out loud, using my aching hands to push myself up. A single thought occurs to me.
My Baby.
I can hear people crying, and that barrier, that blocked ear feeling, is going away, and the sounds of cries intermingled with screaming becomes clearer. Where had I been?
I’d been at a table outside our family bistro with Kira. We were about to share a dessert when there was a huge noise, an explosion, from the store right next door. The force had flung us in the opposite direction, into the middle of the street. The thing stabbing me in the back must be rubble.
Kira.
“Kira?” I call weakly. My voice cracks, so I spit and clear my throat. “Kira?” I call, barely louder.
“Shirls.” It’s little more than a groan, but it’s her, thank God. I manage to sit up and look at myself. I’m bleeding, mostly from grazes and scrapes on my arms and legs. I put my hand on my belly and close my eyes, praying my baby is okay.
I hear the sirens getting closer, and everything is so disorientating. I need to close my eyes, just for a moment.
I’m jolted awake as the ambulance rumbles on the road beneath me. I’m on a stretcher, an oxygen mask over my face. There’s a young, traumatized medic next to me. He sees I’m awake and puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, ma’am. We’re on our way to the hospital.” I open my mouth, but he shushes me, “Don’t speak. Conserve your energy.”
I shake my head because I have to tell him so they know, “I’m…
I’m pregnant, but I don’t want anyone…don’t tell anyone about my baby.”
His eyes widen, and he nods. “We’ll check your baby is okay as soon as we’re at the hospital.”
I nod and close my eyes again.
A strange beeping sound stirs me from what feels like a very short nap. I can feel the cool sheets beneath me and covering me, and I’m sitting up at an angle. My back burns, probably from where the skin grazed, along with the other places I hurt. When I open my eyes, a handsome man in a white coat stands next to me.
He smiles. “Welcome back, Mrs. MacCannister.”
“My baby…” I try to finish the sentence, but he also puts a hand on my shoulder.
“Your baby is perfectly fine. You have nothing to worry about. You’re also doing great, aside from some disorientation. The old brain got a bit knocked around, but with a few days’ rest, you’ll be right as rain.”
He pats my hand on the bed and turns to leave just as Evgenii rushes into the room. “Shirley!”
He approaches my bedside and gingerly takes my hand. “Oh my God, I’m so glad you’re okay. When the line went dead, I thought the worst.”
I can see the worry in his eyes. He isn’t pretending. His voice is shaking, and I almost think he’s going to cry. I feel a sharp stab in my heart that isn’t from the explosion, that’s guilt.
There’s a light knock at the door, and I see Alessandro standing there, looking both livid and concerned.
Evgenii steps aside respectfully and comes to the other side of my bed so they’re both by my side.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Alessandro says, stroking my hair back.
“It’s Mikhail,” Evgenii says suddenly. “He’s been coordinating these attacks, I know it.”
I am instantly annoyed. Evgenii just wants to blame Mikhail because he’s jealous I went on a date with him.
“You have no proof of that. Mikhail isn’t stupid enough to attack the Volkovs and Sorvinos. He wouldn’t declare war against the strongest families in New York.” I shake my head.
Evgenii frowns. “You don’t know what men like Mikhail are capable of.”
“I think I know Mikhail better than you do,” I snap.
Evgenii clenches his fists, and Alessandro walks to the bottom of my bed. “Go get yourself something to drink and calm down.”
Evgenii relaxes and nods, looking at me one last time before leaving.
Alessandro looks at me meaningfully. “Stop letting your emotions cloud your judgment. I mean it. You’re letting them get the better of you.”
I’m about to say something when he picks up my chart. I panic.
“Alessandro, I…”
“You’re pregnant.” He puts the chart back. As he walks to the door, I worry, thinking he’s leaving and that’s it, but he shuts the door and sits on the edge of the bottom of my bed.
“You’re not far along. I assume you would have told me eventually.” I feel contrite.
“I just wanted to sort out my own feelings on the subject.” I’m trying to keep emotion out of it, but I care deeply about what Alessandro thinks of me.
