73

REYNA

=unedited. please comment any mistakes so I can fix them=

Saint barged into my room and grabbed ahold of my arm.

"We got to go, now!" he exclaimed frantically. My violin fell to the floor as he dragged me out of my room. I turned to see if there was any damage to the one thing I knew could give me wings and fly the hell away from the hell that was life.

I didn't get much time to inspect it before Saint pulled me around the corner and down the hallway until we were out the door. The night sky was brighter than normal. Stars freckled the sky, and like a thief that took credit, the moon shined the sun's light. There was no crickets and no sounds other than our feet crunching the grass beneath us. It was as close to silent as night had ever been.

We continued to Saint's car, and the sight of it only succeeded in bringing memories of just a few hours ago that I wanted to forget.

He opened the passenger door for me so I could get in before walking around to driver's side. It didn't take long for us to pull off down the road. Saint was especially wasting no time. He was doubling over the speed limit, probably reaching new speeds that the roads have ever witnessed.

With each passing second, I could hear the acceleration of the car growing.

I turned to look at Saint, noticing the furrow of his brow and the vein popping out of his neck as he gripped the sterring wheel so hard that his knuckles were white.

"What is happening?" I asked.

It was as if he only just remembered I was in the vehicle with him. He loosened his grip on the wheel and slowed down just a little, but not enough for the speed limit.

"Put on your seatbelt, Angel," he said.

I reached over and pulled the seatbelt down so I could buckle it in. He let out a satisfied sigh at the sound of the click of the buckle.

Instead of answering my question, he turned on the radio. Italian music shot out of the speakers before he went to lower the volume. On the big touchscreen of his car, I could read that the name of the song was Vivo Per Lei by Andrea Bocelli.

I didn't know much Italian, but what I could grasp was the soulful sound of the song and the way it tugged at my numbed heart. A tear wanted to fall from my eye.

"It says..." Saint began. "I live for her since I first met her. I don't remember how, but she entered my soul and she stayed there. I live for her because she makes my heart vibrate strongly. I live for her and it's not a burden... She often knows how to be sweet and sensual sometimes it hits you in the head but it's a punch that doesn't hurt. I live for her," he translated.

It made me think of my mother, and with that thought, a tear had actually fallen from my eye. I glanced over at Saint to see he was already looking at me. His eyes were glossed over as if he was lost in thought. The song kept playing, and he just kept staring.

Suddenly, he cleared his thoughts and turned back to the road with a clenched jaw.

"Fuck," he muttered before turning off the radio.

I turned away from him to look out the window. Letting all the time fly by like the car speeding through the wind.

Not too soon after, we finally got to our destination. I only just noticed it was a huge building and the words 'Northwest Chicago Hospital' grasped my attention.

Saint drove to the front of the building before stopping the car. He pulled out his phone, sent a quick text, and he turned to me.

"I have to go handle something back at Viktor's place and that brothel. Go in there and find Adriano, okay?" Saint asked me. His brows were raised as he looked me in the eye.

"W-What are you doing?" I questioned.

"Reyna..." he began.

"I-"

I couldn't formulate the words I wanted to say. He continued to look at me, patiently waiting for me to continue.

"I don't want to lose anyone else," I whispered. "I just... you're all I really have left."

His shoulders fell at my confession. I let him unbuckle my seatbelt and wrap his arms around me where he pulled me into his chest and kissed the top of my forehead.

"Don't worry... nothing will happen to me for as long as I think about how badly I need to have your legs wrapped around me again someday," he joked.

It was almost enough to make me crack a smile. If it wasn't for the weight pulling not only my heart but the corners of my lips down, he probably would've succeeded.

"Go. I'll be back to come to get you in the morning. I don't really like hospitals, so I'll be out here when you're ready," he said. I pulled away from him and opened the door just before stepping out.

"If you need me, just know I'm tracking you... I've been tracking you," I told him just before closing the door. I didn't give him a chance to say anything as I headed into the hospital.

It smelled strongly of cleanliness, and mops that needed to be washed. The lights were this bright white that could most resemble someone would use for a spotlight. Everything from the tile to walls were white. There was a large waiting room with almost no one in there except for a sleeping older man in the corner and another older man in a wheelchair right beside him, watching whatever was on the television.

The receptionist was smiling at me. I ignored the big stand of gloves and hand sanitizer for people who came in ill, and instead, I walked over to her.

Her brown hair was in a tight low bun and her big hazel eyes gleamed at me. "Hello, how can I help you?"

"Hi! I'm looking for-"

"Reyna!" Adriano called. I looked over at the source of his voice to see him standing by the patient entry doors. At the sight of him the receptionist smiled even brighter.

"Oh, you're with him! You can head in." The receptionist smiled. I followed him as we walked through the hospital. There were a lot of nurses walking by us and a lot of families gathered by patient doors. Sometimes, I would occasionally peak in at an open door just to see a someone fast asleep.

After what felt like a long walk, we were in front of a door. For some reason, my heartbeat quickened as Adriano opened the door. The first thing I saw was Alessandro who was leaning over my mom.

"Mama!" I shouted running into the room. Her eyes opened as she looked at me. The smile that came across my face would never go away at the sight of her alive.

I went to hug her but Alessandro grabbed my arm to stop me. "She just had major surgery. The bullet punctured her rib, and they had to fix what they could. Just to keep her out of pain, they recommended no physical contact until she's healed."

"It's..." Mom's voice was weak. "It's okay."

"I'm so happy to see you," I said as my eyes began to blur with tears. Her lips were dry and pale in color but she did her best to smile.