Page 52 of The Doctor's Promise
Noemi drew in a deep breath. “Then tell me when a good time would be, Leo. We need to talk.”
“No, I don’t think we do, Noe. There’s nothing to talk about. You’re pregnant and I’m alone. Once again, you win.”
That hurt. “Once again? What are you talking about? No one wins; this isn’t a game. I didn’t get pregnant to torment you, or to win a competition only you seem to be in.”
“Then how come you get the handsome billionaire, the ready-made family, the beautiful baby? I got squat. My child was taken from me, and there’s no one to comfort me.”
“You have us, your family, your—”
The line went dead, and Noemi sighed. Leo was hurting, she knew. Her sister wasn’t a spiteful person and didn’t normally feel sorry for herself, but maybe this time she was entitled to feel aggrieved.
“Not that we did anything wrong,” Noemi whispered, her hand splayed out over her belly. “But maybe Leo’s entitled to be angry for a while. That’s okay, we can take it, can’t we?”
She looked down at Bepi’s little head, resting against her thigh, his thumb stuck in his mouth as he slept. He might not be my son, she thought as she stroked his curls, but I would die for this little tyke. She glanced at the clock. Almost eight p.m. The house was silent, peaceful. Noemi knew she should really put Bepi to bed, but it was so comfortable here on the couch, and Bepi and her dog were sleeping so soundly…
Noemi closed her eyes and let sleep come. She woke, confused a couple of hours later when Rafa’s head of security came to find her, pale-faced and shaken, to tell her there had been an explosion at Rafa’s office.
23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Hysteria was near as she ran through the hospital, Bepi in her arms. It was only when she saw Kit, obviously sent to find her, that she relaxed. Kit was holding his hands up, calming her, a smile on his face. “He’s okay; he’s fine. We’re just checking him out.”
Noemi didn’t know what to say as she followed Kit to the ER. When she saw Rafa, she gave a cry of distress, and shielded Bepi. Rafa shook his head, smiling ruefully. Blood streaked down his face from a cut on his forehead. “Looks worse than it is, babe. They’re just going to clean it up.”
Noemi nodded and took Bepi from the room until they told her Rafa was ready. She walked back in, and Rafa kissed her.
“I’m really okay,” he said in a low voice, leaning the unhurt part of his forehead against hers. “Thankfully, I was the only one left in the office.”
“What happened?”
Rafa shook his head. “I couldn’t tell you. One minute I’m walking to the copy machine, the next I’m flying through the air. They think it was a device in my office.”
Noemi’s body went ice cold. “A bomb?”
“We don’t know, but it looks like something like that, yeah.”
“Oh, God, Rafa… Rafa…” She sank down on the gurney next to him. Rafa took Bepi from her arms.
“Noe, breathe.”
“Why are you so calm? Someone tried to k—” Noemi clamped her mouth shut, mindful of Bepi’s presence, but she couldn’t help the tears rolling down her face. “Why?”
Rafa cut his eyes to his son, and she nodded. Later. She found she couldn’t stop trembling. His face—his beautiful face—was covered in cuts and bruises, his left hand bandaged now.
They heard voices from the hallway, and his parents came into the room, both pale and scared. Rafa reassured them that he was fine. “Look, let’s get out of here and we’ll talk about it at home.”
Back at the mansion,they put Bepi to bed and settled in the living room. Rafa looked exhausted, but Noemi knew he wanted to reassure them. “Look, any business has enemies.”
Stefano made a noise. “Enemies, yes, but this is a little more than that, son.”
“Look, if whoever it was really wanted me dead, I’d be dead. I think this was just a warning.”
“Yes, but from whom?” His mother looked on the edge of tears.
“I don’t know, Mom. Look, the police, the FBI, they’re all looking into it. I suspect over the next few days I’ll be talking a lot to them. The office is uninhabitable, so I’ll work from home and you know there’s plenty of security here.”
“Keep Bepi home from school for a few days.”
