Luca nodded, his dark eyes hard, and jogged off. Davide was a tall and thin guy with a receding hairline and dark bags under his eyes. He knelt down at the bodies and began to rifle through their pockets. Aldo joined him, a short guy with a broad chest, a shaved head, and a wide jaw.
I walked past them and stepped into the bodega. I knew this place had a security camera, but the owners didn’t actually tape anything. Otherwise the Irish would never have posted up outside of this particular store to do their dirty business.
I looked around the room. A rack had been pushed over and a man with light brown skin, a black shirt, and jeans was leaning over the counter, his eyes wide with fright. I had planned on robbing the place, just to send a message to the Irish that nothing was safe, but I followed the guy’s gaze and stared down at a girl lying on the floor.
She had a shock of deep red hair, long and thick. She wore a white crop top that showed off her tight stomach and high waisted black shorts. Her breasts heaved with each hard breath she took and her bright green eyes were wide and wild with fright.
Blood seeped out from a wound in her shoulder.
“Shit,” I said.
“She needs… she needs help.” The owner’s eyes went wide when he saw me and the gun I was holding. He threw his hands up into the air and stepped back.
I pointed the gun at him. “You call someone, I kill you,” I said.
“But… she’s shot. She’s not… part of this.” He shook his head. “Please, I won’t call the police. Let me ask for am ambulance.”
The girl groaned and writhed. She pressed a hand against the wound and let out a sob. She was beautiful, and I felt a stab of anger rush through me.
Fucking Aldo and Davide. They got sloppy and excited, lit the place up for no fucking reason. We only had to kill three guys, just to kick things off, and there was no need to empty an entire magazine into them.
“No,” I said. “I’ll take care of her.”
“What—” The owner’s eyes went wide. “No! You can’t kill her! Please, no!”
I looked at him. “Do you really think I’m going to murder some fucking girl?” I asked.
He opened his mouth then shut it again.
I walked to him and aimed the gun at his forehead.
“Get on the floor,” I said.
He hesitated, then sunk down. He got to his knees, staring at the vinyl tiles.
“If you move, if you look, I will end you,” I said.
Then I turned away and shoved the Glock into my waistband. I hurried to the girl and knelt down beside her. She looked at me, face drawn and pale.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
She opened her mouth, grimaced, shut it again. I moved her hand away from the wound and pressed my own hand against it.
“Come on,” I said. “What’s your name?”
“Colleen,” she said.
“All right Colleen. My name’s Steven, and I’m going to take care of you.”
“Wait,” she said. “I need a hospital. Please, I need an ambulance.”
“Can’t do that, sweetheart,” I said, then scooped her up into my arms and stood.
She didn’t weigh much. I tried to be careful but she moaned with pain, her head thrown back. I looked at her body, at the wound in her shoulder, and carried her to the door. I walked fast and the owner looked up, fear and shock in his face. I hesitated before leaving.
“Tell anyone about this,” I said, “and I’ll come back.”
I left the store. Davide looked up from where he was taking a watch off one of the dead guys. He stood and gaped at the girl.
“Boss,” he said. “What the fuck is that?”
“Help me get her in the car,” I said.
Davide just stood there, mouth hanging open. I looked at Aldo and kicked him in the foot. He stood up, staggered back, blinked a few times.
“Help me, you fucking idiots,” I said, rage flowing through me.
Davide snapped out of it and hurried down the sidewalk. I followed, trying not to jostle the girl too much. She groaned in pain and I knew she needed help soon. Davide reached my car, a simple black SUV preferred by the Leone Family, and threw open the back door. I got the girl in there as gently as I could.
“Find Luca,” I said. “Tell him what happened. Tell him I’m taking her to my place.”
“You’re taking her to your place?” He stared at me and shook his head. “Boss, you can’t just—”
“If I have to tell you one more time, Davide, I’m going to break your fingers.”
He took a step back and nodded. “Right, yes sir. I’ll take care of it.”
He turned and ran off. I watched him go before climbing into the front seat of the car.
The girl was trying to sit up. She glared at me, a hand over her wounded shoulder.
“What are you doing?” she asked. “Where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere safe,” I said. I took my phone out of the glove compartment and started flipping through the contacts. I stopped when I reached the number for Dr. Chen, and sent a message.
When that was done, I started the engine and took off. Luca could get a ride with Davide and Aldo. They’d regroup and meet up with me later.
Right now, I had to take care of this girl.
I don’t know what I was thinking. I could’ve called an ambulance and left her there. I didn’t have to take her, and I could still drive her to the emergency room, shove her out the door, and leave her. That wound didn’t look like it was going to kill her, and she wasn’t bleeding so bad that she’d die anytime soon.
But as I drove back to my place, my phone buzzed.
Chen: How bad is the patient?
Me: Gunshot. Shoulder.
Chen: I can be
