Chapter 7: Bruno Hunt

"Loosen Aunt Paula's blouse at the chest a little. Lock your elbows, shoulders over her sternum, and press straight down. Keep it steady, with a regular rhythm. Do not stop, do not jab. Keep the press and release times about the same." "Plant the heel of your left palm on the center of her chest, stack your right palm over it, and keep your fingers off her chest. You don't need to crush her, press until the sternum drops about an inch and a half, then release." Listening to Luciano, Nora did as told. Panic had been clawing at her, but his voice steadied her, and the tremor in her hands eased. Following his instructions, she watched a hint of color return to Paula's face. It was slight. She kept going, light and regular, just as Luciano had said. Paula's complexion gradually improved. She did not wake up, but she was saved. Luciano let out a breath and observed the diner.  Glass shards were everywhere, and stools were overturned and scattered in a mess. His gaze went hard. He thought of John. Those bastards had gone after a woman.  They wanted to scare her to death. Roger was dead. If anything happened to Paula, Luciano would never forgive himself. "Mr. Griffith, do you need help?" Cooper came to his side. He didn't let Brennan follow him.  As Khester's richest man, he had seen it all. One look made him understand the situation. "Find out who did this. Then go wait for me at the hospital." Holding his anger, Luciano spoke calmly, his face dark. "Understood. I'll have news soon." Cooper nodded and headed back to his car. Before long, the ambulance arrived.  The paramedics loaded Paula into the ambulance. Luciano and Nora rode in back. The ride was quiet, no one spoke. After what had happened, Nora still wore a frosty look toward Luciano, though the hostility had faded. At the central hospital in Khester, a team of specialists waited outside the emergency room.  They were top internal medicine doctors, and even the hospital's vice president was there.  Seeing them gathered at the ER doors left staff and a few patients wide-eyed with surprise. They figured a big shot must've gotten hurt. Even Nora looked taken aback. Luciano knew Cooper had called ahead.  Guided by the specialists' brisk efficiency, he had Paula taken into the ER. He and Nora waited outside. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Don't tell Aunt Paula I'm back. Her emotions are fragile right now, and I'm worried about her heart." For a cardiac patient, shock and joy could both be triggers. He wanted to reunite with his aunt, but the scare had been too severe. He could wait. Nora's shoulders quivered. "I know. And… Thank you for what you did." Luciano's expression tightened. He forced a smile. "No need. It's what I should do." Nora turned her face away, her voice going cool again. "But if you leave now and stop interfering with our lives, I'll be even more grateful." His smile thinned with bitterness. He hurried off to pay the fees. When he returned, Paula had already been wheeled to the operating room. The doors shut. Nora waited outside. When Luciano came back, she said, "I didn't bring money. I'll pay you back after the surgery." He took in her stubbornness and said nothing.  With her in this mood, nothing he said would get through to her, so it was better to let it go. Roughly two hours later, the doors swung open.  A doctor in a white coat stepped out, several colleagues in tow. "Are you the patient's family?" he asked, looking from one to the other. "Yes. I'm the patient's daughter," Nora said, springing to her feet. The doctor nodded. "You did very well. Your first aid was correct and helped ensure she arrived safely. The operation was a success. She needs rest and recovery." The burden on Nora's chest finally slid off. "Thank you, doctor." "It's our duty," he replied, and with a glance, he signaled to the team. Paula's bed rolled out from the operating room. Luciano watched until his aunt was settled in a ward. He drew a long breath and let it out. A nurse approached. "The patient needs observation and rest. Someone has to stay overnight. One of you can stay." Nora wanted to correct her relationship with Luciano, but he beat her to it. "Sorry, she's my cousin. Nora, I'll head out for now. I'll come back tonight." Nora hesitated, then nodded. As she watched him leave, her eyes filled with a tangle of feelings. Outside the hospital, Luciano's face darkened.  He went straight to Cooper's car and rapped on the window. Cooper opened the door. "Mr. Griffith, did the surgery go well?" "She's out of danger," Luciano said. "Thank you for the doctors. Did you find out who did it?" "I did," Cooper said. "The ones who smashed the diner were small-time punks. The leader was a man named Bruno Hunt. He owns a trust company and a credit company, and he keeps a pack of henchmen who run amok." "Bruno is a loanshark," Luciano said, eyes narrowing as he thought of Roger being framed, the scam that stripped them bare. "Yes." Cooper nodded. From Cooper's report, Luciano pieced the rest together.  After Roger lost his job, he borrowed 50,000 dollars from Bruno's credit company. For various reasons, Roger returned the money the same day.  The loanshark still demanded interest. Roger could not pay. The pressure dragged him into depression, and it drove him to commit suicide. Even after Roger died, Bruno's people never let Roger's family go. Every few days, they showed up looking for trouble. At first, it was only threats. As time passed, they grew impatient and escalated. Today, the men at Paula's house were the same crew. If Luciano had not arrived, Nora would likely have been dragged away, and Paula's fate did not bear imagining. Luciano's fists clenched. Rage flared, and a murderous chill flickered in his eyes.  Since walking out of prison, everything from his wife's divorce to what his aunt's family had suffered had pushed him to the edge. "Does the Campbell family back Bruno?" he asked suddenly. "The Campbell family?" Cooper blinked.  "I haven't had time to check that. I'll need a little while." "I'll ask him myself," Luciano said, opening the car door. "Take me to him." "The Mills family will support you, Mr. Griffith," Cooper said quickly.  For the Mills family, neither Bruno nor the Campbell family posed a problem. "This is my affair. I will do it myself." Luciano's voice was flat.  "A blood debt has to be repaid in blood." A shiver went through Cooper for no clear reason.  "All right."