Chapter Six

Raffaele dashed after Annabel heading directly towards Pinky's room. Pinky was laying there, facing the ceiling when they walked in. For what was going on, the news came in suddenly.

Raffaele was the first to reach her bedside, his intense gaze scanning Pinky's pale face as if making sure she was really alive. The monitors pulsed steadily beside the bed where Pinky lay, her chest rising and falling in a peaceful rhythm.

Annabel approached her with relief in her face. Maybe the crazy Don wo

uld actually consider letting her go back to her normal life now if Pinky recovers this fast.

“How are you feeling?” Annabel asked softly.

Pinky's eyes fluttered open, clouded with confusion as she tried to focus. “I… I feel… heavy, like… I'm underwater,” she murmured, her voice barely audible.

“That's normal after the surgery performed on you. You're still fragile, but you're stable. You definitely will be fine.” Annabel assured, rubbing her hand gently with small smile.

“Do you remember what happened, Pinky?” Raffaele suddenly spoke up, making her turn to look at him. “Your condition suddenly got worse, we suspected you might have been poisoned by someone.”

“You worry too much, big bro.” Pinky has a weak smile. “Nothing happened, it was just my condition worsening.”

“How can you tell me not to worry, Pinky. You're the only one left and you're trying to push this away as it's just your condition worsening?” Raffaele snapped but he was instantly stopped by Annabel who pointed at him, giving him a warning look.

“You should speak to her gently. And if you had a doubt, you should be asking me, her doctor, not her directly since it was probably in her body.” Annabel said, examining Pinky before patting her hands gently. “Get some rest. I'll talk to him.”

Rafaelle and Annabel walked out of the room, Pinky had closed her eyes, her body still weak despite being awake.

“If you had any questions about her being poisoned. You could have told me beforehand, we’d have run some blood work for her and figured out if there was any foreign substance in her blood.” Annabel shot at him.

He hadn’t even seen it coming, apart from her efficiency as a doctor. This woman definitely had an issue with how she didn’t understand the power dynamics between them both.

“First of all, we don’t need her blood taken for any tests, second of all. You will not tell me how to handle my own suspicions. I brought you here to do one thing and that is to save Pinky, a good doctor would have run the test as a part of their own medical investigation.” Rafaelle replied.

“That’s what you won’t do right there, you can kidnap me, keep me hostage, Get me shot at and I’ll take it with a pinch of salt but what you won’t do is downplay my expertise as a world renowned surgeon. I have worked tirelessly day and night to achieve my name being written in the big leagues so I won’t take that.” Annabel stormed off to her room.

She left Rafaelle standing there, bewildered by how she spoke to him.

In her room, she thought about it. “Was it possible that the aggressiveness of her heart condition was caused by a poisonous substance?”

“There’s a possibility and that means I should make some checks but we need a laboratory.” She muttered.

There was a knock on her door.

“Yeah?”

The door opened and it was Rafaelle, he closed the door behind him.

He moved to speak but before he could get any words out.

“Are you here to berate me again? Because…”

He cut her off.

“Do you know who I am? I am Rafaelle Graviano, popularly known as L’Assassino degli Uomini, Il Creatore di Vedo, for you who does not understand Italian, that means I’m the Killer of men, maker of widows. I’m feared and revered by men and women and you dare defy and question me in my own home. I think you’re a prolific doctor but you could become a prolific dead doctor as well.” He said, staring her in the face.

She couldn’t say anything, the entire room was filled with tension and she knew she should have run away when she had the chance.

“Now...” He said

She gulped.

“I do not appreciate you pushing past your boundaries here. Remember what you’re here to do, I may try my best to make you comfortable because you are Pinky’s doctor at the moment. Do not forget you’re also here until she’s well and strong, this is my city and my word is not up for debate. Capisce?”

The commanding tone in his voice and the way his eyes burned told her this was not up for debate.

“Understood.” Annabel replied.

“Good. You will conduct the blood test to rule out poisoning, make sure that Pinky’s care is paramount and as for your gunshot wound, you’re a renowned surgeon. I’m sure you’ve had cuts and bruises before. Speak to Luca about getting the blood to a laboratory and other details.”

He walked out of the room.

“Annabel! Annabel!! Your smart mouth would be the end of you. You’re in a different country, in the house of the most dangerous Mafia boss, you can’t keep acting out. You need to either find a way to escape or you make sure his sister gets well and hope he lets you go in one piece.” Annabel whispered to herself.

She went into the bathroom in the room, removing the bandage on her gunshot wound. Her arm throbbed and she held herself from screaming.

She winced as she took a look at the damage, it had been a through and through shot, which means the bullet wasn’t lodged in her body and had passed through. It was also just a flesh wound, it hadn’t gone through any bone, or arteries.

She was lucky.

She cleaned the wound, wincing throughout, she dressed it with a fresh bandage and then she took some antibiotics.

She needed rest, but first, she needed to speak to Luca. She left the room in search of Luca.

She felt a bit dizzy, probably just the result of not yet getting enough rest. She stood still for a moment, trying to get herself.

She looked down the hallway and saw Rafaelle reading something on his tab, with a cup of coffee in his hand.

How was he so stable? There was a shootout just hours ago in his own space, she had been shot and she was sure other people had gotten wounded.

Yet he stood there like it was just a regular moment. She guessed he had seen and even done worse.

As she made to move again, she felt the entire hallway spin around, her legs buckled and everything went bla

ck.

The last thing she heard before she blacked out was, “Gesu Cristo, Annabel!”