Page 34 of Corrupted Empire

“What the hell happened?” Gabriel snaps. “Angelo says Harry swallowed some loose change?”

“A penny,” I correct. “Just one.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s fine. John looked him over.”

“How did he get ahold of a penny?” Gabriel asks, as though he has never seen loose change before. I suppose he probably doesn’t bother with it.

“I had some change in my jeans,” I start to explain. “When I—”

Gabriel cuts me off in a harsh voice. “I want to see him tomorrow. I will send a car in the morning.”

My heart thuds to a halt. Silence hangs between us, and Clara bobs into my line of sight. I shoo her away and turn around.

“I think Harry would really like that,” I say. “But you do know that where he goes, I go.”

“Yes,” Gabriel replies curtly. “I’m aware.”

And then he hangs up.

I bring the phone away from my face and stare at it disbelievingly. Clara comes over and eyes me, unsure whether my open-mouthed expression is due to a good kind of shock or a bad kind of shock. Truth be told, I’m not sure either.

“What is it?” she asks.

“I’m going to see Gabriel tomorrow,” I reply. “He wants to see Harry.”

Clara rolls her eyes and sighs. “Oh brother.”

13

Alexis

My heart races the entire drive to the mansion. I try circular breathing, calming mantras, and distractions, but it still pounds against the back of my ribs like a jackhammer. I feel like I’m going to throw up. I check the envelope in my purse again, as though it might have gone somewhere since I left the apartment. It’s still there.

I don’t know why I’ve bothered. He’s not going to talk to me. Or if he does, I doubt it will be friendly. I don’t know what to expect, and I think that’s what’s killing me most of all. Gabriel might be cold and dismissive. He might pretend I don’t exist entirely. I’m not sure which would be the worst-case scenario.

When we pull through the front gates and start meandering up the long drive, my heart kicks into overdrive. I take in the familiar scenery as we crawl toward the house, noting that the trees lining the drive, which were leafy and green in the summer months, are now dull and barren. A low morning mist floats above the rolling lawn, and the dark gray clouds hanging overhead complete the unwelcoming scene.

The house rises ahead, breathtaking as always. A suited figure stands under the columned portico, and my breath catches. I soon realize the man is much too small to be Gabriel, however, and when we come to a stop, I see it is Silvano Gambaro.

The driver, David, gets out and opens the door for me, and I unclip Harry from his car seat and step out into the chilly air. Silvano walks over to greet me.

“Welcome back,” he says. “Gabriel wanted a doctor to examine Harry. He’s waiting just inside.”

It is unclear whether Silvano means that Gabriel is waiting inside or the doctor, but when I enter the marbled foyer, I am disappointed to see it is the latter. The doctor is a tall, thin man with thick square glasses. When he lifts his arm to shake my hand, his sleeve pulls back a little to expose black ink running up his arms.

“I’m Dr. Green,” he says.

I adjust my grip on Harry to shake his hand, wondering if that is his real name. “Alexis,” I reply. “And this is the patient, Harry.”

I peer around the room, but there’s no trace of Gabriel anywhere. The anticipation is killing me.

Dr. Green grins warmly at Harry. “Ah yes, the little troublemaker. Let’s go get him checked out.”

Silvano leads us out of the foyer and toward the dining room, which has been transformed into a makeshift examination area, with various instruments laid out on the sideboard, and the grand table moved aside for an examination table instead.

I hover close by as Dr. Green performs many of the same checks that John did yesterday, as well as a few he didn’t. He is surprisingly warm throughout the whole process and manages to keep Harry calm. I keep an eye on the doorway, wondering when Gabriel will show up.

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