“You can still tell me things like this, Shirls. I won’t judge. I mean, with the drama our family goes through, this is minute. The women in our family are pretty crazy,” he gives me a small smile. “But you should probably tell the father of your child. Every man deserves a chance to prove himself as a father and to dote and love on his children.”
I glance away from him. I want to tell him who the father is, but I can’t. He’ll think I’m a fool. “I just want to work out what’s best for the baby and me before I do that.”
Alessandro breathes heavily and pats my leg gently. “Evgenii is a lucky man to be able to start a family with you, so think about it carefully before you make any harsh decisions.”
He stands up, and I want to ask him how he knows, but of course, he knows. Everyone probably knows. I swallow hard and rest back against my bed, closing my eyes.
An hour, maybe a little more, passes when another light knock at my door disturbs me. I open my eyes to Evgenii with his arms full of flowers and balloons, and a giant stuffed get well soon panda bear.
“Pandas are your favorite, so I hunted this little shit down. You should name him, he’s cute. Well, cuter than me, at least.” He laughs at his joke, and I offer him a smile. He straightens my blanket and my IV and adjusts my pillow, fussing over me something terrible.
“How are you feeling now? Do you need more pain meds because
I’ll hook you up? How is your pain level?”
“I just want to go home,” I sigh. “I’m sore and tired, but I’d prefer to rest at home.”
“You should stay here until they clear you,” he says protectively.
“You don’t want to go home too soon, and they might miss something.”
A firm knock at the door draws our attention. Mikhail is standing in the doorway with a massive bouquet of roses, and before anyone can say anything, Evgenii has launched himself from my side toward him, tackling him to the ground.
I try to sit up, but my body is stiff, so I know I’m not going to separate them. I hit the call nurse button, but nurses and security are already rushing to the fight that has now spilled out into the hallway.
They manage to split the men. Evgenii is nearer to me, so I glare at him. “Go calm down while I speak to Mikhail.” It isn’t a request, and although he looks reluctant, he gives Mikhail one last glare before slowly walking away.
Mikhail straightens his clothes and runs a hand over his hair before walking to me.
“Sorry, he’s on edge.” I give him a hesitant smile. “How did you know I was in the hospital?”
“News travels fast among families,” he smiles and scoops up the bouquet of roses. He sets them closer to me than Evgenii’s flowers, and I know he’s trying to assert dominance.
I rest back and fold my hands over my lap. “I imagine so, but I didn’t think I’d be that important to warrant news.”
“You’re important to me,” he smiles, sitting on the edge of my bed.
I give him a stern look before I soften. “Are there any leads as to who it could have been?”
“Media are saying these latest bombings are terrorist attacks, and they are hunting down the ones responsible. You and I, and our families, know this isn’t radicals. This is someone who is targeting your family.”
“Someone who has a lot to gain, especially if the Volkovs and Sorvinos either start fighting amongst themselves or simply fall away slowly.” I raise an eyebrow. I can see he knows what I’m implying.
“That someone is playing a dangerous game.” He straightens his tie, not breaking eye contact. “Luckily, my family has a truce with both the major families. I have no reason to harm them.”
I don’t believe him at all, but I also don’t suspect him. He’s handsome and charming, but I’m on guard. I give him a warm smile. “Well, whoever hurt me, is certainly going to have to deal with Evgenii. He doesn’t like it when people attack me.”
“Like a faithful little guard dog,” Mikhail chuckles before standing up. He knows he isn’t going to dominate me.
“I hope you make a speedy recovery, Shirley.” I nod and smile as he leaves before I relax.
Evgenii
I’m ordering what feels like my hundredth cup of coffee. I stand at the cart waiting, annoyed that Shirley thinks speaking to Mikhail is okay. I have one of my guards stationed close to her room, keeping an eye on her in case he tries to hurt her again.
“Evgenii,” I glance over my shoulder to the right to see my sister walking toward me, waving her hand. I look at the makeshift barrister.
“Double my order.”
I turn as Natalia comes up to me and hugs me. “How is Shirley? I heard from the guards that there was an explosion.”
“She’s fine,” I say grumpily, and at her questioning look, I add,
“Mikhail fucking Gobulev is busy talking to her right now.”
