Page 41 of Forced Mafia Bride
“Cat, is the anesthesia ready?”
Anesthesia?
I winced and took the time to look around. The white walls and sterile stench should have registered. I was in a hospital, and there could only have been one reason why Ronan would have brought me here.
There was a silver-haired doctor and nurses in scrubs, moving about the room, picking up tools and checking the machines, preparing for a procedure. I hiccupped a sob, pulling on the ropes tied around my wrists. Battered and bruised, I could barely mutter an objection. But I tried, with the tears leaving burning trails down my cheeks.
The doctor, with the name tag “Dr. L. Keith,” came up to my side and pointed a flashlight into my eyes.
“No. Doc…please.” My breath faltered, and the words wouldn’t even come out. “Doc, I’m four months.”
“I understand, Miss Gallagher.” He tucked the flashlight into his pocket and began slacking the gloves on his fingers, looking anything but understanding. “But I don’t have a choicehere. Your brother has given specific instructions to remove the child.”
“God, no….”
No, this couldn’t be happening to me. It had to be a dream. It just had to be. I couldn’t lose this child. I hadn’t gone this far, put up with the inconveniences and strains, to end up losing my baby.
My breathing sped up, escaping in ragged puffs, and I shut my eyes when Doctor Keith asked the nurse to administer the injection.
I didn’t see the nurse, but I heard the scrambling sounds of objects on a tray and knew she’d picked the syringe. If she managed to get that needle under my skin, that would be the end. But while still conscious, I was determined that if I had to go down, I’d go down fighting.
So, I did the first thing that came to my mind.
I screamed.
Chapter 18 – Nikolai
I stared out the passenger window, the lights reflecting from the tall city buildings blurring together and creating flashing white rotating circles through the windshield as Anatoly navigated the streets. My mind raced with every possible scenario, but my eyes kept drifting back to Aiden’s message on my phone.
“Ronan took Rosalyn to Nova Clinic, 5th and Main. That’s all he says.” I re-read the text for the tenth time, searching for hidden meaning.
Why Nova Clinic? What would he take there? Even if there was the slightest possibility that she’d been sick and needed medical attention, I could bet two of my properties that Ronan would have left her to die. He’d just find another way to extort funding from Tristan—or better yet, some other asshole to extort from. Ronan always made sure he never fully ran out of options.
“How much longer?”
My patience wore thinner than a used-up thread. I didn’t understand it—the overwhelming feeling to get to her as soon as possible. Like an itch that would only stop after the antidote was applied. The maddening desire to set my eyes on her one more time. But the crazier part was that I was succumbing to it because I knew Rosalyn was the antidote.
“Ten minutes. I’m using shortcuts, so we’ll be there soon.” Anatoly answered. As always, his voice stayed steady as he floored the gas, pushing the needles past the speed limit.
I clenched my jaw, frustration simmering. Suspense should have made it to the first on the list of things I fucking hated. Aiden’s message had been cryptic, lacking any context. And I fucking needed to know the current status update. Was she injured, or was this some kind of twisted trap?
But Aiden was involved, and I wasn’t entirely sure how he’d done it or when it happened, but the younger man has earned my trust over the years—which was pretty fucking hard to do. Anatoly could attest to that.
My thoughts spiraled into darkness. Right from the start, the patterns had proven that the Gallaghers’ motives were never straightforward. There was definitely a reason for choosing Nova Clinic, and I needed to uncover it.
“Anatoly, do we have any connections at Nova Clinic?” I asked, and he met my question with an unreadable side glance.
“A few,” he replied, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror to check the cars following behind. “Dr. Petrov owes us a favor.”
“Get him on the line.”
“But we don’t know for sure what’s happening there at—”
“She’s at the fucking clinic. Aiden said Ronan tookherthere. Whatever it is, Rosalyn’s the one who needs attention,” was all I offered.
He nodded and plucked out his phone. As Anatoly dialed, I drummed my fingers on the armrest. Time was ticking.
“Dr. Petrov is off duty today. He has no idea what’s going on at the clinic,” Anatoly said once the call dropped. His dark gaze swept my face. “We’re almost there. We would—”