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I frown and make a face. “Fine, but if they don’t save him, I will never forgive you.”
“These people would let me kill them if they didn’t manage to save Marcello,” he quips, throwing me a glance.
I swallow hard and grip Marcello’s wrist tight, wishing I could be the one to rip that bullet out of his body. But I know I need to leave it to people who know what they are doing, even if it’s hard.
The second we arrive, we hop out of the car, drag Marcello’s body outside, and run into the dodgy-looking clinic. But I have to trust Ricardo now to know what’s best for Marcello. After all, Marcello trusted him with my life, and there is nothing Marcello holds more dear than me.
A man approaches us from behind a table and immediately signals some other doctors to come and help. “Gurney!”
“Help him, please,” I mutter as the men take him over and place him down on the gurney.
“What happened?” the doctor asks.
“He got shot,” I respond, lifting a piece of his clothing to reveal the bloodied wound.
The doctor looks worried. “Take him to the OR.”
I grab Marcello’s hand, but I can only hold on for a few seconds as the men wheel him away. But when the doctor also turns his back to me, I grab his arm and ask, “Can you fix him? Will he make it out alive?”
He takes in a deep breath. “I cannot promise anything, but I will try my best.”
My fingers grow numb as he pulls away and runs after the men who take Marcello. He enters the door I’m not allowed to pass. Staff only. And I’m left, staring through the tiny window in the door to watch them enter a room with the one man who captured my heart.
I don’t want him to die.
Harper
I count every second on the clock while watching the time tick away. It feels like it takes forever to bring Marcello back, and I don’t even know for sure if they can do it. After all, the bullet had plenty of time to fester inside him while we fought off the Irish and Polish men. Facing Molly and Frank was the final straw for him. Of course it made him collapse.
“What are you thinking about?” Ricardo asks.
I frown, still staring at that goddamn clock, wishing I could make time go faster so I wouldn’t have to wait this long for news. “I shouldn’t have let him run off like that after getting shot. He was in no condition to fight. What if…?”
“Hey.” Ricardo grabs my shoulder and pulls me out of my thoughts. “You can’t think like that. It’s not your fault. Marcello can’t ever stop. He’s always been like that.”
“I know, but he would’ve listened to me. Maybe if I had tried more, shouted harder.”
“You did what you could,” he says, lowering his eyes to meet mine. “And Marcello is just a stubborn bastard who refuses to listen.”
The comment makes me smile, but only a little.
“He’ll make it out,” Ricardo adds. “You’ll see.”
I clutch my coat and hug myself tight, trying not to feel the cold shimmying up my legs, making me shiver.
“Are you okay?” Ricardo asks, raising a brow.
“I’ll be fine,” I bark back.
He sighs. “It’s okay if you let yourself hurt, you know.”
“Stop,” I reply, throwing him a look. “I can’t deal with it right now, okay? I just want to know if Marcello is okay.”
Suddenly, the doors to the staff-only side open, and my eyes and ears immediately pick up the sound like a trained dog looking to sniff out the enemy.
“Marcello?” I ask. “Is he…?”
“Alive. For now, anyway.” The doctor adds an awkward grin, one that would piss me off if this was a normal situation. But right now, the only thing that matters is that he’s alive.
I get up from my seat. “Can I see him?”
The doctor clears his throat. “Well, he’s not awake at the moment, but—”
“I have to see him. I just need to. Please.” I’m all up in his face right now, but I don’t care. I’ve worried too much.
“He’s still asleep, but … he’s just been wheeled to his private room, so you may be able to see him.”
I grab his hand and shake it vehemently. “Thank you, Doctor.”
A buzzing sound makes me turn my head toward Ricardo, who fishes his phone from his pocket and takes a call. “Yeah? They surrendered? Okay, sounds good. Have them clean up the place and get rid of the bodies. I’ll stay with Marcello and Harper. Call me if you need anything.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. He literally just said out loud “get rid of the bodies.” But the doctor doesn’t even seem fazed.
“What?” Ricardo raises his brow, looking at me and then the doctor. “He’s used to it. Don’t worry.”
