Till Death Saves Me (Forced Mafia Marriages)

Sam

SAM

“Ugh. This is the worst one yet.”

The sign for Beacon Hills Animal Hospital lights up the dark parking lot like a fluorescent beam that NASA can probably see from space. My receptionist, Kat, insists on putting outrageous puns on the sign, and every week, she gets overly excited to change it. This week it reads, Cat Puns Freak Meowt. Seriously, I’m not Kitten.

Since tomorrow is Saturday, I’m sure I’ll come in to see a new one. However, every ridiculously stupid line she puts up there gives our patient’s owners something to talk about. Most of them love it.

A few clients have actually said that the reason they called or stopped in to find out if we were accepting new patients was because of those lines. Last week on Wednesday, we got three new clients who loved her sign. I believe it was, Every day is Hump Day. Spay and Neuter!

I let Kat have her fun. She’s been an asset since I opened this place a few weeks ago. Business is already booming, and I’m completely overwhelmed with the sheer amount of work in front of me when I head inside. It was my father, Alfonso, underboss to Don Giovanni, who suggested putting an ad in the paper that Beacon Hills Animal Hospital was looking to hire another veterinarian.

Now I’ve got twenty-seven applications in front of me, and I’ve interviewed fifteen so far. No one seems to have what I’m looking for.

“?”

Kat pokes her blonde head into my office. The smell of her floral perfume wafts in here like a geranium cloud. I look up from the stack of paperwork I’m sorting through, exhausted and fed-up.

“What?”

“Your next interview is here.”

“Jesus Christ. I said no more,” I snap.

Kat shrugs, completely unperturbed by my tone. She’s been a good friend of mine since we were kids. As soon as she heard the Don wanted me to open up an animal shelter as a cover for illegal Cappalletti activities, she asked if I would need a receptionist.

She’s married to one of our made men, and the two of them have been in this life for years. I couldn’t have said yes fast enough. It just makes everything easier.

In the month we’ve been open, we’ve already layered almost two million dollars and one of our men was shot. I ended up having to surgically remove a bullet from someone’s thigh on a Thursday night after being in and out of surgery on cats and dogs all day.

“You said no more after this woman was already scheduled. And I’m not sending her away. So interview her and then you can be all done.”

I run a hand through my hair, completely annoyed. “Fine.”

Kat gives me a smile, and I lean down to pet Rip’s head. My massive Great Dane lays quietly by my side. He doesn’t even raise his head when men and women walk in and out of my office for their interviews. If I’m busy, he hangs out behind the counter with Kat. He’s one of the best dogs I’ve ever owned.

A moment later, a young woman walks through my door, clutching a folder tightly to her chest. The first thing I notice about her isn’t how attractive she is. No, that’s the second thing. The first is how well put together she is.

She’s a Black woman, wearing a tight green dress that’s suitable for both an interview and a night on the town. Her long, curly black hair comes down all the way to her perfectly round ass. She has light chocolate skin, and large brown eyes that sit underneath long lashes. She’s absolutely stunning.

And she’s probably a total waste of my time.

“I like your dog.”

She kneels down and coaxes Rip over. My giant traitor of a dog grunts as he leaves my side and waddles over to her. She looks up at me while she rubs his belly.

“He’s one big dog. What’s his name?”

“Rip.”

“Rip,” she repeats, as if she’s testing the name out. “How old is he?”

“Two.”

“Two. He’s got to weigh over two hundred pounds.”

I stare at her in surprise. “Are you here for the DVM position?”

A huge smile flashes across her face. “I am, yes, sorry. I guess this is unprofessional. Should I ignore the giant dog that takes up half the room?” She laughs and walks over to my desk, extending her hand. “Halle Robinson, DVM.”

As I shake Halle's hand, a jolt of electricity shoots up my arm at her touch, and I find myself captivated by her warm brown eyes and radiant smile. “.”

“Hi, . Do you always respond with one word answers?”

I chuckle. “I don’t, actually. You dropping to your knees to pet my dog during a formal interview just threw me off.”

