Page 33 of Heartbeat

“You mean it’s making you scared.” Jagger smirks.

“Fuck you!”

“Nah, fuck you! What the fuck do you want? You call me over here all panicked and shit, so I know it’s major.” Jagger finally takes a seat in a chair facing me. His face is creased in concern and I know that my friend really is worried.

We may talk to one another like enemies, but he really is one of my close friends.

“What can you tell me aboutthe ward?” I get straight to the point.

“Why are you asking me about that if you own the hospital?” Jagger asks slowly.

“Because nobody told me the fuck about it.” I drink more of my whisky trying my best to tamp down the anger.

“Well fuck,” Jagger responds. “I need to call Ains, she needs to be here for this.”

I didn’t know why Jagger needed his wife here, but she is a Bishops, maybe she could shed some light on this entire situation.

* * *

Once Ainslee got here, she not only shed light on the situation, she blew the fucking ceiling off. I married into the Bishops family who are one of the most prominent crime families on the island. In the states, we like to call them the mob.

Ainslee was able to tell me enough so I could catch her meaning without telling about the Bishops entire operation. She knew all of this becauseshewas next in line to run the family. Ainslee Hanlon was a fucking Mafia Queen. I was flabbergasted.

I ran from this shit my entire life. I refused to be involved in my family’s business because they were a bunch of criminals. They were old school Irish mob. Everything was starting to click into place. I had a feeling this was bigger than ownership of a hospital. It was way deeper than that.

Long after Jagger and Ainslee left the penthouse, I was still reeling from the information. I wasn’t a stupid man. I prided myself on being one of the smartest people in the room. Some called me conceited, I called it confident. I never faltered in my self-awareness. I never doubted myself.

However, the knowledge that I’d been kept in the dark about my own life, that I didn’t have the control I thought I did, it shook me to my soul. It made me waver. It made me feel… stupid.

I didn’t have time to wallow in self-pity for too long because my father was meeting me at the hospital. Although because of Ainslee, I knew that the Bishops were a crime family, my father could still tell me the real reason Raven and I had to be married.

There was always a reason, and I underestimated my father. Conrad Nash was a sneaky motherfucker, and I stupidly misjudged his inability to give up. I thought he’d let me go because I chose to be a doctor instead of going into the family business. I thought that I was safe from his machinations, but I have never been so wrong in my entire life.

I changed into a fresh pair jeans and a t-shirt. I didn’t bother with my hair and I was growing out my beard, so I didn’t have to shave. I stopped by one of the Bishops’ fast food places and got enough food for everyone. I may have been pissed at Raven, but she was still mine to take care of.

Once I arrived at the steel door, I hesitated. The two times I’d been inthe ward,someone else opened the doors. I placed my hand on the scanner, and it opened. How the hell they got my palm print was a fleeting thought when I walked into the waiting room and saw Cullen McGregor hugging my wife.

I could feel my entire body heat. I know my face was red as fuck! I don’t have any idea why the hell this motherfucker was here, but touching my gotdamned wife was a very big mistake.

I walked in slowly, and all eyes turned to me. But I wouldn’t act up and whoop the dog shit out of the son-of-a-bitch that was touching my wife. No. I would take my time and assess the scene. There were bigger things to deal with at the moment, but I would deal with Cullen McGregor when the time was right.

When Raven noticed I was in the room, she took a step back from McGregor. She took a step in my direction, but she hesitated. I know we had a fight, and I left like an asshole, but she knows better than to not come to me when she obviously needed my support.

I cocked my head to the side and raised an eyebrow. My question was clear. Who would she choose at this moment? Raven placed her hands on her stomach as if she were trying to calm her nerves before approaching me slowly. I smiled at her. Even if she hadn’t chosen me, I wouldn’t have gone anywhere. She’d figure that shit out sooner or later.

I held up the bag of food, “I brought something to eat.”

“Thanks, but there’s a chef in this part of the hospital.” Raven moved her neck from side to side. Something I noticed she did when she was stressed.

“Hmmm. I didn’t know that. No wonder your father needed money for this place. Seems like a lot of unnecessary expenses,” I responded with a grin, and Raven gave me a small smile.

I could tell she was still upset about me leaving, but I’d make it up to her. I promised her that I would always be her protector. Something that she never felt that she had growing up. So even if I had to protect her from myself, I would.

“Umm, nobody has eaten in a while, so they may be hungry.” Raven shifted her eyes to her family, who didn’t hide the fact that they were eavesdropping on our conversation.

“Alright. We need to talk after you eat something.” I sat the food down on a nearby table.

“I’m not hungry,” Raven responded looking away from me. She was hiding something, and I didn’t like it.

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