Lady Night

Chapter seven

I didn't run into another member of the Russo family all week. Part of me was expecting to see Gio's brother again and that same dark feeling of fear settled in my stomach every time I thought I saw him.

Lane, Darius, and I fell into a good rhythm behind the bar. It was almost easy enough to forget that I was working in a building owned and ran by people who hated my boss. Elysium was like every other club, drunk people danced, music played too loud, and lights flashed bright and fast enough that it made me dizzy sometimes.

The difference now being that instead of taking the bus and walking back to my apartment, all I had to do was go upstairs. One day maybe I would admit to Gio that I was grateful for it, but not yet. Not until he knew he couldn't make life changing decisions like that for people.

Since I hadn't spoken to Gio since our last phone call, I hadn't had the chance to ask him exactly what he planned to do in order to convince his brother of our attachment. Though, I had a couple of suggestions if he was open to them. And not the kind of suggestions I could make in front of the employees that I manage.

Lane probably wouldn't mind. She drooled over Gio enough for the both of us. It was interesting to watch: Darius drooling over Lane, Lane drooling over Gio, and Gio seeming fully composed at every moment.

When Thursday night came, I didn't need to look for Gio throughout the club. Whenever he was here, I could feel it. Feel his gaze. Feel his energy. It was stifling sometimes.

But I wasn't feeling it yet, so I knew that he wasn't in the club. At least I was able to focus until he finally arrived for our "meeting." That is, until my phone started ringing. When I checked it, I didn't recognize the phone number so I slid it back into my pocket.

I worked side by side with Darius making drinks and sending Lane out to take shots into the dance floor. Then my phone rang again, figuring it was a spam caller, I ignored it again.

Made more drinks. Another call.

This time, I told Darius to hold the bar down and stepped out into the hallway where it was a little quieter.

"Hello?" I said, already irritated to be pulled away from a busy night at the bar.

"Uh is this Sabina?"

I narrowed my brows at the male voice. He sounded vaguely familiar, so I figured it wasn't a spam call.

"Yeah, how can I help you?"

"Oh good," the stranger sighed deeply, "it's Brandon. I'm calling about Audrey."

Brandon?

Oh. Audrey's new boyfriend. What the hell was he doing calling me?

"What about her?" I prodded, growing more and more irritated. If he tried to complain about something stupid I was going to be so pissed that he pulled me away-

"She's in the hospital."

God damn it.

***

"What the hell," I demanded of my sister almost an hour later as I sat on the edge of her hospital bed. "You haven't been taking your insulin?!"

She rolled her eyes, looking pale and sweaty as she sat up in bed. "I've been taking it. I just had to wait a little longer after my paycheck to get my refill-"

"What?!" I gaped. "Do you need money? Why wouldn't you ask?"

My throat constricted and my heart felt like it was pounding on the outside of my body. How could this happen? Why wouldn't she tell me?

Audrey was born diabetic and when we were kids, getting insulin was never a guarantee. And it terrified me. Something so small and inconsequential for other people was so expensive and lifesaving for her. When we were young, it was always what I thought about-how I could afford it and if I couldn't, monitoring her symptoms for long enough until I could afford to get it.

And now we were going to have to figure out how to pay for this stint in the hospital. I felt like I was a kid again.

"I don't need money. This paycheck was thinner than the other ones. I had to help one of my students out."

I didn't even bother asking for more of an explanation. So typical of her to sacrifice and sacrifice for her students at the detriment to her own health.

"You should've told me, Aud. I would've helped you."

"I know but-"

My phone vibrated loudly on the table. I silenced it without even bothering to pick it up and see who was trying to call me. Darius was taking care of the bar and I knew he didn't need me. Lane would help him cover and-

My phone vibrated again. This time, Audrey picked the phone up and answered it before I was able to berate her any longer.

"Yes, this is Miss Night," Audrey said and winked at me. s**t. There's only one person who would've said that. I reached for the phone, trying to snatch it from her but she elbowed me out of the way. "Sorry, no. Not currently at Elysium right now."

"Audrey!" I hissed, reaching again for the phone. "That's my boss!"

She rolled her eyes, giggling. Ugh. Glad to see she was feeling like herself again, but did she have to torment me? She handed the phone back to me and I excused myself into the hallway, giving her my strongest glare.

I took a deep breath and, "Gio?"

"Miss Night," came that chilling deep voice, "it is Thursday, is it not?"

"Um. Yes, it is."

"And we agreed to meet on Thursday, did we not?"

"Yes, we did but-"

"You decided that you had other plans though, it seems."

"No, I-"

"Some forewarning before cancelling would be ideal next time, Miss Night. If you changed your mind then-"

"I'm at the hospital," I interjected, "I did not change my mind. I will be back to work tomorrow. It was an emergency."

Silence on the other end of the line. I checked the phone to make sure we were still connected, and we were.

"Gio?"

More silence.

"Which hospital?" he asked.

"St. Mary's. It's downtown by the-"

"I know where it is. I'll be there in twenty minutes," his tone was brusque, all business.

But then, after a moment, "are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. It's not me. You don't need to come here. Can we reschedule our meeting tomorrow?"

"I'll be there in fifteen."

And then he clicked off.

How the hell was I going to explain to my sister why my boss— and also the lawyer for the Russo Crime Family- was coming to the hospital?

Why the hell was he coming to the hospital anyways?

Fourteen minutes later, on the dot, Giovanni Russo was standing in the hospital room and sucking all of the air out of it with his entire presence. My sister was gaping at him, and honestly I couldn't blame her. First of all, most people don't wear three piece suits to the hospital. Second of all, Giovanni Russo was just the kind of guy you gape at regardless of the circumstances.

He fixed his gaze on me after introducing himself to my sister who, once she was done gaping at him, was staring at me.

I think she was mouthing the words 'oh my god when Gio excused himself to speak to the nurse.

My stern glare back at her quieted my sister enough so that she snickered and laid back against her pillows. When he finished his conversation with the nurse, he turned back to us and I was actively trying to swat at my sister to stop her from making suggestive looks with her face.

Gio arched a brow. "The nurse proposed a treatment plan and suggested an implant device to help regulate your insulin-take. Are you interested?"

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly feeling very dry. A lot of people with diabetes used those implants because it was easier to make sure that the levels stayed even. Working at a club, however, didn't provide me with good insurance. Audrey just started a new job and she could barely afford to pay her rent with the teaching money much less a high insurance deductible.

"We've thought about it-" I started to say but Audrey interrupted.

"I can't afford it yet. Plus, this is the first time in

"Four and a half years," I interjected. Audrey glanced at me, her expression softening.

"Even if you could afford it, Bina, I wouldn't let you."

I groaned, running my fingers through my hair and trying to resist the urge to pull it out at the roots. Gio's eyes narrowed in on my face and then glanced back to my sister.

"If costs weren't an issue then would you want to go through with the procedure?"

Oh s**t. No no no no. I knew where he was going with this and there was absolutely no way that I was going to let him-

"Of course I would, but unfortunately... money is an issue."

"Gio," I began, a warning tone in my voice, "we don't need you to-"

"I will make the necessary arrangements," he said.

And that was that.