With Broken Ribs and a Shattered Ankle, She Climbed 42 Floors—The Mafia Boss Never Forgot Her

Nora woke beneath bright hospital lights with a tube delivering oxygen beneath her nose and a band around her right ankle.

The first thing she felt was pain.

The second was anger.

The third was a hand resting beside hers.

She turned her head carefully.

Raphael Corsetti sat in a chair beside the bed, still wearing the dark suit that had been stained with her blood. His tie was gone, his sleeves were rolled to his elbows, and a small cut marked the side of his thumb.

He looked as though he had not moved in hours.

"You're still here," she whispered.

His eyes lifted immediately.

"Where else would I be?"

"Most people have better things to do than watch someone sleep."

"Most people don't climb forty-two floors with a fractured ankle to warn them that their organization has been infiltrated."

Nora tried to smile.

It hurt.

"Fair point."

He leaned forward.

"Don't move. The doctor says you have three fractured ribs, a fractured right ankle, a concussion, and a deep laceration above your eyebrow. You also have bruising along your back and shoulder."

"That sounds expensive."

"I own the hospital."

"That sounds even more expensive."

This time, Raphael almost smiled.

Then his expression became serious.

"Who attacked you?"

Nora stared at the ceiling.

"I don't know."

"How many?"

"Three. Maybe four."

"Did you recognize any of them?"

"No. They wore masks."

"Why were you in the garage?"

"Because someone sent me a message telling me to meet a source there."

"Who?"

She turned her head.

"That's what I was trying to figure out."

Raphael sat back.

"You walked into a trap."

"I noticed."

"Why didn't you contact me first?"

The question hurt more than she expected.

Nora looked at him.

"Because I wasn't sure whether you were part of it."

Silence filled the room.

Raphael did not raise his voice. He did not threaten her. But something in his face became very still.

"You believed I might have ordered your death?"

"I believed someone with access to your security had arranged an attack on me. I didn't know whether that person was acting alone."

"And you still came to me."

"Because I found something that could destroy your organization. Whatever else I thought, I needed you to see it."

He studied her for a long moment.

"That's either extraordinary loyalty or terrible judgment."

"Probably both."

The doctor entered before Raphael could respond. He checked Nora's pupils and reviewed her pain medication schedule.

"You were fortunate," he said. "Another few minutes without assistance, and the outcome could have been very different."

"How long until I can walk?"

"Not today."

"Tomorrow?"

"No."

"You're very discouraging."

"I'm a doctor, not a motivational speaker."

After he left, Raphael poured water into a cup and helped her drink through a straw.

Nora watched him.

"You don't have to do that."

"I know."

"Then why are you?"

He set the cup down.

"Because you need water."

The answer was so ordinary that it unsettled her.

For two years, Raphael had treated her with professional respect. He had never flirted with her or asked her to make exceptions for him. He had been demanding, occasionally impatient, and frighteningly perceptive.

But he had never been gentle.

Now he adjusted her pillow as if the movement required more care than handling millions of dollars.

Nora looked away.

"Did you examine the drive?"

"Not yet."

"Good."

"Why?"

"Because if it contains what I think it contains, opening it on a connected computer could alert whoever is monitoring the files."

Raphael's eyes narrowed.

"Monitoring them from where?"

"That's the problem. I don't know."

He rose and walked toward the window.

"Tell me what you found before the attack."

Nora hesitated.

Then she gave him the first piece of the truth.

"Someone has been transferring money from your legitimate businesses into companies that don't exist in any meaningful sense. The transfers are authorized using credentials assigned to your executive office."

Raphael turned.

"Mine?"

"Yes."

"That is impossible."

"No," Nora said quietly. "It's expensive. There's a difference."

He stared at her.