Page 3 of Reckless Games

"We need to go to the hospital right now!" Her words pierced through the haze of pain, and I released a ragged breath. The weight of impending doom settled over me. I couldn't riskgoing to the hospital. It would only lead to trouble for her, not me.

“No.”

"But—" her protest was feeble, drowned out by the overwhelming darkness that swallowed me whole. As consciousness slipped away, I surrendered to the void.

***

I was pulled back from the depths of darkness. As my eyes fluttered open, I found myself in an unfamiliar room, bathed in the harsh, sterile light of a hospital. The beeping of medical machines and the antiseptic smell confirmed my location.

Attempting to sit up, a wave of dizziness washed over me, accompanied by a sharp jolt of pain that radiated from my left shoulder, coursing through the middle of my chest. Gasping, I glanced down, only to be met with the sight of my body swathed in layers of pristine white bandages, my shirt nowhere in sight.

And everything finally started coming back to me. The meeting, the attack. I had been injured badly. Memories of the grenade blast flooded back; everything was etched into my mind. But how did I end up here? And then it hit me.

The girl!

Struggling against the throbbing ache in my shoulder, I surveyed the room, searching for clues. There were medical charts and equipment surrounding me. I definitely looked out of place here.

The door creaked open, and a figure appeared in the doorway with concern etched into her features. The same girl who left me breathless at such a crucial time. "You're awake," she breathed, her voice soft and soothing. I had a look of confusion plastered on my face so she went on explaining. "Youtook two bullets and were out for twelve hours after the surgery. But don't worry, you're safe now."

Safe. I wanted to laugh at the irony. If anything, she was the one who needed saving from my world. As she approached, my eyes remained fixed on her and I took her in greedily. The way her blue eyes sparkled. The way her soft lips moved while forming words. The way her sweet voice was music to my ears. Everything was irritating me to the core. Because I was enjoying looking at her when I shouldn’t.

“How are you feeling?” she asked. Now, the problem was that I never talked to anyone much about anything to begin with. Most of the time, I don't even acknowledge the person talking to me. But right now, right here, my heart wanted to make an exception for her. So, I nodded. Of course, I wasn't in the best shape, but I was still better.

“Before you ask, the bullets were removed. You've got five stitches. I know you said we couldn't go to a hospital. But I had no other choice. The senior surgeon is a friend here, so he took care of your case. He said you could pay once you wake up.” She smiled sheepishly at me. I raised a brow in question.

“I always wanted to become a surgeon. This was the very ward I was appointed to. That’s why I know a few people from here. I was almost done with my training, but I couldn't afford the expenses anymore since I was really tight on money after my parents’ deaths.” Her aura was literally radiating innocence. I could practically see the invisible, glowy ring of an angel suspended atop her head. “Umm... also, this might become a police case.” Her words hung in the air, and I heaved an exasperated sigh. This was exactly why I hadn’t wanted to come to the hospital. It wasn’t that I couldn’t handle the police; I could make them disappear with a snap of my fingers. But I had no patience for their fake concern and their insufferable meddling.They’d pretend to care, hoping to get on my good side, and I had no time for such nonsense.

But what I didn't understand was, why the heck was I waiting here, listening to her explanation in the first place? Oh yeah, because I was fucking shot!

“If you don't mind me asking, who are you? And are you in any trouble? I mean, whatever happened back at the club...” She trailed off. Who would tell her thatI wasthe trouble? Even trouble was a light way to put it. I was a whole raging, chaotic storm she needed to stay away from.

“Why were you at the club?” My voice came out heavier and raspier than I intended.

“I work there. Although I'm not sure if I can continue now that it's... well, it blew up in the fire seconds after we escaped,” she chuckled awkwardly, and I could see she was nervous. Which meant that she was intimidated by my presence.Good. But it also made me wonder: does she always help random strangers like this frequently? Was she really this naive? For some reason, the thought didn't sit well with me.

“Um...” she fished for her phone in her jeans pocket before handing it to me. “You can call someone from your home to come and see you. Just share the GPS location with them. I'm sure it wouldn't be so hard to find this place. I'll get you something to eat,” she smiled sincerely. She was a literal fucking angel in the shape of a human, interacting with the deadliest devil anyone could have heard of in this part of the state. The best part was that she had freaking no clue about it. The cherry on top: she didn't even bother pestering me about who I was, even after she witnessed me with guns, and let's not forget the whole war zone. I mean, she did ask, but I never answered. Her innocence made me want to corrupt her in the worst possible way. But at the moment, I pushed the thought aside.

“I'll wait outside till you're done then,” she said after realizing I wasn't going to say anything. I dialed Giovanni, hoping he was still alive. Thankfully, he picked up after three rings.

"Hello?"

"It's Lorenzo."

"The hell, Capo! We have been worried sick." He screamed on the other side. "Where the heck are you?" I explained everything to him. "Stay right there. We are coming to pick you up."

“Take care of the police and the bills on your way,” With that, I hung up.

Angel—I decided to call her since I didn't know her name yet—returned after some time with a tray of food in her hands and sat at the corner of the bed. "Did you call anyone?" she asked. I nodded in reply.

"That's good," she said, giving me a hopeful smile. "You must be hungry. Here. I ordered some pasta. I hope you enjoy it." She pushed the tray towards me. But my left hand was injured, and I couldn't move it much due to the bullet wound on my shoulder. And yes, I was left handed. She saw my struggle, and the wheels turned in her head.

"If you don't mind, I can help you." Giving her another nod, she moved closer beside me and lifted the fork up to my lips. I slowly wrapped my lips around the steel utensil before releasing it clean. All the while, my eyes were fixed on her in a heated gaze, but she concentrated on feeding me. She wasn't scared of me like others were. And that made me frown. But maybe it was because she didn't even know my name yet. It's not a surprise not everyone knows what I look like, yet my name is enough to make them wet their pants. But the fact that I wasn’t bothered by her not being scared of me, bothered me. Why the fuck was I letting this happy-go-lucky sunshine girl feed me?

By the time the plate was clean, she put the tray aside, got up to grab some tissue, and cleaned my mouth. Her eyes made contact with mine for a brief second before she broke it nervously.

"What's your name?" she asked after much thinking.

The door to the room slammed open, causing her to flinch and me to snap my attention to it. My hand instinctively reached to my pants for the gun, only to realize I didn't have it. Fuck, I was in the patient gown. But my tension melted away as I recognized the familiar figure stepping through the threshold: Giovanni, flanked by a few of my men. Typical of him to barge in with all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop. I had explicitly told him on the phone that the girl posed no threat. I sighed at his recklessness, cursing his impulsive nature under my breath.

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