Page 59 of Third Comes Vengeance

Apart from that. Thankfully they’re getting along now.

Lorenzo scratches the side of his face. “Well, there was a Halloween incident that involved a mask and a chainsaw…”

Salvatore grins. “But we don’t talk about that.”

On Thursday afternoon, I drive with Cassius to my appointment, and he holds my hand most of the way and hums in a deep baritone. Lorenzo follows in his car, and Salvatore and Vinicius meet us in the parking lot.

The obstetrician’s office is in a leafy, wealthy neighborhood in Salvatore’s territory. I surreptitiously glance at the other pregnant women in the waiting room, wondering how many weeks along they are. They gape openly at my four men, three of them in suits and one of them in tight jeans and an even tighter T-shirt that leaves none of his muscles to the imagination.

I can’t help a small smile of pride. My men are smoking hot.

I haven’t been in public for so long that I forgot how strange we must look to other people. When I accept a paper cup of water from Cassius and kiss him, then take Vinicius’ hand, people’s eyes grow even wider. Lorenzo gets up and stands in front of me, shoving his hands into his pockets and glaring around the room. Everyone looks quickly back down at their magazines.

“Chiara?” calls a man who just appeared in the doorway at the far end of the room. He’s tall and skinny with haphazardly curly hair and is wearing a doctor’s coat.

I get to my feet and so do all my men. As we walk en masse toward the obstetrician, he pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose and frowns in confusion.

“Ah, who’s the father?”

The four men glance at each other, amusement and pride glimmering around their lips. Cassius smooths his tie. “All of us.”

“Can we all come in with Chiara?” Vinicius asks.

The obstetrician’s eyebrows creep up his forehead. He glances at Salvatore, realizes who these men are who are accompanying the formidable son of Francesco Fiore, and quickly covers his astonishment.

“Of course. Just wait here a moment. Let me get Chiara settled into an appropriate room and then I’ll come back for you all.”

I smile up at the doctor as he leads me down the corridor. “Sorry, I thought Salvatore had explained. Thank you so much for accommodating us all.”

“Of course. Just in here.” He opens the door of a consulting room, and in a brusque and efficient voice, says, “This one should be roomy enough. I’ll have a nurse take some blood to confirm the pregnancy and then I’ll do an examination. Take off your clothes on your lower half, and then hop up onto this table. I’ll be back in a few minutes with the, ah, fathers.” He gives me an awkward smile and pulls the curtain closed around the bed. A moment later I hear the door close behind him.

I laugh to myself as I take off my jeans and underwear, imagining the obstetrician trying to get one father’s name, any name, for his forms, while they insist that he put all four of them. The vinyl padded table is cold and covered in scratchy paper, but there’s a blanket, and once I’m undressed I drape it over myself to keep warm.

The door opens and closes and I presume it’s the nurse coming to take my blood. Someone just visible beyond the curtain reaches up to open it.

“I wasn’t sure which arm is better. I know I have a good vein in the left…” My mouth goes dry as the curtain is pulled back and I realize the man dressed in a white coat isn’t my obstetrician. He isn’t a nurse, either.

His narrowed, hate-filled eyes sweep over me. He seems to like the fact that I’m half-naked and alone with just a blanket to protect me.

Cornered.

Without so much as a hairpin to use as a weapon.

His mouth draws into a nasty smirk. “Hello, Chiara. What a happy day this is. Congratulations to you and the fathers.”

14

Lorenzo

“Where’s that fucking doctor?”

“Trying to find a room big enough for us all,” Salvatore says, refilling his paper cup of water from the cooler.

“It’s not hard,” I mutter. “We’ll make ourselves fit.”

Vinicius grins. “Did you see his face when he realized we’re all the father? You think he would have come across something like this before.”

Salvatore laughs. “Here? This is the most uptight part of Coldlake. Not being married when you’re pregnant is enough to raise eyebrows.”

---