Silent Love(16)

"Do you want to file a lawsuit, Beth?" he asked. If she wanted to, without a doubt he'd have her back.

Shaking her head, she bit her lip and her eyes flooded with tears. "I'm  glad I'm gone. They did me a favor. I would have never left, and I was  miserable. I should have quit a long time ago," she practically  whispered.         

     



 

No, there wasn't much that could be done and he didn't want her to go  through the potentially agonizing process of filing a suit. Was it the  right thing to do to bring charges? Yes, but he wouldn't force her hand.

And his own circumstance? Well, he attacked a bunch of coworkers. That was a no-brainer.

"But you shouldn't have gotten that angry," she scolded.

"Do you really believe I would allow my girl to go through that kind of  hell and not react the way I did. They're lucky I wasn't armed." He  heard his own voice rise.

"But what will you do?" she asked.

That was a great question. He had some money saved that would last him a  few months. But after that was drained? He sighed, resigned to the  next, obvious step.

"I'll open my own place," Sean answered.

"What?" she whispered.

"I'll borrow the money off my cousin and open my own clinic." Then it  occurred to him he'd need his own administrative help. "And you can be  my office manager."

"Oh," Jill gasped, her eyes lighting up. "That sounds perfect, honey.  You and Sean can work together and see much more of one another."

"I can't do that," Beth said.

"Why not?" her parents asked in unison.

Coming from her dad, that clearly shocked her. "Dad?"

"I think that's a great idea. You'll be safer there. I don't like your  boyfriend, but damn it, he'll protect you better than any fucking  hospital will, and you'll have a job that will give you your  independence," Mike explained.

"See, it's perfect," Sean said encouragingly.

"Will your cousin give you that kind of money?" she asked, her voice  wavering. She knew of Courtney's offer from a discussion he had with her  when he bounced the idea around briefly.

"I'll ask her if the offer stands." And it damn well better or they were screwed.







"Hey, handsome. Long time no see," Courtney greeted him when he stepped into the kitchen.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Good, I'm recuperating well," she said. A week ago she had her D&C surgery.

Seated in their chairs eating their chicken fingers and fries, his two  toddler cousins were covered in ketchup and honey mustard sauce. Russ  and Jarrett, the two mannies and recently honorably discharged  servicemen, chuckled at the mess before them.

"How's your girl? Beth, right?" she asked

"She's great," he said.

Courtney's large blue eyes, that matched his own, grew as round as saucers. "You're in love."

"I am." Why deny it?

"Oh my god, Sean," she gasped. "I had no idea when we scheduled this  dinner for Saturday that you were in love with her." She smiled, her  face lighting up. "I'm happy for you." Courtney tossed her arms around  him and squeezed tight.

"Thank you. That means a lot coming from you," he said, but his anxiety  over what he needed to ask drove him to push past her celebration. "I  need to talk to you and Derrick."

"All right." She pulled away looking hurt. "He's outside with Jack and  Carl." She turned to the two caregivers. "We'll be outside for a few  minutes." They went out the back sliding glass doors and stepped onto  the deck.

The evening sun started to set over the small grouping of trees that  blanketed the backyard. Though the sun directly shone across the porch,  the chocolate brown awning that covered the glass table and whicker  chairs blocked it from blinding the men seated around the table. Sounds  of children playing outside somewhere in the neighborhood, along with  nighttime crickets waking from their daytime snooze, created a serene  environment. Seated at the table was Derrick Murphy, mob boss of the  Northeast, engrossed in conversation with his two closest henchmen.

When his wife stepped onto the porch, Derrick's sharp gaze immediately  focused on her. Sean noticed the subtle, soft change in his demeanor,  that of a man entirely devoted to the love of his existence. Most  wouldn't catch it, but he did. For the first time in his life, he  understood that look and obsession.

"Derrick, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Sean stopped by and wanted to talk to you," Courtney said.

All three men pushed their chairs out from the table, the screeching sound echoing off the outdoor surfaces.