“Isn’t that who you previously suspected of interfering with the family business?” she asks, tilting her head to the side.
I glance at her curiously, “How do you know that?”
“You talk loudly on the phone,” she grins. “But seriously, if it’s that guy, she can’t be talking to him. He shouldn’t be anywhere near Shirley. I thought you two were giving it a try?”
I pay the barrister and hand her a cup of coffee. “I can’t control who she sees and speaks to, it’ll just make me look controlling, and she won’t want anything to do with me.”
“Well, I’m here now. We have an excuse to go to her room because I want to say hey,” she smiles brightly. “I’d love to meet my big brother’s girlfriend.”
I roll my eyes. “Surely you’ve met before.”
She shakes her head. “Nope, and that’s shitty of you. You should have introduced me ages ago.”
I pause, and my mind briefly realizes that Natalia is never at church with us or at family lunches, and she doesn’t go to any events with us. I
know she went to school with Kira and Tori but probably doesn’t know the rest of the family because they weren’t exactly friends. “Natalia, what do you do all day?”
“Ivan is busy helping me set up a business I can run so that I can get my own house or apartment and get on my feet and settled here in New
York.” She sips her coffee. “So, are we going or not?”
I nod, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at my very private sister. I lead her back to Shirley’s room. Two doors away, my guard stops me. “He left. Nothing happened. They didn’t get too close or anything. In fact, she seemed to be giving him a hard time. Very stern.”
I smirk. “That’s my girl. Come, Nat.”
For the third time today, I knock softly on Shirley’s room door.
“Hey,” I say quietly. “Uh…I’m sorry about earlier, but guess what?”
Shirley looks at me curiously as I continue, “My baby sister Natalia came to wish you well and meet you.”
Shirley looks slightly embarrassed and adjusts her hospital gown. “Oh, okay.”
Nat sticks her head in through the door. “Hey. Evgenii, move.” She forces her way between me and the door and walks over to Shirley, holding out her hand. “Everyone calls me Nat.”
“Hi, Nat, I’m Shirley,” she gives my sister a small smile, and I move further into the room, holding out the cup of coffee. “Want some?”
Shirley takes it gratefully. “Thanks. So, the doctor was here. He says I can go home tomorrow.”
I smile. “That’s good news, but I want you to promise you’ll rest.
You were flung quite far and hard.”
Nat hushes me. “She knows she must rest. Shirley, tell me about the
West Coast. It sounds fabulous.”
They talk quietly, and Shirley seems to perk up speaking to Nat. I sit in a chair nearby and listen to their idle chit-chat, nothing personal or confidential. Shirley has learned her lesson.
Nat finishes her coffee with a smack of her lips. “I also want to see Kira, so I’m going to go find her room.”
“How do you know Kira?” Shirley asks curiously.
“I went to school with her and her sister,” she smiles. “Since I’m here, I might as well check on her. We’re family and all that now.”
Shirley gives her a warm smile. “That’s very sweet. She shouldn’t be far.”
Nat waves goodbye and leaves the room, so I get up and sit on the chair she abandoned beside Shirley.
Shirley fiddles with her fingers for a moment. She doesn’t look at me, but she finally speaks, “I’m going to fall so far behind on my work. I wanted to finalize everything and get back to the things I usually do.”
I nod. “If Ettore recovers from his injuries, then we can both present our bids, and once he makes a decision, we can take it from there.” I don’t know if I’m reassuring her or myself.
“It does seem logical to bid from the bigger families,” she concedes. “I just wish we could do it and be done.”
“I know,” I say suddenly. ‘What if we made our proposals identical?”
Shirley looks at me skeptically, and I continue, “I mean it. We put through the same options, and Ettore can just pick whichever, and that way, we’re not trying to one-up each other constantly.”
She looks away thoughtfully and nods. “That isn’t a bad idea. That might actually work because then our families won’t bicker.”
She yawns, and I stand up. “Listen, you get some rest. I’ll tell the guards no more visitors except your family. Get some sleep, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I lean down and kiss her cheek. “I’m happy you’re okay.”
