“I’m…” I croaked, trying to think. “Are you running?”
I was still fixated on that, which was so fucking dumb.
“I’m in my car,” he replied impatiently. “Tell me where to go. Where are you?”
“I’m… I’m… fuck, I can’t feel my teeth.”
“Luz, fucking think! I swear to God!” he exclaimed.
“Pe-te’s. Parking lot.”
“I’ll be there in ten.”
In ten? He was in another city. How could he be here in ten?
With my mind reeling and my body numb with pain, I just lay there in the darkness. I was gazing at the moonlit sky, wondering why trouble always followed me wherever I went. Why, once in a while, I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut.
The next thing I knew was muscular arms wrapping around me and scooping me up. I groaned in agony when the searing pain in my ribs reminded me why I didn’t want to move to begin with. Then a scent filled my nostrils… a scent I obsessed over for months. Fucking vanilla. I would bet on it.
“What the fuck happened to you, Luz?”
The throaty growl made me smile because Bazooka sounded angry, as if everything that happened was my fault. It kind of was, but since I was floating in vanilla heaven, I didn’t mind his brusque tone. The powerful arms holding me were the perfect cocoon for my aching body, making me feel almost sleepy. Only when Bazooka laid me down on the backseat of the car did I whimper in pain, coughing out more blood. Then the car door closed, and the world around me disappeared.
Bazooka
I’d just gotten out of the shower when my phone pinged with a text.
Unknown number:You could have at least congratulated me on my birthday.
I memorized it as “pest” before heading to the kitchen and tossing the phone onto the kitchen counter. Naked, with a semi bouncing between my legs, I crossed the room and pulled a clean T-shirt and jeans out of my duffel bag. I was thinking about visiting the nearest fast-food joint when my phone rang.
When I saw the caller ID, the sinking feeling in my stomach made me lose my appetite.
“What happened?” I said, knowing it wasn’t good. Why? Because this caller had never called me before. He kept texting me, and I changed my number three times because of him, but he never called me.
Even before Luz answered my question, I grabbed my car keys and rushed out of the apartment. I skipped two stairs at a time on my way down to the lobby and burst through the front door, running toward my car. I didn’t wait for the green traffic light because something told me I didn’t have much time. On my way to the car, I almost got run over by a truck and nearly collided with an old lady carrying her dog. Oh, and I had to flash my badge to a traffic cop who headed my way, probably to arrest me. Why? Because I was crossing the street like a lunatic.
When Luz finally told me where he was, I stepped on the gas, violating most, if not all, traffic laws. I arrived there in record time and, thanks to a considerable amount of luck, in one piece. I spotted him as soon as I pulled into the parking lot, and the sight of him lying limp on the ground made me sick to my stomach.
What did that little fool get himself into now?
I got out of the car and ran up to him, scanning his injuries. He was severely beaten up, and his pants were pulled down to his knees, which was more bad news. Instead of calling the ambulance, I decided to drive him straight to the hospital.
I scooped him up in my arms as gently as possible, quickly surveying the scene. I could see vomit, blood, and a used condom lying on the ground next to a beer can. A little further away, I spotted a pool of piss and wet footsteps leading toward the park.
“What the fuck happened to you, Luz?” I growled, carrying him to my car, and it made him smile for some reason. When his eyes closed, I told myself to hurry the fuck up because he seemed unconscious, and I didn’t like it.
I was speeding down the crowded avenue when he came to. I could see him in the rearview mirror, raising his head and looking around as if he didn’t know where he was.
“It seems I got myself into a bit of trouble,kochanie,” he said, sounding hoarse.
“Just lie there and don’t move,” I instructed him. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”
Panic flashed through his eyes from what I could see through his swollen eyelids.
“No hospital.”
I turned left at the intersection. I didn’t know the town well, but I knew where the hospital was because I’d visited it once before.
