Page 21 of Untouchable

Still here.

My phone beeps to let me know it’s charged enough to come back on, and I pick it up, seeing all the missed texts and calls from Tabitha telling me she went to visit her parents for the week and to call herASAPto tell her what I’ve been up to. Then I click into a new message, typing in the number from my arm.

Me

Why are you still here? I told you the door was locked.

Ace

I wanted to make sure you still text me.

Me

Why?

Of course. He never replies.

CHAPTER 13

Ace

“BLACKJACK?”

Ihave no reasonable explanation for why I waited for Katarina to text me before leaving her building this morning. Other than the fact that I wanted to have her number. It’s like every single rule I’ve put in place for myself regarding her is beginning to crumble right before my eyes, and I have no idea how to stop it. I pull up to the hospital, finding a majority of Drengr’s bikes lined up at the back of the lot. When I make it to the desk, the lady behind it eyes me carefully.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes, I’m looking for Vi—uh, Vincent Miller.” She clicks around on her computer, looking at me with sympathetic eyes.

“He’s still in surgery.” Ice cold fear shoots down my spine.

“He’s been here forhours,that can’t be good. Right?”

“I’m afraid I can’t say. We can only give updates to the immediate family.” Anger rises in my chest as my fist slams against the desk.

“Wearehis family! The pieces of shit that share his blood couldn’t be bothered to show up, butwe’rehere.Wecare what happens to him. We deserveto know whether or not he’ll make it?—”

Mikey pulls me away from the desk. “Ace, hey. Come on, man. She doesn’t deserve the wrath that’s meant for someone else. Let’s go cool off, alright?” I shake my head, every tear I would shed if I had the ability to cry, turning to lava in my chest. I take a deep breath, walking with him to the waiting area where everyone else is.

“So we don’t know anything?” I ask him. He shakes his head and sits down in his chair with a cup of coffee.

Come on, Viper. You gotta make it.

I drop into the chair next to Mikey, leaning my head against the wall. The fluorescent lighting in here is painful to look at, so I close my eyes and try to think of anything other than the doctor coming in here and telling us he’s gone. I can’t stop playing last night on a loop. Wondering what I could have done to stop Striker sooner, to keep Viper from getting shot. If I’d been faster or played it cool when he talked about Katarina, would things have ended differently? I look over at the woman at the desk who is dealing with yet another difficult visitor and immediately feel guilty for my unwarranted outburst. When the old woman, who was raising her voice over not being able to take something to the patient she’s here to see, finally leaves, I stand up and walk over there.

I clear my throat to get the nurse’s attention, and a hesitant look washes over her though, she says nothing. “I apologize. For my previous outburst, and for the disrespectful way I spoke to you.” The look of shock on her facealmostmakes me want to laugh.

She shakes her head. “Oh. Um. Thank you.”

“I know you’re only doing your job, and dealing with overwhelmed family members must get difficult. I didn’t mean to add to that stress. No one should start their day with someone else’s bullshit.” She laughs at that and grabs her bag from underneath her desk.

“Lucky for you, I'm working the night shift. This is the end of my day, not the start.” I laugh, nodding at her positive spin on the situation.

“Well then, goodnight miss…Barbara.” I wink at her, and she gives me a flirty look before leaving her station.

I breathe a sigh of relief that I was able to right that wrong before she left, though it’s a short-lived peace when I see a doctor approaching the rest of our group.

“I’m looking for the family of Vincent Miller?”

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