Chapter Four
“We need to talk to the director,” Leonardo told the receptionist over the half-moon counter.
The clinic was rather small, with a sundry shop in the corner where a middle-aged woman fussed over a day-old pastry. Several patients sat on the bolted-down chairs, and the floor smelled of bleach.
The receptionist’s eyes were glued to the bulky computer screen, her fingers typing the keyboard relentlessly. “Do you have an appointment?”
“No, but it’s an urgent matter,” he said. When the woman lifted her gaze to his, he flashed her a smile. In the beginning of his career, his looks had been a burden at first—he got pegged as the privileged pretty boy before his clients gave him a chance. If they only knew about all the hardships endured as a poor child growing up in Northeastern Brazil. A child whose mother’s disease claimed her far too early, he had stepped up when his older brother Bruno fled the country for a better life in the USA.
Sure, Bruno had helped by paying for his education, but as soon as Leonardo opened his law firm he paid his brother back. Every single cent. Being the brother of one of the world’s best software developers had opened the doors for his firm, but his talent and determination made it thrive and become one of the most reputable in the country.
The receptionist’s cheeks reddened, and she smoothed her hand over her ponytail. “I can take a look.”
Leaning over the counter, he broadened his smile. “That would be appreciated, Dolores,” he said, reading her nametag.
She blushed. “O-of course.”
Satyanna nudged his elbow. “Nicely played, Romeo. What are you going to do when you meet the director, drop your pants and ask for access to the archives?”
He suppressed a chuckle. “I don’t have to. You were a patient here, and it’s your right to get your medical information.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “True.”
While the receptionist made the call, he glanced around them. A skinny man wearing a blue uniform mopped the floors. That fact would have gone unnoticed, but Leonardo saw the man staring at Satyanna. Quietly. Intently.
Dolores placed the phone on the receiver and turned to him. “He will see you now. What’s your name, senhor?”
“Leonardo Duarte.”
“Oh. Your face is familiar.” She smiled. “From Addie Duarte’s family?”
Leonardo nodded. His sister-in-law’s efforts to help Kwanis and, by extension, Brazilian Indians had gained national exposure after she had worked on a couple of high-profile projects. Hell, he had even assisted her with a couple legal matters.
“The director will see you now.” She leaned over the counter and whispered, “He has a meeting with some vendors.” She pointed at the guy sitting in the corner with a fake leather case on his lap. “But I squeezed you in.” She winked.
He winked back. “Thanks for squeezing me in.”
The receptionist left her booth and gestured for them to follow her.
Satyanna walked too close to him, and the fresh notes of her citrusy scent pushed their way into his nostrils before he could avoid it. “Should I get you two a room?” she asked, a pang of irritation in her voice.
He glanced at her. “Why? You think you are the only one who can use your sex appeal?”
“I haven’t used it in a while.”
“Not even when you got pulled over by the cop?”
“Didn’t work on him. Some guys just have bad taste,” she said, amusement flickering in her eyes. Damn it. She was challenging him, wasn’t she?
“I know what you mean.” He believed her emerald eyes once, and he ended up robbed and, if he was honest with himself, heartbroken. What would be different now? Nothing, and he was about to prove it.
Following the receptionist, he turned into a narrower hallway.
“I have to say, though, you’re pretty handy,” she said in a low voice.
Shaking his head, he gestured for her to go in front of him. “Don’t get cute.”
Satyanna chuckled. “Cute? First I have sex appeal, then I’m cute? Nice to know your opinion of me isn’t as low as it seems.” She nudged his elbow, and the unexpected touch was like a punch in his freaking gut. A part of him seared with yearning for more. A foolish part. His body tensed up, his blood going on a low simmer.
“We’re not okay, you and I. We’re not sharing inside jokes. We’re not acting like none of the past year didn’t happen. Do you understand?” he said, in a tone that left no doubt. A part of him scorned his elementary school-level maturity. But, if he didn’t say it out loud, if he didn’t cling to it, if he didn’t believe it, how could his hate for her be true? And damn it, he needed it to be true, because if it wasn’t, he was in deep shit.
