Free A Bride for the Billionaire Bad Boy (The Romero Brothers, Book 2) by Shadonna Richards

to get a life, I suppose.  
    Maxine spent the next half hour discussing her
mother’s care with Dr. Branson before going back to spend the rest of the time
with her mother. The visit turned out to be more rewarding as her mother came
around at times. She then asked for some assistance in finding towels and a new
gown so that she could bathe and dress her mom. She also washed her mother’s
hair and brushed it as if she were a princess getting ready for a royal visit. Maxine
was satisfied when she’d left her mother.
    When she got back to the car in the parking lot, she
wiped the sweat from her brow. The sun was getting hotter but Maxine was also
tired. She still had a few more stops to make before heading home.
    To the department store.
    Maxine picked out a beautiful gift set and a lovely
bedding set for Lucy and the baby. She then went to a specialty store in the
plaza adjacent to the mall where she had the gifts personalized with a message
to the baby from Maxine, the baby’s future godmother. It was difficult to pick
out a perfect gift for someone who actually had money but she thought every
mother would appreciate sentimental gifts.
    Later, she pulled up in the garage of her apartment
building with a few shopping bags in her hands. When she got out of the
elevator on the eleventh floor, she fished for her keys in her bag and yanked
them out. When she reached her door, her mouth fell open. She dropped her bags
on the floor by her feet, her keys frozen between her fingers. She didn’t need a
key to get into her apartment. The door was wide open! Her home had been broken
into and trashed.

 
 
    CHAPTER NINE

 
 
    “What?” Lucas fumed. He felt a surge of heat fire through
his blood. If anyone laid a finger on Maxine, he would make sure they would live
to regret it.
    “Lucy got the call a few minutes ago,” Antonio said as
he spoke to his cousin in the study.
    Since Lucy’s difficult pregnancy, Lucy and Antonio
been spending more time at the estate than downtown, which made sense since their
family doctor and trusted obstetrician was in Mayberry Hill and Lucy would
eventually deliver at the local hospital. The Romeros had donated a wing to Mayberry General Hospital. It was private hospital with the
latest state-of-the-art medical equipment.
    “So what happened?” Lucas demanded to know.
    “Well, the cops took the report and told Maxine to
call someone close to her to spend the night. So she called Lucy.”
    “And?”
    “Lucy invited her to come stay with us, but Maxine
told her she would prefer go to the nearest hotel. She only called Lucy to
inform her in case Lucy tried to call her at home and didn’t get her.”
    “Is Maxine crazy?” Lucas thinned his lips in anger.
    “Lucas, don’t do anything foolish.”
    It was too late. Lucas didn’t know what got into him.
But he was going to reach Maxine and make sure she was safe. He reached into
this pocket for his smartphone and dialed one of his contacts.
    How the hell did that one slip by? He had people watch
her office during the first two weeks since she’d received that note but things
seemed under control then. He had someone watch her building to ensure she was
safe, but again, he’d been given the green light and didn’t see the purpose in
continuing his surveillance for her safety.
    Damn! Was he wrong? Lucas rarely took missteps. That
was an oversight that would never happen again. He would see to that.
    “In which hotel is she staying?” Lucas asked
pointedly. He was deeply agitated. He just didn’t know what came over him all
of a sudden. Why did he have this reaction to Maxine? This was all too crazy
for him right now but he didn’t have time to analyze his feelings for this
woman, he just knew he had to act fast. She was in some kind of trouble and
from judging her character over the past few months, she wasn’t the trouble-making type of girl.
    “Lucas, what are you going to do?”
    “That doesn’t answer my question,