“So am I,” she says, lying back and watching me through heavylidded eyes.
I leave the hospital with two guards escorting me out in case Mikhail tries anything. I leave two guards, with two of the Sorvino guards, outside Shirley’s room.
Once on the road home, my phone buzzes, and I answer, “Evgenii speaking.”
“Boss,” It’s Aleks. “We got some footage of who may have planted the bomb. Someone dressed as a courier on a bike. We’ve tracked him and brought him to your house for questioning.”
I feel that fiery rage building up inside me. “I’m on my way. Secure him.”
I look at my driver Gregori. “Move it. I want to be home asap.”
We push the speed limit, and we’re home in record time. I step out of the car and button my suit jacket as I walk into the house. Aleks is in the hallway. “Where is he?”
“The informal guest bedroom,” Aleks smiles.
I smirk, the only guests who end up in there are the kind that aren’t seen or heard from again. Aleks leads me into the room and shuts the door. This room is soundproof, and I can see the guy, head hanging, sweat dropping off his face. A deep black bruise is forming near his right eye, and it’s already started to swell.
I pick up a chair and place it in front of him, sitting on it. There’s enough distance that there is no way he can reach me, but I know he can hear me if I murmur.
His head sways slightly as he looks up at me with bleary eyes. I nod, I have no smile to offer this man.
“You planted a bomb today next to a bistro. Is that correct?”
He starts to shake his head, but Aleks stabs a sharpened welding rod into his leg, and I say, “We have it on camera, so really that was just to test you.”
He whimpers, tears forming in his eyes.
“Aleks, I think the dogs need something to nibble on. It doesn’t seem our guest listens very well, so I doubt he needs both ears.”
The man’s eyes widen, and he shakes his head, “No! No! No!”
He shrieks as Aleks expertly slices off his right ear, and I nod, sighing. “So I don’t need the details. I don’t care who your target was, and I might consider letting you live to send a message. What I need to know, though, before you can possibly dance your ass out of here, is who asked you to plant that bomb?”
He swallows hard, his breathing is harsh, but I lean forward. “Who put you up to planting that fucking bomb?”
He looks haggard when he looks up. “Miguel Rossi.”
I derive two things from this, this guy is an amateur, and he’s lying.
“Miguel Rossi?” I ask. “The cousin of Don Alessandro Sorvino?
The don of the Rossi family?”
He glares at me and nods, and I strike him through the face sending him and his chair to the left, tipped over. “The man whose wife works at the bistro,” I raise my voice. “Who has declared if anyone so much as looks at his wife, he’ll personally carve off their cock and serve it to the lions at the
New York Zoo as an appetizer?”
I walk toward him. I realize too late that I’ve made a mistake. The chair cracked when it hit the floor. Before anyone can do anything, he has an arm free. A guard approaching him pauses in surprise, and the courier grabs his gun from the holster on his hip and puts it to his head.
“Long live Don Rossi,” he spits out before he pulls the trigger.
I close my eyes and hold my hand out. Aleks hands me a handkerchief, and I wipe the blood and brains from my face. “I need to contact the Pakhan and clean up this mess.”
I leave the room, pull out my phone, and dial Ivan’s number.
“What have you got?”
“We caught the guy who planted the bomb. He’s fingering Don Rossi,” I say.
Ivan is quiet for a moment. “Is it possible?”
I snort, “He called him Miguel Rossi. No one in this situation, who works for any of the families, would be so informal with their Don, even if they’re related.”
Ivan gives a short breath in agreement. “I want to know who hurt my sister-in-law and her cousin.”
He doesn’t mention Shirley by name, but I simply say, “I’m on it.”
“I want to know which family is behind these attacks, and I want to know like yesterday.” He hangs up.
I am at the hospital the next day, ready to collect Shirley. I was surprised when Alessandro agreed that Shirley could stay with me while she rests as my location isn’t as widely known as the heads of the families.
I also want to work on our proposals together so we’re on the same page.
I thought Shirley would be mad, but she willingly lets me help her to my car. Arianna already dropped off her things, so I take her straight home.