Stone In Love

Chapter 38

I called Sylvie as soon as we arrived at the hospital. Thankfully, she hadn't been hurt, other than experiencing a pounding headache, which Cara had predicted. Sylvie was en route to the hospital via the Valentino's Escalade, driven by a member of the capital security team. So, I breathed a little easier when I hung up.

It was Rizzo we were all worried about. His right arm had been severed just below the elbow, and while he was whisked away and triaged for surgery, Vincent and I sat in the ER as he received medical attention for his battle wounds. Vincent didn't appear to notice the nurse's flirty attitude or her batting eyelashes as he talked on the phone through the entire process.

"Charleton and Griffin are preparing to fly the copter here to stay with Rizzo," Vincent told me after he pocketed his cell "When they arrive, we can drive the Escalade home and put all this behind us."

"How do you think Rizzo will do after such a serious injury? What if he loses his arm? Will he still be able to fight?"

"Don't worry about Rizzo. He will probably use this as bragging rights over Colin and his meager chest wound."

"Oh, Colin. We should call him. He'll want to know what happened. Wasn't he supposed to be involved in the..."

"Charleton will tell him." Vincent grimaced, but I had a feeling it wasn't from the antiseptic swab Nurse Flirty dabbed on his back. Something told me Colin was not going to be happy about being left out.

Once Sylvie arrived, Vincent insisted she be checked for a concussion, and while Nurse Flirty followed his instructions with starry-eyed enthusiasm, Vincent and I changed into fresh clothes from the duffel bags Sylvie brought us. Vincent always kept one stashed in the Valentino vehicles. His constant preparedness appeared to be well-founded.

As soon as Sylvie had been given a clean bill of health, we all retired to the surgical waiting room and she began her interrogation, starting with the winged female who landed on her in the toilet, and followed by my abduction by said female, as well as the massive injuries Rizzo and Vincent sustained in the process of rescuing me. I muddled through my explanation with the help of Vincent, who had a lot more practice at evading the truth than I did. He had already counseled me on my false alibi, at which time I told him I needed to come clean with Sylvie before my guilt swallowed me up, and he agreed, but he told me to wait until we were away from the public eye to divulge the truth.

When Sylvie asked what happened to Heath, Vincent tactfully offered that neither of us would have to contend with the asshole again. Sylvie's reaction was to stare blankly at the floor and pick at the polish on her nails. For my part, I hadn't asked Vincent for confirmation about Heath's status because I didn't really want to know. I was fine with inferring from context. Rizzo's surgery took nearly seven hours, which gave Charleton and Griffin time to get to the hospital, and everyone waited anxiously until the surgeon finally came out to give us the news.

"Mr. Rizzieux made it through surgery fine," the weary doctor said. "The nerve damage was severe, so he may not resume full feeling in that limb, and his dexterity will be compromised, but aesthetically he should have no trouble finding a date."

There was a round of chuckles, and Charleton thanked the man for his expertise. When the surgeon left, everyone decided it was a good idea to take in nourishment while Rizzo recovered. Then Vincent took command behind the wheel of the Escalade and escorted Sylvie and me to Manhattan.

"You can stay with Vincent and me tonight, Sylvie," I said when the subject came up about her long drive back to Baltimore. "There's no way I'm letting you drive home after getting knocked out by a lunatic."

"I've got work tomorrow," she said. "But I guess I can work remotely. I never leave home without my laptop and flash drive. I'll give my boss a call and fill him in on the gory details when we get to your place. I doubt you want to hear the foul language he'll use when I tell him I won't be in. He's kind of an asshole."