She chewed on her lower lip. “Yes.”
“Good.”
Treating any woman badly was beneath him. Yet Satyanna…evoked in him emotions he couldn’t figure out. No good would come from this visit, he realized, as the receptionist opened the door and they entered a small office. A tall man in his fifties, his hair a tad too dark for his age, greeted them.
If she had lied to him, she’d pay. And if she had truly hidden the fact she was pregnant when he could have protected his child, she’d pay, too. He hadn’t been able to protect his brother Bruno when they were young, which was why Bruno had left Brazil as a teenager. With his children, it would all be different. Forgiving her wasn’t a possibility. Avenging her was a different story.
“Sit down, please.” The director gestured at the two chairs across from the desk. “What brings you here, Mr. Duarte?”
“My friend here claims she stayed at your clinic a few months ago when she gave birth to a baby, and I wondered if you have any medical records you could share.”
The director assessed Satyanna and nodded. “I remember her. Yes. I’m sorry about the baby. It was a girl, wasn’t it?”
Ice spread in his stomach. Could it be true? He clenched his jaw, seeing red at the corners of his eyes. Parenthood wasn’t supposed to be like this. How, in a single moment, could the happiness of having conceived a child be crushed by the death of an infant? He curled his fists so hard, his knuckles whitened.
“Yes. Lyanna,” she said, but didn’t look at Leonardo.
The director leaned back in his chair. “I know everything that goes on in my clinic. We’re not big or famous, but I take pride in keeping up with everything. If you give me a moment I can make a copy of your chart if you need,” he said, and rocked back from the chair, pointing at a printer that could have time-traveled straight from the nineties.
“Sure, that would be great,” she said in a small voice.
…
With a folder in hand, Satyanna strode out of the office. They walked in silence through the reception area, emotions swirling inside her. Returning to the place that yanked her shot at happiness was soul crushing. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes, and she wiped them with the tip of her index finger.
“Look at me,” she asked when they reached the parking lot. “Say something,” she said, raising her voice.
Leonardo turned to her, his main vein visibly pulsating on his neck. Lips hardened into a thin line, as if he was about to mince his words. If she thought her nightmare was over, damn it, his hurtful glare hinted it was just getting started. Swallowing hard, she peered at him, hoping the waves of frustration and sadness inside her would subside.
“Hug me.”
“What?”
“You just learned your daughter died. Come here,” she said, opening her arms. As bad as it was for her, the shock probably only hit him. And if he thought he was going to blame her for what happened, he had another think coming. That game was over.
“I don’t want to hug you.”
“But you need to,” she said, erasing the distance between them. So do I. The talking, the arguing more like it, could wait. He frowned at her, skeptical like an injured animal in the woods. Ignoring the noticeable tension stretching through his clothes, she wrapped her arms around him, delicately at first. She gave him the grace period of a few seconds as her hands tapped his back, half expecting him to jerk her away and bark something at her.
He didn’t.
Quarterback arms enveloped her, and she soaked in his nearness. Notes of bamboo and mint danced around her, and she pushed his scent into her nostrils. Leonardo tightened his embrace; his body was all ridges and planes, much like the year before. He was strong, overpowering, and…he needed her.
A groan escaped his lips, and she wasn’t sure if he was fighting back tears or anger. Either way, his grip on her remained steady, and she rested her head on his shoulder. A powerful, hot wave enveloped her like an electric blanket on a snowy winter night. When was the last time she had held someone? Too long. Too damn long.
She linked her arms around him, and even though rationally he evoked all kinds of warring reactions in her, she couldn’t ignore the thrumming of her heart. It didn’t matter what would happen a second from now, nor what had happened in the past. For the time being, they were two parents grieving the loss of a child.
Hot tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she blinked them back.
“Senhor. Senhora.”
