Chapter 17

In the dark corner of the driveway, two tall figures hid in the shadows. One of them visibly angry and the other calm as he stared at the enraged man. He clenched his fist as he glared at his friend.

"What the f**k,Russo?" He said through clenched teeth. "What the f**k was on your mind? What the f**k were you thinking?"

Russo remained unfazed,his expression betraying no emotion as he remained silent, taking a huge puff of his cigarette.

A punch landed on his face, the cigarettes falling from his lips to the slightly wet floor. He allowed his friend to vent his anger on him.

The angry man continued with his attack on Russo,his face twisted into a snarl of anger.

"I TOLD YOU TO CHILL THE F**K OUT" he said loudly with each punch. " We needed to keep him off our tail for now and you decide to pull this crazy stunt now"

Russo, who had had enough,pushed him away. His nose was bloody from the attack. The huge scar on his face glinted under the dim light as he took a few steps away from his friend, putting a little distance between them. "I accept that I f**ked up but you have to chill out"

The enraged man's anger increased at the nonchalant attitude from Russo, "What! Chill out!... Didn't you f**king saw that he was with a lady? What if you shot an innocent woman?"

He paused for a moment as his phone lit up,his expression hardening at the sight of the caller ID. " Don't pull this stunt again, I gotta go" He said before entering his car and driving away.

Russo watched as his friend drove away, leaving him standing alone in the dark driveway. He retrieved a cigar from a pack with a steady hand before bringing it to his lips and then lighting it.

He took a huge puff of the cigarettes before exhaling it into the air, the smoke curling in the air as he exhaled.

The smile on his face widened as he unbuttoned the cuff of his shirt before rolling it up to his forearm to reveal part of the tattoo that adorned his skin which stood out against his pale skin.

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Luca leaned against the driver's seat,his face twisted in pain. The blood from the wound soaked his shirt and his car seat. He took a peek at Alexandra who was still staring at him,her eyes wide with shock and fear.

"I'll need you to check how deep the bullet went," Luca said.

"What! I'm not a doctor. I might kill you. I…I'm not doing that" Alexandra said immediately as she shook her head frantically.

Luca muttered obscenities under his breath as the pain intensified. Due to the training he has received,he is able to endure pain to a certain extent without passing out. "Let's switch. You drive. I think there's a hospital around, I don't know check your GPS"

With some minor difficulty,they managed to switch seats. Luca moved slowly to avoid getting his blood on Alexandra's dress. Once they were both comfortable, Alexandra started driving. She glanced at Luca from time to time to make sure that he was okay.

"Relax… I'm not going to die…so you don't have to stop looking at me with those frown lines on your face" Luca joked which Alexandra didn't find funny.

"That's not funny, you're losing too much blood" Alexandra said in a concerned voice.

" At least, I get to die beside a pretty girl," Luca joked , to which Alexandra didn't respond. Alexandra darted her eyes between the road and Luca.

Luca sat quietly in the passenger seat, his breathing slightly labored. Alexandra could tell he was deeply in pain even though he tried to put on a brave front. Everytime the car jerked,a wave of pain shot through his shoulder making him wince involuntarily.

"The hospital is always so far when you need it"

They finally got to the hospital. Alexandra quickly came out of the car and rushed over to Luca's side. She helped him out of the car, supporting his weight on her shoulder.

" You're so comfortable" he muttered into her ears.

She helped him through the hospital door as she shouted for medical attention. A few nurses came towards her at a snail's pace. However as Luca raised his head,the nurses quickly rushed to their side.

"Excuse me ma'am but you'll have to stay in the waiting room while we treat him" A short,round nurse said.

" She's with me so let her in. We're together" Luca said,not taking his eyes off Alexandra.

A look crossed the nurse's face as she hesitated for a moment before fixing her expression. She led them upstairs to a room where a doctor was already waiting.

The doctor looked at Luca's wound before he started extracting the bullet from the wound. The sight of blood made Alexandra nauseous so she excused herself from the room to get some fresh air.

Alexandra walked down the hallway,the strong scent of disinfectant filled the air. Alexandra has always hated hospitals because of the sick smell that comes with it. She heard whispered conversation coming from a nearby room and she couldn't help but eavesdrop when she heard one of them call Luca's name.

"... I really thought she was lying when she said Mr Giorgi was here. He's more handsome than the news portrays" One of them said, staring dreamily into space.

"That he is but the sad part is that he isn't available. I heard him calling the woman he came with as his girlfriend. I'm so jealous right now." The other replied.

Alexandra shook her head at their gossip.

He never said that, She thought to herself.

She knew that listening in on their gossip wasn't a demure thing to do but curiosity got the best out of her. She leaned in closer while making sure she didn't make a sound and that nobody caught her red-handed.

"It's not fair that I can't have him for myself anymore. He's rich and handsome. He's my dream man"

Alexandra scoffed silently at her words.

" Keep dreaming. He only goes for ladies of high class. You can tell that that lady belongs to a rich family not like the both of us who are struggling to make ends meet"

Alexandra wished she could tell the nurses that they had a better paying job than her.

Alexandra made her way back to the room which Luca was in. She couldn't describe the wave of sadness that suddenly washed over. She tried to bury the nurse's gossip at the back of her mind,an automated smile which she usually put on while serving customers at the diner appeared on her face as she reentered the room.

A smile appeared on Luca's lip as he watched her come towards him. His shoulder was covered in a little amount of bandage. He still looked handsome,the bandage was the only proof that he was in pain a few minutes ago.

"If I was in your place, I'm sure I'd look like a wet cat," Alexandra said in hopes of lightening up the mood. "I'm glad you didn't die or I would be in the police station right now"

" Don't worry Tesoro, that will never happen" He replied with a chuckle.

Alexandra sat on the seat across from him, her eyes flitting over his strong biceps. She looked at him with a serious expression on her face. " Do you have a magnet in your body that attracts bullets? It seems it's attracted to your body"