Page 1 of Lies like Rubies, Part One

1

SOFIA

I pickedup Lizzie and dashed through the hallway of the pediatrician’s office, frantically searching for a place to hide. Terror made my movements jerky as I slid along the tiled corridors in my kitten heels. I’d spied Sergio’s dark curls through the receptionist’s window and took off like a frightened rabbit before the nurse could guide us to an examination room. At four years old, Lizzie was almost too big to run with, but the surge of adrenaline lent me the strength to carry her through the maze of hallways.

Now, I needed a place to take refuge—an empty room without windows and a lock on the door. Lizzie whimpered as I clutched her tight. I shushed her, wrapping her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck. I couldn’t let my ex catch us.

“Sweetheart, I need you to be quiet for a few minutes, okay?” I whispered as I tried opening random door handles along the hallway, hoping I didn’t interrupt any other patients. Fear guided my actions rather than cold reason.

When one handle gave way, I slipped into the empty office with a sigh of relief. I noted the desk, framed academic degrees on the wall, and medical reference books on the shelves. Not an examination room, thank goodness. The door slid shut with a quiet snick, and I turned the latch, locking it as my heart pounded with terror.

I leaned against the wall and cupped the back of Lizzie’s head, holding her cheek against my shoulder, praying she would stay quiet long enough for Sergio to tire of searching. How had he known we were here?

Footsteps sounded outside, and the door handle shook. Lizzie squirmed in my arms, but I didn’t dare move from my place against the wall, terrified Sergio would hear me and realize the office wasn’t empty. I shushed my daughter quietly as I rubbed my hand over her back, trying to comfort her. I knew she could feel my heart pounding.

“That’s Doctor Lombardi’s office,” a woman said from the hallway, her voice shaking in fear.

“Open it,” Sergio said, his voice hard and cruel.

I shivered and shook against the wall, dread pooling in my stomach.

“I can’t. I don’t have the key,” the woman protested. Relief coursed through me.

A door on the other side of the room opened, revealing a very surprised man in a white coat. He was handsome—devastatingly so—with dirty blond hair cut long on top and short on the sides, mossy green eyes a woman could drown in, and sharp cheekbones. His eyes flicked to mine, noting Lizzie in my arms. We’d met before, although I couldn’t quite place him. I filed the thought away for a moment when I wasn’t terrified my kid’s father would snatch her away from me.

Sergio slammed his fist on the door. “Open up!”

I met the doctor’s eyes and shook my head, petrified he’d open the door and expose us.

The doctor tilted his head, examining me, thinking, then frowning. He opened the door behind him and gestured for me to enter the room he’d come from—a bathroom. My stomach sank. I’d be trapped if Sergio came into the office, but I didn’t see an alternative as he became increasingly belligerent, banging on the outer door. My arms brushed against the doctor’s torso as I carried Lizzie into the small room. Electricity sparked along my skin where we touched.

When my eyes shot to his, he placed a finger on his lips, then quietly shut the door behind me. I leaned against the counter as Lizzie gripped my hair with her tiny little fingers. She was scared because I was scared, and she didn’t understand why. I had to get a grip on my terror for her sake.

“Can I help you?” the doctor asked as he opened the door to his office, his voice muffled by the door between us.

“Where is she?” Sergio snapped.

“Where is who?” the doctor snapped back. “This is a pediatrician’s office. Why are you threatening my staff?”

He didn’t threaten to call the police. This particular pediatrician’s office came highly recommended by the Italian-American wives my mother hosted every Wednesday for lunch. He’d call in the mob before he called in the police.

Shit.

I didn’t want the doctor to call the mob, either. The last thing I needed was for Papà to find out Sergio was back in town and wouldn’t leave Lizzie alone. I was so close to graduation, so close to independence. Papà’d lock me down tight again, and I’d never get out of that house. Worse, he might marry me off to Sergio in the name of reuniting our fucked up little family.

Shit.

Lizzie wiggled in my arms, picking up on my stress. She whimpered, and I shushed her gently, stroking her back as her agitation increased.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Just a few more minutes,” I whispered. If Sergio heard her, he wouldn’t give up until he had us.

Finally, the room quieted. Footsteps thudded heavily on the floor outside of the bathroom. I cowered when the door snicked open, praying it was the doctor, not Sergio.

The doctor looked me up and down, with mossy green eyes that crinkled with sympathy, then he held out his hand to help me stand.

When he turned his attention to Lizzie, I sighed, grateful for the opportunity to gather my thoughts, control my haggard breathing, and calm myself before having a conversation.

“You okay, sweetheart? That was pretty scary, huh?” he asked Lizzie. “Do you mind if I take a look at you while you’re here?”

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