"Sean," Derrick said, his tone, as always, purely serious.

"Derrick, sorry to interrupt." He approached his cousin's husband and held out his hand.

After polite greetings, Derrick motioned to a chair opposite him. "Please sit."

Courtney maneuvered beside her husband and took the chair next to him.  Jack and Carl moved to the other side of the deck but still within  earshot.

"Is everything all right?" Courtney asked concerned.         

     



 

Sean supposed he should've considered his cousin might think something  was wrong. She tended to be a bit paranoid, but that wasn't unreasonable  with all she'd been through throughout the years.

"Everything is fine. Well...not really."

"What's going on?" Derrick demanded. He reached over and grabbed his  wife's hand and squeezed. Sean could envision doing the same for his  Beth if she was worried about someone she loved.

"I came to see if the offer still stood about the money to open up my own place," he said, straight to the point.

Courtney beamed. "Of course it is."

"Absolutely," Derrick agreed.

"I do have some conditions," Sean warned.

Derrick arched a brow. No one gave the infamous mobster conditions or orders. Not his wife, his employees, or his own family.

"I will pay you back. I'll make monthly payments like it's a loan," he insisted.

"That won't be necessary, Sean. What you do is important. My wife has  past heart issues that she needs occasional check ups for," Derrick  insisted.

He shook his head. "No, I can't do that."

"Sean, I know where this is coming from. You must realize I would never  treat you like one of my associates. You're family. My family. I already  owe you too much that I could never repay in value. The very least I  could do is give you the money," Derrick said.

He appreciated the fact Derrick understood and recognized his concerns,  but that wouldn't change his mind. "Absolutely not, I won't accept the  money as a gift. I will repay every cent."

Silence gripped the conversation while his cousin's husband dubiously  studied him. Courtney's eyes darted back and forth between them. Her  body had gone stiff and her spine straightened.

Derrick sighed. "If that's the way you want it, fine. How much do you need?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'll let you know within the next couple of weeks. This is in the very early planning stages," he explained.

His cousin narrowed her eyes. "What happened?"

Sean snorted. Leave it to her to pick up on the fact this wasn't a  random acceptance of the offer presented to him. Over the past couple  years, she'd become astutely aware, not by choice but by necessity.

"I got fired."

"What!" she squeaked.

"It was over Beth," he said.

She tilted her head in question. Derrick was the one who snarled, "What happened?"

Sean explained the entire situation with Beth and the hospital, then his  reaction to the news. By the time he finished, Courtney had tears in  her eyes, and Derrick's jaw clenched in violent anger.

"Who do you need me to go after?" Derrick asked darkly.

"No one," Sean insisted. Lord, he didn't need that form of vengeance on  his hands. "I'm taking her with me to be my office manager. We'll move  on, and I'll give her something better than working at that place."

His cousin smiled warmly. "That's so romantic."

Derrick rolled his eyes. "She started reading romance novels. I bought  her one of those e-readers. As soon as she's finished with one, she'd  downloading another."

She playfully smacked her husband's arm. "Oh, hush." She winked at Sean.  "He doesn't complain about all the erotica I'm reading."

"All right," Sean stood quickly. He heard Jack and Carl snicker behind  them. "Thank you. I'll get back to you as soon as I have all the  information I need."

Derrick stood and held out his hand. "You're welcome, Sean. Anything you and Beth need, just let me know."

Bounding around the table, his cousin tossed her arms around him and  squeezed. "I'm so happy for you," she whispered into his ear.

"I'm happy too, Court. Really, I am."





12





"What do you think?" Sean asked Beth.

They stood in the center of the empty medical office building. Three  floors included twelve office spaces and sat in the busy suburbs of  Pittsburgh. The location was ideal. Sean's only issue was the entire  building was for sale, which was why it was vacant. He was going to have  to approach Derrick with an altered deal. Not interested in purchasing  the building, he hoped his cousin's spouse considered real estate  another income venture. Though, as opposed to his normal profits, this  line of business was completely legit.