Page 50 of Doctor Grump

I cocked an eyebrow at him. I wouldn’t have said that the mayor was corrupt or anything, but he always struck me as the kind of guy to use whatever he had in his arsenal to get whatever he wanted. And with his flashy car and designer suits, he didn’t seem shy about flaunting the fact that he was crazy wealthy either.

Santiago smirked. “Yeah, I know how I seem. But believe it or not, I didn’t always have money.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. In fact, I grew up dirt poor on the streets of Brooklyn. Mom was an addict, and I never met my father. I only started making serious money after I got out of the Marines, and Vinny and I went into business together. I worked my ass off for every dime I got, so of course, I’m going to show it off. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know there is some unfair shit in this world.”

“Huh,” I said, having a whole newfound, albeit begrudging, respect for the man.

I guessed I could understand why Piper and Monty liked the guy. He wasn’t so bad in the grand scheme of things.

“Which brings me to the second reason I’m here.” Santiago leaned forward in his chair. “That foundation of yours. You need more donors, correct?”

My ringing phone interrupted any further conversation, and I glanced down at the caller ID. It was Piper, so I answered immediately.

“Hey, Piper, what’s going on?”

“It’s my dad.” Her voice sounded frantic. “He’s in the hospital. They say he had an accident, and he’s in critical condition. Oh God, Ian, I don’t want to do it.”

“Stay calm. Where are you?”

“I’m on my way to the hospital,” she mumbled.

“Okay, I’ll meet you there.” I was already up and heading for the door, forgetting entirely about Santiago before I belatedly turned around. “We’ll talk about it later. Piper needs me.”

He nodded, and I left, focusing on getting to my woman as fast as possible.

When I got to the ER, I immediately spotted Piper. She was standing next to two women who I guessed were members of her family. The older woman was weeping on the other woman’s shoulder while Piper paced.

“Piper.” I approached them without hesitation,

Her mother looked up at me, and her tear-stricken face immediately wrinkled in anger. “You! What are you doing here?”

I ignored her, keeping my eyes on Piper. “How are you?”

Piper shook her head. I could see the stress on her face, but she said, “I’m fine.”

I pulled her into my arms and immediately felt her stiffen. I knew why. She was hyperaware of her mother standing there, watching us.

“Relax,” I ordered.

“You have some nerve coming here,” her mother snapped.

“I do have all the nerve in the world when it comes to my fiancée,” I replied.

“You didn’t have to bring your boyfriend, Piper,” the woman who must be her sister muttered, looking displeased.

“Guys? Can we please not do this right now?” Piper pleaded.

“Your father has been in an accident,” her mother said. “This man should not be here. This man and his lawyer have been making your father’s life a living hell with the will.”

“This man is the man who’s going to marry your daughter. I suggest you get used to it.”

“Over my dead body. My daughter doesn’t know what she’s doing right now. She’s always been naive, but I’m sure she’ll see the light soon enough once you're done using her.”

That was pretty rich, coming from the people who have used her for her entire life.

“That’s enough,” Piper finally spoke loudly, drawing some attention from other people in the room. She turned to her mother. “I can’t believe Dad is dying in there, and you guys are still doing this. Have you not had enough? I’m sick of it. I’m in charge of my life, and I’ll do whatever I want. I love you, Mom, but I’m not a little girl anymore. I will pick who I’m with, and you can be mad at me for it if you like, but please, not here.”

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