Leonardo let go of her before she had a chance to disengage from him, and he ran his fingers down his face. His eyes were red. She turned on her heels, and found a skinny guy with facial hair and blue uniform. The cleaning staff from the hospital.
Leonardo stepped forward. “Yes. What is it?”
Her Portuguese wasn’t super fluent, and sure, she spoke with a laughable American accent, but thank goodness she could understand most of it.
The man was catching his breath. Sweat beaded his forehead. “I need to tell you something.”
Nervously, he glanced around them before saying, “I was working that week when you were admitted to the clinic. When you had the surgery—”
“And my baby died,” she said.
“The…baby died.” Leonardo narrowed his eyes.
The honk from a bus across the street almost made her turn around. Almost. She couldn’t. The man wiped the sweat off his forehead and leaned closer to them, again apparently aware of his surroundings. What could he be scared of? Besides pedestrians jaywalking and some folks waiting at the bus stop. “No. Your baby is still alive.”
Alive? Her heart skipped a beat, and it took too damn long to pulse again—this time, like it was about to gallop out of her chest. For the past three months her life had been an endless, dark tunnel. She ran from Harry, from Leonardo, and most of all, from herself. From her pain, even though it was there, every step of the way. Pain. Could there be a tiny flicker of hope at the end, waiting for her? “E-excuse me?” she managed to say, her hand circling her stomach.
He shook his head. “I was told to keep my mouth shut. Listen, I’m just a lowly worker. I help support my family. I can’t lose my job.”
Her temples throbbed, and for a second she thought she was going to faint. She lifted her hand to her forehead, willing the anxiety away. Could that be true? Her Lyanna…alive?
“What happened? Tell me now,” Leonardo demanded. Stepping forward, he could easily tower over the guy, with hands perched on his belt, his posture stiff and eyes darkening.
“When the baby was born, they transferred her somewhere. I thought it was to a neonatal intensive care at a bigger hospital, but honestly I don’t know for sure. And I heard someone paid a lot of money to the director and medical team. To make it seem like the baby hadn’t made it.”
“Are you absolutely sure?” Leonardo asked.
“Yes. I was dating this nurse back then, and she confessed it to me and made me promise I wouldn’t tell. But when I saw you today, it was a sign. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t say anything.”
Leonardo thrust his fingers in his brown hair. “Who could have—”
“Harry.” She verbalized it before she kept up with her racing mind. “He took her from me.” Bile floated up her throat, and she had to cover her mouth and swallow hard not to get sick. When she fled the youth house and the system with Harry, he tried to mold her into the perfect daughter of a crook.
Unfortunately for him, after a single attempt, she had turned him down, even threatened to cut ties if he shared any illicit side business information with her. He had conceded, and for years they both lived like a surrogate family. That is, until he used her to attract Leonardo, and to steal from him. To then scold her when she decided to keep her pregnancy. Disowned her when she confided she would look for Leonardo once the baby was born. After all, Harry knew he would go to jail if she testified against him. Did he steal her baby in retaliation?
Leonardo growled. “That director lied to us. I’m going to go back there and make him spill the beans,” he said, rolling the sleeves of his shirt.
“Wait.” She grasped his elbow. “We need to think this through. If you go in there and accuse him, he can just call Harry and warn him and then we’ll never find her.”
Never. Find. Her. The words got trapped in her dry throat, and she had to swallow twice. There was no way she’d lose her daughter again.
“The miss is right.” The man nodded.
The contours of Leonardo’s face hardened. She didn’t miss the flash of raw emotion, and wondered if they shared at least that in common. Love for their daughter. “Do you know where that nurse lives?”
“I think so. I have been there once. She quit and—”
“Okay. We’re going there right now. She may be the key for finding out the truth.”
The man gestured with his hands. “But, sir, my job—”
“I will make sure you are well compensated for your time if you still wish to work in that hellhole. If not, I will pull some strings and help you get a job somewhere else. But now I need to find out what happened to my daughter. And nothing, and no one, will stop me,” Leonardo said, in a commanding voice that reverberated through her.