Chapter 5 - The Underground Clinic
I fell to my knees beside Vincent, pressing my hands against his bleeding side.
The blood was warm and flowing too fast.
I couldn't leave him here to die, not after he just saved our lives.
"Ellie, grab his other arm," I instructed my terrified daughter.
Together, we managed to drag Vincent's massive frame into an abandoned warehouse nearby.
I used my own shirt to tie a tight tourniquet around his waist.
He was pale and completely unresponsive.
I searched his pockets and found a set of keys and a burner phone.
I pressed a button on the keys, and a sleek black sports car chirped from a concealed parking spot a block away.
It took all my remaining strength to haul him into the passenger seat.
I drove frantically toward the south side of the city, seeking a place I swore I would never return to.
Before I worked for the Morettis, I had lived a much darker life.
I pulled up to a rusty auto repair shop that served as a front for a mob doctor.
I slammed my fist on the metal garage door until an old man with thick glasses opened it.
"Doc, I need your help right now," I pleaded, dragging Vincent inside.
Doc recognized the mafia boss immediately and his face drained of color.
"Are you insane bringing him here?" Doc hissed, locking the door behind us.
"Dominic has a million-dollar bounty on whoever finds him."
"Just save his life, Doc, please," I begged, setting Ellie on a dirty waiting chair.
Doc grumbled but immediately began working, pulling medical supplies from a hidden cabinet.
I paced the greasy floor, holding Ellie's small hand while we waited.
An hour later, Doc successfully extracted the bullet and stitched Vincent up.
"He needs rest, but he'll live," Doc said, wiping his bloody hands on a towel.
I thanked him, feeling a tiny shred of hope for the first time all night.
I turned around to check on Ellie, but she was fast asleep on the chair.
Then I heard the distinct sound of a pump-action shotgun being loaded.
I slowly turned back toward Doc.
He was aiming a heavy weapon directly at my chest.
"I'm sorry, kid," Doc said, his eyes filled with greed.
"But a million dollars is a lot of money for an old man."
He reached for the wall phone to dial Dominic's number.
May you like
Before his fingers could touch the dial pad, a tiny voice echoed through the garage.
"Put it down."
