I roll my eyes. “I thought everyone thought I was dead?”
Alec smirks and opens the huge iron door. “Enter at your own risk, man.” I smoothly walk through, trying to ignore how violently my heart is hammering in my chest. Once inside, I see all the big names sitting around at their individual tables. My eyes immediately float to the table towards the pool table. Usually, it was my dad’s spot but now it has been claimed by Nick. I touch my gun poking through my back pocket. It’s now or never.
I glide through the crowd and feel the eyes on me. Anyone could take a shot at me if they wanted. No one would care. I’m a traitor, after all. I hear the murmurs and once I step in front of Nick, I hear guns being cocked.
Nick’s mouth hangs open. “You’ve got some balls coming in here.”
“Where is she?” I blurt out.
“All this for Rosa?” Nick snaps, rising to his feet. “You’re dumb coming back.” I reach back and pull out my gun.
“Maybe, but she’s in this because of me,” I press.
“No, she’s in this because of her lowlife father,” Nick says as he moves closer to me. “According to her, you’re no better than Ralph Newton. So, you stepping back into New York was stupid.”
I’m not afraid of him or the circle of men getting even closer to me. “Fine, what are you gonna do now that you’re his puppet?” Nick doesn’t waste any time with retaliation. He raises his fist and slams it into my face. Then, all hell breaks loose. I fall to the ground and kick and punch at Nick as the others try to grab me. Before I know it, other men are pushing into guys and the bar is in one big brawl. A gunshot fires and I stay low to the ground. I feel a hand grab my ankle and when I look up, I see Nick’s fierce eyes.
“Follow me!” he roars over the mess. I crawl behind as bullets fly past me. The dark lights thankfully save us and we make it out of another entrance. Nick tugs me down a dark alley and we’re running as fast as our legs can take us. We end up several blocks away from the bar and I’m still shocked we’re not dead.
Nick slumps to the ground with his hand holding onto his side as blood pours out of a wound.
“Shit, I gotta take you to the hospital,” I roar but Nick holds up his hand.
“No, down the alleyway. Take me there,” he pants.
“Are you insane?” I snap. “You’ll bleed out!”
Nick glares at me. “Just do as I say! I know these parts better than you!” I reluctantly put him over my shoulder and run in the direction he tells me to. The alleyway narrows out and I realize it’s not like the other alleyways I’m used to. Nick reaches into his pocket to pull out a blue phone, punching three numbers. Suddenly, a side door that I thought was just brick, bursts open. A wild-eyed woman with short hair glares at me.
“Nick, what the hell is this?” she yells as she pulls out a gun.
“Easy! He’s been shot,” I yell. Nick is losing blood by the second and looks extremely pale. The woman keeps the gun out but gestures for me to follow her. As soon as the door is shut behind us, I walk into a whole new world.
“What is this?” I ask in awe. She pauses at another entrance and knocks on a green door.
“A place built to protect us from assholes like you,” she snaps. The door swings open and Dr. Carmy rushes out.
“Dr. Carmy?” I squeak. He ignores me and helps Nick inside where an operating table is in the middle of the room.
“Not the time, Vinny,” he says. “He’s losing blood rapidly and I don’t know if we have his blood match.”
“Use me. He donated blood to me once and we’re a perfect match,” I say. The woman and Dr. Carmy stare at me blankly.
“We have no choice,” Dr. Carmy says. “Jodie, get him prepped. Time is of the essence.” Jodie rolls her eyes and pulls out the tools. Nick is already unconscious and I’m rethinking whether or not my plan of finding Rosa was worth it. If I lose Nick, even though I was already betting on it, I don’t know how I’ll feel.
Dr. Carmy starts the blood transfusion and keeps his eye on the door down the hall. Beads of sweat roll down the side of his face. I also look down the hall, slightly worried someone might come out and take me out.
“My dad knows you’re out here?” I ask, slightly woozy from the blood loss.
He sighs. “Does he know you’re here?”
The door down the hall creaks open and Dr. Carmy groans. “Brace yourself.”
Before I can react, I hear her. Rosa.
“Nick?” she cries as she rushes over to him, not even noticing me. I try to stand up but Dr. Carmy squeezes my arm.
“What happened?” she screams, turning to face Dr. Carmy and finally seeing me. Her mouth drops open. I expect her to throw a punch but tears fill her eyes.