Surrender 01 - Surrender

and his head felt as if a construction worker were remodeling his brain. But because of the extreme amount of stress he’d been under lately, exhaustion was pulling him under — sleep was a welcome relief.

    “Rafe. Where am I? What happened?”
    Rafe snapped awake at the scratchy sound of Ari’s fear-filled voice.
    “Ari. How do you feel?” he asked as he tried to wipe the fog from his brain.
    “As if I was run over by a train. What happened? Why am I hooked up to these monitors? Why does my chest hurt so badly?” she asked with frightened eyes trained on him.
    “You were shot. I don’t know any details yet because I haven’t left your room, but I’m damn well going to find out who the man was and why the hell the hospital didn’t stop him before he got to you.”
    “And my mom?” she asked as tears filled her eyes.
    “She’s fine, Ari. The nurse came in a few hours ago and said she made it through surgery without a hitch. They didn’t want to frighten her right after her surgery, so she thinks you’re just catching up on some much-needed sleep right now. I will personally go to see her in a few minutes. I just wanted to make sure you were OK first.”
    “Thank you. You didn’t need to stay here with me; I know how busy you are. When can I see her?”
    “It will be a little while because you’re in in the ICU right now, and you can’t leave for at least another day. You were shot in the chest and had major surgery. It’s amazing how well you’re doing.”
    “Please, I need to see her,” Ari begged.
    “Ari, you won’t do her any good if you collapse at her feet. You need to rest and take care of yourself before you can possibly take care of her.”
    “Then please go to her. Please tell her that I’m OK and I’ll come to her as soon as they’ll let me.”
    “OK, I’ll go now.” Rafe leaned over and gently kissed her lips before he stood up and walked from the room.
    It didn’t take him long to find Ari’s mother’s room. She was lying in the bed with her eyes open when he stepped through the doorway. At least he had his clothes back on and wasn’t entering the woman’s room with nothing but a paper thin-gown.
    “Ms. Sandra Harlow?”
    “Yes, that’s me. Can I help you?” It was almost eerie how much the woman looked like Arianna. They both had the same delicate high cheek bones, straight nose, and petite frame. They even had the same hazel eyes. But Ari had long brown curls, and Sandra had short blond hair with the beginning streaks of gray running through it. Sandra was still a stunning woman.
    “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but there’s been an accident with your daughter. I want to assure you that she’s doing fine, but it will be a couple of days before you’re able to see her,” he said, making sure to keep his tone reassuring.
    “My Ari? What happened? I need to see her now,” Sandra said as her monitors indicated her increased heart rate.
    “Ms. Harlow, Ari is fine, but both of you just came out of surgery, and neither of you can move right now. You need to focus on getting better because Ari will need you to be strong,” Rafe said as he sat down and took her hand.
    Her frightened eyes met his, and he was relieved when the monitors indicated that her heart rate starting to slow.
    “Who are you?”
    “I’m Ari’s friend,” he lied. He couldn’t exactly tell Ari’s mother the truth — that he planned to use her daughter and then dump her when he grew bored. He somehow didn’t think that would go over very well…
    “What’s your name?” she asked with the same suspicious tone as her daughter used. It was so similar that it made him smile.
    “Raffaello Palazzo. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Harlow.”
    She looked at him with confusion for a few moments and then her eyes widened.
    “I’ve heard that name before. Some of the nurses have spoken about you. Are you the same gentleman that has done so much for this hospital?”
    “None of that matters, Ms. Harlow. What matters is that you and Ari both get better.”
    “I see you like to avoid questions about yourself.” Rafe smiled again at her direct tone. He had a feeling that his mother and Sandra would get along wonderfully. He’d have to make sure the two of them never met — their getting together would be a lot of headaches for him waiting to happen.
    He only wanted Ari to satisfy his needs. He didn’t need anyone’s family members trying to make it anything other