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)
“Right,” I sighed, picking up the chart, catching the click-clacking of heels. “Sophie Parkinson. Twenty-six. Chest pain…?”
Baffled by the comment, I looked up at the patient in question. Her attire was rather strange. She had a black pencil skirt on, really high heels, and a white blouse. She also had a red scarf around her neck and wore shades. Her blonde, curly hair reached well past her chest.
“Is this right?” I asked, holding the chart out in front of her.
She didn’t speak. Instead, she raised her hand up to her head and dived her hand into her hair. She pulled it to the side, taking a mass of blonde hair with it. Below all that blondness, I noticed a dark-brown shade and a hair type I had seen so much of. She threw the wig back over the exam table and removed the shades, confirming my initial belief. This was Maggie Owens, my dear friend.
“Maggie!” I spoke, my voice coming out like a cheer. “It’s been so long! What’s with the disguise? You wanted to surprise me?”
“I wish,” she uttered, her voice monotonous. “How have you been, honey? Quite busy, I suppose.”
“Not busier than you,” I smiled. “How’s little Emily doing?”
“Busy with men,” she clarified. “Your love life is very rich these days. I’m not trying to pass on judgment here,” she declared, her hands up to her chest, palms facing me. “I’m the last person in the world to judge anyone’s love life. And Emily is doing just great. Thank you for asking.”
“You still haven’t told me why you had to disguise yourself to come see me,” I said, my voice dropping down an octave.
“I came here to warn you,” she added, softening her tone. “Those guys you’ve been seeing are aspiring mobsters. They’re fighting tooth and claw to enter that world. Very soon, they’ll be in a lot of trouble with the law. Trust me, Piper. You wouldn’t want to get caught in that mess.”
“Whoa! Hold on a minute,” I requested, feeling like she had banged a brick into my forehead with all that information. “I know they’re up to no good, but they’re actually trying to enter the mafia? How do you know that?”
“Yes, they are,” she affirmed with a nod. “You know I inherited a mobster’s fortune, Piper. It was easy for me to find out.”
“So, you’re in the mob, too?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“Yes and no,” she said, squeezing her lips together. “I’m not running anything illegal. But, to keep myself and my family safe, I had to give something back to the mob. So, my associates are keeping an eye out for wannabe mobsters. The men you’ve been socializing with perfectly fit that description.”
“Why? What did they do?” I posed another question, my tone intensifying.
“A couple of weeks ago, they tried to purchase an entire gun shipment,” she told me, putting her hands on my shoulders as we looked each other in the eye. “The whole thing went terribly wrong, but those three are very determined. There’s no doubt in my mind; they’ll try again.”
“Oh, my god…” I whispered, coming to a painful realization. Matteo, Cesare, and Leo hadn’t attempted to buy handguns to protect themselves. They had tried to buy hundreds of weapons, with the intent to sell them. My stepbrother had been wounded during that transaction.
“Look, Piper,” she urged, rubbing my shoulders over my lab coat. “I’ve met some dangerous men. I’m sure you remember my stories about them. I remember how much you hated my involvement with them. But—and this is a big but—they got out of that life. Was there a price to pay for that? Yes, but they’ve all straightened out now. I wish I could say the same about these men you’ve been seeing. I’ve talked to them. They seem nice, but they want to conquer a world that’s too dangerous.”
I lifted my hands up to hers and wrapped my fingers around her wrists. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m afraid it’s too late.”
“What?” She asked, her big eyes widening. “What are you talking about?”
“Maggie…” I faltered, my mind traveling back to the night that Leo was brought into the ER. “I’m in too deep already. I didn’t mean to. It happened because I patched up one of them and didn’t call the cops when he showed up full of bullet holes. Someone’s put a hit out on them. They think I might be in danger, too.”
“Oh, no.” She put her hand over her mouth. “I knew I should have come here sooner. This wouldn’t have…”
“There’s nothing you could have done for me, Maggie,” I interrupted her. “There’s nothing anybody could have done really. I just tried to do my job, and this is what I get. Now, I’m going to ask you something and I need you to tell me the truth. Are they right? Could the mob come after me for helping them?”