Chapter 1 - THE NURSE WHO REFUSED TO LOOK AWAY|
Abigail’s hands trembled as she stood between Vanessa Kensington and Lorenzo Moretti’s wheelchair. Rain battered the windows of the Moretti estate, turning the gardens beyond them into a blur of black branches and silver water.
Vanessa stared at the nurse as if she had committed an unforgivable crime.
“You have absolutely no idea who you’re dealing with.”
Abigail swallowed.
“I know exactly what I saw.”
The brass paperweight rested on the desk, inches from a stack of legal documents. Lorenzo sat rigidly in his wheelchair, his dark hair falling across his forehead. His right hand remained clenched around the wheel rim, while a thin line of blood marked the corner of his mouth.
For three years, the man had been known throughout Chicago as the most dangerous surviving heir of the Moretti crime family. Before a suspicious automobile accident shattered his spine, Lorenzo had controlled businesses, politicians, and entire neighborhoods with a single telephone call.
Now, according to the newspapers, he was a broken man.
According to Vanessa, he was incapable of managing his own life.
And according to the frightened expression Abigail had seen whenever Vanessa entered a room, something about that explanation was terribly wrong.
“Mr. Moretti,” Abigail said quietly, “would you like me to call security?”
Lorenzo lifted his eyes.
“Everyone on this estate answers to her.”
Vanessa gave a short, contemptuous laugh.
“Because I make sure he receives the care he needs. Someone has to.”
“You call this care?” Abigail asked.
Vanessa stepped closer.
“You have been employed here for twelve days. Twelve. Do you imagine that makes you qualified to judge my relationship with my future husband?”
“No. But it makes me qualified to recognize an injury that shouldn't have happened.”
For one brief second, Vanessa's composure cracked.
Then she smiled.
“Get out of my sight.”
Abigail did not move.
Vanessa turned toward Lorenzo.
“Tell her to leave.”
Lorenzo stared at the documents scattered across the desk.
“Leave the room, Vanessa.”
Her smile disappeared.
“You cannot be serious.”
“I am.”
“You would choose a temporary nurse over the woman who has sacrificed three years of her life for you?”
Lorenzo's jaw tightened.
“I would choose a locked door over another minute of your company.”
Vanessa's face hardened. She snatched her handbag from the chair and walked toward the doorway.
Before leaving, she leaned toward Abigail.
“You have just made yourself an enemy you cannot afford.”
“Then I suppose I should be careful.”
Vanessa's eyes narrowed.
“You should be terrified.”
The door slammed behind her.
Only when her footsteps faded did Abigail notice Lorenzo's breathing. It was shallow and uneven, and his fingers had begun to shake.
“I'm sorry,” he whispered.
Abigail looked at him in disbelief.
“Why are you apologizing?”
“Because she will make you pay for this.”
“Let her try.”
He almost smiled, but the expression vanished before it reached his eyes.
Abigail picked up the medical tray and began cleaning the cut at his mouth. She worked carefully, explaining each movement before touching him. When she finished, she gathered the papers from the floor.
The top document bore the heading Durable Power of Attorney.
Below it was a statement claiming that Lorenzo suffered from progressive cognitive incapacity following traumatic injury.
Abigail read it twice.
“Mr. Moretti, have you been evaluated for this condition?”
“No.”
“Has a neurologist examined you?”
“Not without Vanessa present.”
“That isn't what I asked.”
He looked toward the window.
“No.”
Abigail felt cold spread through her stomach.
The document transferred control of Lorenzo's business holdings, private accounts, and medical decisions to Vanessa Kensington.
A signature line waited at the bottom.
“Did you sign this?”
“Not yet.”
“Then don't.”
Lorenzo gave a bitter laugh.
“You think refusing to sign a piece of paper will save me?”
“No. But signing it might destroy you.”
He studied her for a long moment.
“You don't understand what she has done.”
“Then tell me.”
He opened his mouth.
A sudden crash echoed from the corridor.
Abigail turned toward the door. A second later, the handle moved.
Lorenzo's face drained of color.
“Hide those papers,” he whispered.
“Why?”
“Because if the person coming through that door finds them with you, you won't survive the night.”
The door swung open.
May you like
And standing in the doorway was the one man Lorenzo had trusted more than anyone in the world.
His own brother.