“Fair enough. Here.” She hands me the folder that she was holding and takes a seat opposite me. “I’m not good at interviews. I never know what to say. But that’s my resume. It includes everywhere I’ve worked and where I went to school. Basically, my whole professional life is right there. I really like animals. I’m outgoing. My downfalls? I’m way too fucki- oh, sorry. I curse. That’s bad. Anyways, I’m way too focused. Once I start something, I’m in the zone.”

I like her. I like her a lot. “I fucking curse, too.”

Her laughter surrounds me, and for the first time in a long time, I find myself attracted to a woman. Not in an ‘I want a quick fuck to get my rocks off’ kind of way. There’s something about her that I find appealing.

I glance down at her resume. “It says here you’re from California. Los Angeles, actually. What brought you to Chicago?”

She sighs as she drops her hand over the edge of the chair to rub behind Rip’s ear. “Well, I had a killer job lined up. Awesome pay, benefits. The whole nine. The goddamn job fell through after I moved here! So I’m in a new city with no job and an apartment to pay for. I’m not trying to guilt you into hiring me, but that’s what happened.”

“Who offered you a job?”

“City Care Animal Clinic. They’re like forty-five minutes from here.”

“Oh, I know Jack Rathburn,” I growl. “He’s a dick.”

And a member of the Bueti family. But I can’t tell her that.

“Yeah!” she exclaims. “He’s who offered me the job, and then when I got here, he said it was no longer available. I don’t know. You can call him and get his take on it if you don’t believe me, but that’s my version of events. I’m already here and settled. Well, mostly. I’ve got a few more boxes to unpack, but if it works out, then I’d like to stay and give it a try. I’ve never left Cali, so this is kind of exciting.”

She tucks a long, curly strand of hair behind her ear, and for whatever reason, I’m more eager than ever to learn as much about her as I can.

“Do you have any dogs?” I ask.

“Nope, and I never have. Isn’t that odd for a vet? I have a cat, though. Does that count? Her name is Boo, and she spends most of her time judging my every move. You can’t really pet her unless it’s on her terms, and even then she might be okay with it one second and not the next. You know, one of those cats. She’s kind of my best friend. Do you have a cat?”

“No, and I never have. I’ve had dogs my whole life. Rip is my newest. I’ve had him since he was three weeks old. Found him in a box on my front porch. I bottle fed him, and now he’s my best bud. I had another dog at the time, Thea. She was a good mom to him up until a year ago when she died.”

Halle nods, and for whatever reason, I know right then and there that I’m going to hire her. She glances at me, her brown eyes scanning me, sizing me up, trying to get a feel for me. They come to rest on my eyes, and she doesn't react even though I'm sure she notices they are two different colors. One is brown, one is blue.

When I was a toddler, I fell on a pencil and the tip of it landed in my eye. The eye surgeon managed to save my vision, but the incident changed the color of my eye from blue to brown. It became my most vibrant feature.

“You seem like the type that would ask about my eyes,” I say.

She lowers her gaze, but shrugs unabashedly. “I’m curious. But I feel like that’s rude.”

I laugh before explaining the story. She listens intently, eyes widening in all the right places. I note that she pays close attention. Her behavior, her eagerness, and her willingness to learn isn’t lost upon me. She’ll make a fine addition here.

We just have to keep our after hour activities off her radar. That might prove harder than it seems, but I have little choice at this point. I need someone to help me here. I can’t keep up with the amount of work.

Right now, I’m drowning.

Halle and I spend a few more minutes chatting. I tell her I’m from Chicago, born and raised.

“I’d offer to show you around the city, but this job is going to keep you here morning, noon, and night.”

Her eyes grow wide right before her face breaks out into a smile. “When do I start?”

I don’t even have to glance at the calendar on my desk to know I’m scheduled for surgery all morning tomorrow.

“Tomorrow. Six in the morning.”

Her smile is still radiant as ever. “I’ll bring the coffee.”

I watch her walk out of my office, relief flooding through me at the thought of having another veterinarian here helping out.

But it’s not just relief I feel. There’s something about that woman. And for the first time since I opened Beacon Hills, I’m looking forward to tomorrow.