CHAPTER 6: THE MIDNIGHT CONVERSATION

***Alex***

My eyelid fluttered open, as it did, the events I last witnessed played in my head, we had gone for the meeting to dialogue with the Perez, but had been ambushed at the meeting point and had been shot. I groaned In my mind knowing fully well Vinny would be telling me "I told you so" When next he sees me conscious, he'd never let it rest, it'll be his majestic moment to shine.

I felt a weight beside me on my bed and as I looked down, I saw my fragile angel sleeping right beside me, she must be so uncomfortable sleeping in a sure position, once again, I had made her suffer needlessly.

She must hate me, I concluded in my mind.

As I watched her sleep, soft locks of red curly hair tumbled across her face and I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of it.

As I reached out to stroke the locks back, she stirred in her sleep and I froze, luckily, she didn't wake up and I proceeded in my action, I stroked her hair back and she reacted by snuggling her head in more into the bed, she must enjoy it, I thought.

Looking at her, I fussed, hating myself for not destroying the Perez immediately they started posing a threat to my business and now they'd cost me not having my girl in my bed as I had planned to, I reached out for my phone, checked the time and it displays 2:53 am, it's midnight already, we'd gone for the meeting at around 3 pm, the shoot out had happened around 4 pm, it takes at least 30 minutes to drive down from the location of the meeting back to the Gomez's mansion, and so it meant I had been asleep since around 5 pm yesterday, damn, I slept for way too long already. I tried getting out of bed to get a cup of water, I was damn thirsty, and as I stirred struggling to get up, Amy woke immediately.

Her face still looking all sleepy and innocent, "you need anything?" She asked, in her voice that sounded so soft.

"Water" I croaked, my throat was dry.

"Okay"

She walked to my fridge and took out a cup and a bottle of water, I watched as she poured the water into the cup, came back, half staggering, and handed the cup to me, I downed the contents of the cup.

"You want more?" She asked.

"No, I'm fine now" I replied.

"If there is anything I can help with sir, do let me know," she said to me, sounding so formal as though building a wall between us, it hurt my heart.

She sat back on the chair beside my bed, but I knew she wanted to sleep, and sitting there was more or less like a punishment to her body.

"You could sleep in the bed if you want," I said, trying not to sound concerned but emotionless, "it's big enough for two" She looked at me defeatedly.

"Don't mind if I do" she said, found her way, climbed into the bed from the other side, slipped under the covers, and lay there.

"Have you decided?" I asked, but I was met with the sound of soft snores, she must have been so tired to easily go into dreamland. I contemplated in the darkness alone before slowly drifting to sleep and in no time, I was also in Dreamland.

***

I woke up to the feeling of a gentle soft weight over me, it was Amy's body on mine, somehow, her head was now lying on my chest and I could feel some sting of pain here and there from the wound I had incurred the day before, but the pain was worth it, as I couldn't wake her from her sleep just yet, I found myself staring at her just as I have done for the past one week, she really was beautiful and her face gave me some inner peace and still that I couldn't comprehend.

As I laid my eyes open, lost in my thoughts, the door flung open, I didn't have to look to know who would swing my door like that, it was none other than Vinny, along with the opening of the door came mutterings, I could hear the voices of Evelyn, Simone, Micky, coupled with Vinny's voice.

"Will he be awake now?" I could hear Vinny ask as they made their way into the dimly lit room.

It's still early and with the window blinds not opened and the lights off, he probably didn't see well into the room.

"He should be," Simone replied him.

"I hope boss made it through the night," young Micky said in his innocent voice with all the care in the world.

I lay there on the bed, unable to move due to my circumstances with Amy and wishing deeply in my head that they'd just leave without turning the lights on, and as though the universe decided to rebel against me, I heard Evelyn say.

"Could we turn the lights on, Vinny,"

And heard Vinny reply, "Yes, we should."

With that, in a matter of 4 seconds, the lights came on, my eyes met with that of Simone, Micky, and Vinny staring in shock, silence enveloping the room, and as Evelyn turned from the switch, her questioning eyes joined that of the trio.

They stood there blocking the entrance, for minutes, unsure of what to say, or do.

"What are you all doing standing there?" Kelly said, as she walked into the room holding a tray filled with drugs and syringes, Simone must have given them to her, I mentally noted.

As she came in the room, and saw the position I was in, the tray in her hands came crashing with the floor, immediately, and in reaction to the noise, Amy woke up.