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THREE
‘LOOSE SCREWS’ BONES
Gio
The hospital smells sterile like everything’s been cleaned just minutes before I came through the doors; it makes my nose burn. I rush through the hall toward the elevators, ignoring the looks I’m getting from the people in the waiting room, and bypass the nurse’s station. I’ve been here multiple times already, so these squeaky-clean scrub-wearing doctors and nurses already know who I am.
I’m sure my tattoos and piercings make everyone in here see nothing but a delinquent, a trouble-making punk, and for the most part, they’re right, only I make money from trouble.
I slam my hand on the button, cursing under my breath as I watch the numbers slowly descend to us, making my patience run thinner by the second.
“He’s an asshole, but he’s not stupid enough to actually kill someone.” Drake says as he turns to face me and leans his back against the wall, smirking like he doesn’t have a single care in the world.
“You’re right, but he’s also in a hospital with no clue what the fuck is happening out here. I can’t keep him in the dark for long, lying to him never ends well.”
Finally, the damn elevator arrives, letting a few people out before I slide in and press the third-floor button before looking back at Drake.
“Luce knows me better than anyone; I know he can see right through the bullshit I’ve been feeding him, and he’s beginning to lose his cool over it. Being locked away here isn’t helping either.”
We stop on the floor, and the sound of Luce’s angry voice can be heard the moment the doors open. I try to rush out, but Drake puts his hand on my shoulder, making me pause and look back at him.
“Then quit pussy footing around him and stop lying, G. He deserves to know the truth; you just need to trust that he’s capable of doing what needs to be done.”
I give him a sharp nod before jogging down the hallway. Luce’s hoarse voice sounds so irritated I can’t help but feel the weight of guilt pressing down on my chest like a boulder. Drake is right, I need to have more confidence in my best friend, trust that the truth will only give him incentive to follow the orders of the doctors.
“You cunt eating motherfucker, if you try to put me out again, I will fucking kill your whole-”
“Luce!” I bark as I enter the room, taking in the cast on his arm and the bandages covering half his face. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
I know his mind isn’t in the right place, but threatening a nurse just makes me want to keep the damn truth to myself. It’s not that I don’t have confidence in him, I just know he’s volatile and liable to leave a trail of destruction behind him until he finds his sister and Lexi. Do I blame him? Hell fucking no, but it’s reckless, and I have neither the time nor the inclination to clean up a mess while searching for the girls.
“Withme?!” He seethes, “You have the fucking balls to ask me that, G?”
I look at the two nurses, one with a needle in her hand and another who looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here.
“Get the fuck out of here, both of you,” I tell them both.
“Sir, he needs to calm down before he rips his stitches,again. Dr. Carson ordered us to give him a sedative to avoid another accident.” The male nurse tells me.
I step into his space, not giving two fucks or half a shit, “You know who we are, right?”
The guy swallows loudly before nodding, looking between Drake and me nervously.
“Good, then you tell Dr. Fucking Carson that unless he wants a personal visit from us, he’ll treat Luce Rametta like he’s the goddamn president. You got me?”
Both of the nurses nod quickly, before apologizing and leaving the room.
I sigh heavily and turn back to my best friend who stares at me expectantly, the frustration is clear in his irritated eyes, but I ignore it for now and pull out a joint, handing it to him as I sit in the chair next to his bed. The first night he was here, I slept in this godforsaken chair, cursing the designer to the bowels of hell as my neck and back cramped through the night.
“Before I tell you anything, Luce, you need to remember that none of this shit is on you-”
“Don’t patronize me, G. Spit it out. I know you’ve been keeping shit from me, but I’m not a fucking idiot, I can see the sleeplessness on your face, and I’m not so egotistical to think for one second it’s because I’m in here.”
I drop my head into my hands and rub my eyes. The lack of sleep I’ve had makes everything feel like a dream, but this is a fucking nightmare. How do I tell my best friend that his sister has been kidnapped by my father? He knows everything Alan is capable of; he’ll hate me because I’m the closest Vaccari he can get his hands on at the moment, but I can’t find it in me to blame him.
I never should have involved Maxine, never should have asked her to infiltrate my father’s home under the guise of being the maid. Fuck, I should have killed my father the moment I had him tied to a chair. Instead, I took his money, his wife, and his home. I took everything from him only to have him do the same to me. Still, I’d gladly give up all my possessions just to have Lexi and Maxine back. Max is like a sister to me, but Lexi…fuck, she’s my whole world. My reason for breathing.
“The day of the accident,” I begin, lifting my tired eyes to his, “I was already on my way to the flower shop. You remember the woman in the pictures that Alan left at the flower shop?”
