Page 49 of Sweet Venom
Another roar cuts through the traffic. This time, from the opposite direction.
The van does a U-turn in the distance as a motorcycle tears down the street, a faceless figure clad in black behind the handlebars.
Crack!
The gunshot rings out, and I flinch, pulling away on unsteady knees toward the wall for cover.
Crack!
Mario jerks, his shoulder snapping backward, his balance faltering as the rider speeds past, disappearing down the street.
He’s hit.
Mario’s hit!
My breath comes in short, shallow bursts as I stand up and scramble forward, my legs trembling, blood dripping down my knees from where my skin met the asphalt.
Mario stumbles as the van speeds toward us again.
I don’t think as I shove him out of the way and then slam against the wall and slide to the ground from the impact.
A rush of air whips past me as the van swerves, nearly hitting us.
The world slows.
Then speeds up all at once.
The tires shriek against the asphalt as it peels away, disappearing around the corner as fast as it came.
It’s over.
Are they…gone?
My hands tremble as I push myself up, my chest heaving, the adrenaline leaving a metallic taste on my tongue. My knees sting, but my gaze snaps to Mario, who’s standing with his eyes narrowed on where the van and motorcycle disappeared as he sheathes his gun.
“Oh my God—your arm.”
It’s bleeding, a deep, angry wound blossoming across his upper arm, staining his jacket. His face is set in stone as he presses a hand to it.
I dig into my bag, my hands shaking, rummaging, searching?—
My fingers wrap around the bottle of pills, and I offer a couple to him. “They’re not much, but they might help with the pain.” My voice wavers, my pulse wild. “You should go to the hospital.”
Mario stares at me, then at the pills.
For a second, I think he won’t take them.
But he snatches them from my hand and swallows them dry.
A brief pause. A shift in the air.
Now that I’m looking closely at him, Mario seems younger than I initially assumed. His black hair is damp with sweat, and his lips are slightly pale.
“Thanks.” His rough and unused voice rips through the air, speaking the only word he’s ever said to me.
It’s so unexpected that my lips twitch in a smile before I can stop them. “Don’t mention it. You saved me as well.”
He keeps staring, not saying anything.
