Page 24 of Unforgivable Ties

“And you’d have more work,” I added. “You’ve been trying to cut down on that, right?”

“I’d just teach Stephanie how to do it. She’s very capable—I’ve taught her things people halfway through their residency are learning.”

“You will mention nothing about the organs to Stephanie,” I said firmly.

He waved his hand at me. “Go get shot again and find another med student for me, then. This time, one you’re not soft for.”

“I am not soft for—” I started, but a nondescript black van pulled into our loading zone. “They’re here.”

We fell silent, directing our gaze towards the vehicle. Two men dressed in identical black suits opened the doors and made their way towards us. After confirming a code phrase with them, I helped them load the refrigerated boxes in the back of their truck. When we were finished, they’d give us a briefcase full of cash and be on their way. There was never any small talk between us and the van drivers; they came, took our shipments and left without uttering a word.

As the van disappeared down the road, Cesare turned to me, lighting up a cigar. “They’re always easy to do business with.”

“Uh huh,” I said, glancing at my watch. “It looks like Stephanie should be off.”

“Not soft for her, huh?” he commented, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

I glared at Cesare before walking out of the loading docks. I made my way through the harshly lit hallways to our medical suite, the one place that stuck out in this warehouse. It was spotless and sterile, nothing like the grungy exterior that housed it.

As I approached the door, I heard a man laughing. What? Men who worked for us weren’t prone to laughter—they grumbled, spat curses, and glared. Except for one man.

I shoved the door open, and sure enough, Dino Barbato stood in the examination room. Or was is Dino Barboso? I could never remember. The two Dino’s that worked for us had near identical last names.

I felt a surge of jealousy at how close in proximity they were to each other, and how Stephanie was laughing at something he had just said. Stephanie never laughed at anything I said. Granted, I wasn’t exactly a funny guy, but I wanted her to laugh for me. It sounded like music—a light, airy symphony that danced on the wind of this otherwise grim world we inhabited.

“Dino,” I said sternly.

“Hey Vincenzo,” he said, stepping away from Stephanie. Dino could talk up a storm, but he knew I hated that shit. “I’ll leave you two alone, then.”

“Bye, Tall Dino!” Stephanie said, and he responded with his own goodbyes.

Tall Dino?She already had a nickname for him? The flame of jealousy I had burned even brighter, and I clenched my fists at my sides.

“Tall Dino?” I asked, not able to keep my thoughts to myself.

She shrugged. “Apparently there are two Dino’s. He said I could call him Tall Dino.”

I watched her strip off her medical gloves and toss them into the bin before turning back to me, a soft smile lighting up her face.

“Why? Do you want a nickname, too?” she teased.

“Tch. Obviously not,” I responded, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Hm, how about Vin? Or do you like Zo better?” Stephanie asked, ignoring my response.

“Neither,” I responded gruffly, unwilling to indulge her playful banter.

I was secretly pleased that she was offering. However, I kept my face stoic, maintaining the hard exterior that had become my trademark.

“Perhaps just ‘scary mafia man?’” she said, giving me a devilish grin.

“Address me as such and you’ll be the one in need of your own medical services,” I replied, a hint of mischief dancing in my otherwise stern gaze.

“Hey!” she said, her lips curling into a cute little pout.

Cute?Ugh.

The two of us sat in a comfortable silence on the way back to my apartment. Stephanie’s fingers furiously tapped at her phone screen as she responded to emails she missed while at work, her brows furrowed in concentration.

---