Chapter 7 - The Vigil in the Dark
For forty-eight agonizing hours, the fourth-floor intensive care unit became the center of Dominic Rourke’s universe. Tessa had gone into septic shock from a bacterial infection that her depleted immune system couldn't fight. She was hooked to a high-flow oxygen cannula, three separate intravenous lines running fluids, pressors, and powerful antibiotics directly into her chest port.
Dominic refused to leave the bedside. He pulled a hard plastic chair against her mattress, holding her limp, cool fingers in his scarred hands. He didn't sleep. He didn't eat the food his men brought him. He sat in the dim green glow of the heart monitor, counting every ragged breath she took.
Frankie entered the room on Tuesday morning, stepping lightly so his boots didn't squeak on the linoleum. He handed Dominic an encrypted tablet.
""We picked up Sloan and Victor,"" Frankie murmured in a low whisper. ""Victor admitted he met with Moretti three nights ago. He gave them the layout of the Gladwyne house and told them Tessa was sick. He thought he could stage a coup while you were distracted.""
Dominic didn't look away from Tessa’s pale face. Her fever had finally broken an hour ago, dropping to a manageable ninety-nine degrees, and the color was slowly returning to her lips.
""Where are they?"" Dominic asked, his voice devoid of any human warmth.
""In a basement near the railyards,"" Frankie replied. ""Waiting for your word.""
Dominic gently lifted Tessa's hand, pressing a tender kiss to the bruised knuckles where the hospital IV had swollen her skin. ""Strip Victor of every asset he owns. The houses, the docks, the bank accounts. Put him on a cargo ship to South America with five hundred dollars in his pocket. If he ever steps foot on North American soil again, put him in the ground.""
""And Sloan?"" Frankie asked.
Dominic closed his eyes, remembering the way she had cruelly flicked that white silk scarf in front of sixty laughing guests. ""Sloan thinks she’s royalty because of my money. Take her penthouse. Take her trust fund. Cut her off completely from the family name. Let her see how long her friends laugh with her when she’s waiting tables to pay her rent.""
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""Understood, Boss,"" Frankie said, turning to leave.
""And Frankie?"" Dominic added without turning around. ""Call the city’s best oncology research team. I want the finest specialists flown in from Boston and Houston by tomorrow morning. Whatever it costs, write the check.""
