FIFTY THREE
Sin’s Pov.
“There is always something that could be done.” I was so fucking pissed off with myself.
I tried to come up with a plan or something while tapping my fingers against my leg. Without any advice on how to win Mani over, what the hell was I going to do when I needed to make her feel something for me?
“I’d like to know that I’m not required to share you with another woman,” she remarked.
I paused in answering as the waiter chose the wrong time to bring us some food. I wanted to get to the bottom of her doubt in me, letting her know that I wanted no one but her and making my intentions known. Instead, I gritted my teeth and smiled, pretending like everything was okay. It wasn’t.
Once we were alone, I stared into her eyes. “I’m used to women wanting me. I’m not trying to sound arrogant or anything; I’m just stating facts,” I said.
She grinned. “I know. I have witnessed how women treat you. It must be just awful.”© NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.
“I’ve never had to put much effort into getting what I want.”
Mani cocked her head in one direction. ” And you must put forth a lot of effort for me?”
“Yes.”
“Do you..?” However, there was a huge noise followed by an explosion, so her query was never heard.
I turned to face the restaurant’s main entrance and noticed five men walking in while wearing black masks, which immediately put me on high alert.
My attention drifted back to Mani; I had to get her out of there.
Gunshots filled the place.
I grabbed her hand and immediately pulled her in front of me as I felt the gunshots whizz past me. Were they trying to kill her? or me?
Rushing her through the back kitchen, I ordered everyone to get down. As I got to the main exits, Luca was already there.
“Mateo and Diego followed them in,” he said.
Just as we exited onto the street, I banded an arm around Mani’s waist to keep her by my side. We turned down the long street, and as we did, two men advanced on us. Luca took one, and I had no choice but to let Mani go, to deal with the other man.
I pushed Mani behind a dumpster, hoping it would provide her with enough coverage.
Slamming My fist against the masked man’s face, I took him down by surprise, and while he was trying to regain his balance, I was able to tear the mask from him, getting a better look at his face, and I didn’t recognize the scarred man.
“Who sent you?” I asked.
“There is no saving her,” the man said. “We are going to make sure she is dead!”
I pulled out a gun and shot him on both his legs and hands. His cries filled the night. As much as I wanted to shoot him dead, I needed more information as to who he was working for.
More gunshots rang out.
Luca stumbled toward me, his face covered in blood.
“What the fuck happened?” I asked.
Mateo and Diego chose that moment to come out of the back of the restaurant. “We need to get you back home,” Mateo said.
“What you need to do is tell me what the fuck happened.”
I watched as Mani stepped out from where she had hidden.
“Fuck!” I muttered, walking toward her, but a single gunshot rang out, and I rushed toward her, capturing her as she fell into my arms.
Her hand went to her chest.
“Mani?”
The pain in her eyes stared back at me. She lifted her shaking hands away from her chest, and I saw the blood.
“No!” I screamed the word, lifting her in my arms, and carrying her toward the car.
“Sin?”
“Kill him,” I said, ordering Mateo to kill the man who’d gotten a shot at Mani.
I placed Mani, who was so fucking quiet, into the car and then rushed toward the front of the car but found Luca standing there.
“I should drive,” Luca said. I walked past him, getting into the car before slamming the driver’s door shut.
“Shit, Sin. You’re in no fit state to drive.” I ignored his words and turned on the ignition.
“Fucking hell,” Luca yelled, as he grabbed the back passenger door and was able to climb behind me.
Pushing my foot to the floor, I took off. The car jerked left and right with the speed that I was using, but I couldn’t care less; I needed to get Mani to the hospital. Glancing at her, I saw the blood seeping from her clothes, making me instantly press my hand to her chest.
“Mani, stay with me.”
The nearest hospital was ten minutes away. It was the longest ten minutes of my life as I pressed my foot to the gas, losing count of the cars I had nearly hit. Mani was starting to look way too pale.
“Stay with me, amore. I’m here. “Don’t close your eyes.” She didn’t speak, and I saw her eyes were closed.
“Fuck! I need you to keep your eyes open for me, love, uh.. stay with me, Mani, amore.”
Luca leaned forward, cupping her face. He’d already removed the headrest and was able to get to her.
“Come on, Mani, wake up. You can’t go to sleep.” He pressed his fingers against her neck. “Her pulse is weak.”
“Do not let her die.”
“Mateo will be meeting us in the hospital soon; I already informed Zoey.” Luca says.
“Did we get any of them alive?”
“No. You told them to kill them. Now they’re just cleaning up the bodies.”
This was bad. I knew that, but that fucker had a gun, and he’d hurt Mani. This was all on me. I’d put her life in danger.
Arriving at the hospital, I parked near the front doors and climbed out, leaving the ignition running. I rushed over to the other side of the car until I got to Mani and opened the door. Her eyes were still closed. Picking her up in my arms, I ran into the hospital screaming. I didn’t know what the hell happened next, but Mani was taken from me, and I seemed to realize I was in a private room.
“Are you okay, man?” Luca asked.
“What the fuck just happened?” I went to rub my face, but soon realized Mani’s blood was on my hands.
“You definitely frightened the staff.” You literally threatened to kill them if anything happened to Mani. You don’t have to worry; Samantha is handling the matter. One of the nurses brought you here, and Mani was taken to emergency surgery.”
“She shouldn’t have been shot,” I said. “That shit is on me. She can’t die.”
“It’s not your fault; how were you to know that you were followed?” Luca asked.
I spun toward him, glaring. “I should have taken better fucking precautions! Then this wouldn’t have happened.”
“That could have been you,” Luca said.
“It would have been better if I was.”
“Do not say that.”
“But it’s the truth.” I sighed. “I can’t believe I put Mani’s life in danger.”
“We are definitely going to get to the bottom of this, so quit blaming yourself for what happened.” Luca said. “All you both wanted was to have a good time; you weren’t expecting to get attacked by some masked men.” I let out a deep sigh, staring at the blood in my hands. “Who do you think would be behind this attack? Romanov?”
“I don’t think so,” I said, shaking my head. “He isn’t one to hide behind a mask or men.”
“That’s true; with everything that’s happened, I think there’s a third party in play, someone trying to make it all seem like Lorenzo is involved. We still don’t know what their game plan is. Is it to start a war or something much more personal?”
I looked toward Luca to see a frown on his face. “I need to make a call,” Luca said. “I will not be far.”
I instantly got to my feet when I saw the doctor approaching, rushing over to his side. The doctor gave me a grim look, and I felt my stomach start to twist. A grim look wasn’t good. What did that mean?
“Was the surgery not successful?”
The older man sighed. “We have done our best, and though the surgery is a success, it is always the next twenty-four hours that are most worrisome. She is not out of the woods yet till she scales through the night.”
“Can I go see her?” I asked.
“Yes, though she is unconscious at the moment.”
I nodded, moving down the long corridor, going through a double set of doors, and moving toward the private room. When I stepped into the room, the beeping machines echoed. There were none on her mouth or face. She had a couple on her fingers, and she had something on her arm as well. I didn’t know what it was.
All I could do was hope that she made it through the night.