Chapter 32 Machine
THIRTY-TWO
MACHINE
“Are you sure you want to leave?”
I watched Badger with my arms crossed over my chest. After the funeral and celebration of life, she’d come home and let me know that Chief had told her it was safe for her to go back home.
She looked up from her suitcase. “We both knew that this was temporary, Evan.”
The sound of my name on her lips made my heart flutter. I wanted her to stay. I wasn’t ready for this to end. I stepped closer to her, needing her in my arms. I needed to touch her. I needed to feel that she was still real and that I didn’t imagine everything that had happened between us.
“Please stay. Stay, Jessica,” I begged, touching her arm. I knew I sounded pathetic, but I didn’t care.
She looked up at me with pleading eyes. “You know I can’t.”
I bristled. “Why can’t you?”
Badger let out a sigh. “Because I was following an order, and now I’m following another one.”
My fists clenched at my sides. “This isn’t an order; you are choosing to take the easy way out. You can’t deny that there is something here between us!”
Badger glared at me, her piercing blue eyes staring into my soul as she pointed at me. “Don’t, don’t go there.”
My anger burned inside me. Why was she doing this? Why was she leaving when we were just getting started?
Her hand went to her side, and she let out a sigh. “We’ve had fun, Machine, but we both knew this wasn’t going to last.”
“Please, don’t do this,” I said softly, looking at the ground. I was pathetic. Of course she wouldn’t want to stay with me.
Badger cupped my cheek. “It’s for the best. I need to be focused on finding my sister. I can’t—”
I glared at her and moved from her touch, feeling empty as soon as I did.
“Fine, go.”
Before she could respond, I walked out of the room and out of the penthouse, slamming the door as I left.
I was walking back to the penthouse, my mind swimming from the conversation with Badger.
“We both knew that this was only temporary.” Her words had shoved me into a vortex that I couldn’t seem to get out of.
“Please stay. Stay, Jessica.” My words had only made me look weak. Of course she wouldn’t have stayed. Why would she? She was only staying with me because of the damn letters, and now that Ricci was gone, she was free to go.
She was no longer bound by an order. Of course she wouldn’t want to stay with me. I was broken. Sure, we had some awesome sex, but that’s all it was. Something physical.
My self-deprecating thoughts were cut off when I heard tires squeal and the sound of men shouting as they jumped out of a blacked-out SUV.
Before I knew what was happening, I was being jumped by four shorter men in suits.
I threw out my fists and hit two of my assailants’ faces, but it was no use.
It was four on one. As three of the men grabbed my arms, the other stood in front of us with his gun drawn and pointing right at my head.
I recognized these guys. They were Stefanos’ men.
I looked toward the SUV and saw Stefanos on the phone, a grin on his face. I glared at him, anger coursing through me.
I was snapped out of my trance as white-hot pain hit me, and then again. I wasn’t even sure where they had shot me; my whole body hurt. I grunted as I slumped forward, and the men let me fall to the ground.
“Tell your boss that if he fucks with the Sinaloas again, this will look like child’s play,” one of the men said in a heavy Spanish accent before spitting on me.
I clenched my stomach, pain radiating through my body. I heard car doors slam and tires squeal as the men left me alone on the ground.
My phone began to ring incessantly in my pocket. After the third time it went off, I finally mustered enough strength to retrieve it and answer the call.
“Hel—” I choked out.
“Where are you?!” Kade demanded through the speaker.
“Mason Street,” I coughed.
“Hang in there, compagno!”
I wasn’t sure how much time passed before I heard Kade’s voice and felt him trying to move me. Everything felt numb. My shoulder and stomach throbbed and only hurt worse as Kade tried to pull me to his vehicle.
“Hang on compagno, stay awake for me, buddy,” Kade called over his shoulder while he zipped through the city’s streets. I was distantly aware of him saying more, but I couldn’t focus on it as my vision faded to black.
I woke to nurses and doctors in green scrubs, connecting me to cords and machines.
My heart began to race as panic took over.
I couldn’t be in a hospital. Not again. I couldn’t bear to be here.
I started to thrash and buck as the medical staff tried to pin me down. I couldn’t breathe; I was going to die.
“Mr. Amaro, we need you to stay still. We need to stop the bleeding,” one of the doctors said, holding my shoulder.
“Get the fuck off of me,” I cried out as a nurse tried to put an IV in. I fought back as five medical personnel held me down.
“Get me lorazepam!” I heard the doctor call out.
I swung my good arm, clocking one of the figures that held me down. I heard them cry out in pain, but it wasn’t good enough. I needed to be out of here. Before I knew what was happening, I felt a rush of warmth spread over me, and I slipped into darkness.