Chapter 2 - The Silent Agony
"Who are you texting, boss?" Dean asked, his voice smooth but laced with suspicion.
Massimo calmly locked his phone and slipped it back into his pocket.
"I am ordering a rare vintage wine for the wedding reception," Massimo lied without missing a beat.
Dean smiled broadly, stepping forward to pat Massimo firmly on the shoulder.
"Only the best for you and Camille," Dean chuckled, though his eyes remained cold and calculating.
Massimo nodded slowly, pretending to be the helpless, grateful friend.
Later that evening, Massimo arranged for his oldest driver to smuggle the pill to an independent laboratory.
The next two days became an exhausting game of mental endurance.
When Doctor Hale arrived for his daily visits, Massimo pretended to swallow the prescribed medication.
As soon as the doctor looked away, he would spit the pills into a napkin hidden in his sleeve.
By the end of the second day, the withdrawal symptoms hit him like violent electric shocks.
Fire ripped through the nerve endings in his lower spine.
Agonizing pain radiated down his legs, making him grip the armrests of his wheelchair until his knuckles turned white.
He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from screaming out loud.
The pain was a beautiful sign that his nerves were finally waking up.
His phone buzzed quietly in his pocket just after midnight.
It was the laboratory chemist confirming his worst fears.
The pill was indeed a synthetic paralyzing agent, imported exclusively by the Russian syndicate.
There was only one person in the Rinaldi family who managed relations with the Russians.
Dean Foster.
Massimo threw his phone onto the bed in sheer disgust.
The man who took a bullet for him was the very same man who had orchestrated the entire ambush.
He pushed his hands against the arms of his wheelchair, determined to see if his legs could hold his weight.
He gritted his teeth, forced his trembling feet onto the floor, and pushed himself upward.
His knees buckled, but he managed to stand straight for five miraculous seconds.
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The bedroom door suddenly swung open.
Carla Bennett stood in the doorway holding a tray of tea, her eyes wide with absolute shock.
