Now that her mind had hooked on a thought, she held fast and followed it farther. Where would he be? Mel stood at the edge of the waiting room, his attention on Mamma. Uncle Donnie was here. Whatever Papa was feeling, he wouldn’t have left the hospital on his own. Especially not now. Lia remembered his answer when she’d asked why he always had a guard: A man in my position has more at stake than his own safety when he’s out in the world, gattina.
She hadn’t fully understood his point at the time, but she had come to. He was a very powerful man, and his sudden death would create a dangerous void and put other people at risk. So he never went unguarded.
He was in the hospital, then, but not here, with family, waiting for word about Trey. Where else would he be?
A wave of comprehension washed over her. She headed for the corridor, but Alex grabbed her hand to detain her. She whipped back and snatched her hand from his grip.
“Hey, hey,” he said, looking worried. “You shouldn’t go off alone right now.”
Lia did not want Alex to go where she was going. If she was right—and she was full of a potent certainty—she did not want Alex there. Not at all.
“I’ll be okay. I’m going to get Papa.”
He frowned. “You know where he is?”
“I think so. I’ll be back.”
“Lee …”
“I’ll be back.”
“I need to keep you safe. Please.” He reached for her hand again, more gently this time, and Lia didn’t resist when he took it.
She needed somebody to want to be with her.
“Okay. You can come. But no questions, and you have to stay back when I say.”
He gave her a reluctant look. She returned it with resolve, and he finally nodded.
She led him to the corridor and the elevators. When they got in and she pushed the basement button—guessing where her father was and, based on television and movies, guessing where she’d find that place—Alex asked, “Why down there?”
Lia couldn’t make herself put any part of the explanation into words, so she only leveled a look at him until he understood.
“Oh, Lia. Fuck. That’s—not a good idea.”
“That’s where he is. I know it.”
“Jesus,” he muttered but ended his protest.
It wasn’t until the doors opened at the basement level that the enormity of what Lia intended cut through the storm through her mind. She stood staring at the corridor ahead of her and couldn’t move her feet.
Alex reached for the control panel. “We’ll go back up. It’s okay, Lia. This is too much.”
“No.” She caught his arm and used that momentum to propel her out of the elevator. The doors had begun to close but rocked back as they passed through.
Unlike what she’d expected from television and movies, the basement was much like the other floors she’d been on in this hospital. It seemed smaller, the ceiling a bit lower, but the corridor was brightly lit, the walls the same sagey-green, the floors polished. The quiet, however, was different, and unsettling.
A guard at a desk not far down the main corridor looked up as Lia and Alex approached. “I’m sorry,” he said, “but it’s authorized personnel only from here. If you’re looking for the cafeteria, it’s on the first floor.”
“I’m looking for the …” She couldn’t say the word, so she tried another tack. “I’m looking for my father. I’m Lia Pagano.”
The guard took in a sharp breath, and his expression gained a sheen of compassion. With that, Lia had all the confirmation she’d ever need that she’d been right. Her heart sank. A small part of her had hoped to be wrong, she realized. Because she did not want to go where she was going.
“Are you sure you want to do that, Miss Pagano?” the guard asked.
No, she was not. But her father was there, and he shouldn’t be. “Yes.”
“Okay. It’s the end of the hall, to your right. Through the double doors.”
Lia turned to Alex. “I need you to wait here.”
“Lia …”
“No, Alex. You wait here. This isn’t for you. I’ll be safe.”
He studied her, his eyes moving back and forth over her face, and finally nodded. “I’ll be right here.”
“I know.”
He leaned toward her, and Lia knew he wanted to kiss her, knew it would be sweet and chaste and meant for comfort, but she was afraid she’d lose her nerve if he did. Stepping out of his reach,