Enzo ran for his life with some of his men after seeing how hot the firing was.
Vincenzo, Martina, and Roberto managed to get out of the compound alive with the help of Bruno, who also had a bullet in his lower arm.
Bruno drove the car out of the vicinity recklessly and hit the road to the hospital. Vincenzo sat at the back as he helped to stop Roberto’s bleeding. Martina was fidgeting as she watched Vincenzo rap Roberto’s right upper arm with a cloth. Vincenzo had torn this piece of cloth from his shirt.
“Why didn’t you run when I asked you to?!”Roberto asked with gritted teeth. The excruciating pain he felt didn’t give him the chance to yell. He was covered in sweat.
“I don’t know! I was stuck… I didn’t know why I couldn’t move! I’m sorry!”
“You are sorry but I have been shot!” He groaned.
“I never said you should get in the way of the bullet, okay? Don’t blame me!”
“Enough, both of you! I am trying to concentrate here!” Vincenzo yelled in anger, and they both went mute.
Roberto glared at him and Vincenzo gulped hard.
“I didn’t mean to shut you up, boss. I couldn’t concentrate.” Vincenzo uttered and moved back a little.
Roberto looked at his arm and Martina again. He regretted taking a bullet on her behalf.
They kept dancing and jumping in the car because of Bruno’s rough driving. He couldn’t wait to get his arm treated.
“I should have left you there to get shot,” Roberto mumbled. Martina rolled her eyes and puffed out air from her mouth.
“I never asked for your help. I would have loved to die there rather than going back to being a slave to you.”
“Martina, shut up!” Vincenzo smacked at her and she rolled her eyes.
The car stopped soon and they all looked up.
“We are here.” The words fell out of Bruno’s mouth in a low tone. He opened the driver’s door and staggered out of the car.
Roberto tried opening the door with his left hand, but Vincenzo stopped him. Bruno staggered to the other side of the car and opened the door with his right hand.
Bruno fell to the ground, and the nurses rushed out of the hospital with stretchers.
Roberto staggered out of the car, he felt like his arm was going to disconnect from his shoulder.
“Please lay on the stretcher, Mr. Roberto.” One of the nurses said. He moved closer to the stretcher and laud on it carefully.
He looked at Vincenzo and asked him to come closer. Vincenzo rushed to him and lowered his head to his mouth.
“She should be inside there with me. Go and get her.” Vincenzo bounced his head slowly and walked back to the car.
“He wants you in there with him.”
Martina looked at Roberto as they pushed him into the hospital and rolled her eyes.
“Why is he so annoying? I never asked him to collect a bullet on my behalf.”
“Yes, but he took a bullet for you. Now, stop acting arrogant and get into the hospital. Gosh, Martina, you are so stubborn.” Vincenzo threw his hands in the air tiredly.
“I wished it hit him in the chest. At least there wouldn't be anyone stepping on my toes, and I’d have a life of my own. Now, I have to be stuck with him!”
“Martina, please go to him so that you two can let me rest. I have enough migraine from shooting already.”
“Fine!”
Martina opened the door and stormed out of the car. She stamped her after in anger as she entered the hospital.
Vincenzo let out a sigh and followed behind her. He felt exhausted, so he dragged his feet on the hospital floor.
Roberto was put in an emergency ward. They wanted to get the bullet out of him.
He looked at the door and saw Martina looking inside the ward through the glass.
“Let her in. She has to be here with me throughout.” He said to the nurse that untied the cloth around his arm.
“But…”
“Let her in… Now!”
“Yes, sir.” She rushed to the door and opened it for Martina to come in. She wasn’t supposed to, but she was scared for her life. She knew Roberto for the man he was.
“Ma’am, he asked you to come in.”
“What? It’s an emergency ward. Am I supposed to come in?”
“He wants you inside there with him, and there is nothing I can do about that. Please, come inside. I want to live.”
Martina creased her brows at the nurse's statement. She was surprised she was also aware and scared of how dangerous Roberto was.
She nodded and walked into the ward. She kept her gaze on Roberto, and he did the same thing.
“Come closer.” He ordered, and she walked up to his bed slowly.
“Watch them bring out the bullet that was supposed to be in you, out of my arm.”
Martina’s heart raced as the nurse untied the cloth and moved a bullet extractor to his wound.
The nurse pierced his wound with the bullet extractor , and Roberto let out a loud groan.
Martina shut her eyes tight after seeing blood gushing out of his hand. She hated what she saw.
The nurse kept dipping the extractor in, and Roberto kept groaning in pain.
“Enough! You don’t have to pull it out, do you?” Martina yelled in terror.
“No, but he said he wants it out of his body.”
“No! Don’t listen to him. You don’t have to pull it out when there are infections. He is in pain.” She looked at him as she spoke. His eyes were closed, and he held the bedspread very tight.
“But if it stays too long in his body, he could result in lead poisoning.”
“Let her get it out of my body!” Roberto growled.
“Fine! But I wouldn't stay here and watch that.”
Martina stormed out of the ward before Roberto could stop her. She shut the door behind her and rested her back on it. She was breathing very hard.
“What is going on?” Vincenzo asked, moving closer to her.
“Something that has nothing to do with me. Go in there and see for yourself.”
She walked out of his face and found where to sit. She sat on the chair and brushed her hair backward with her hand. She shut her eyes right, trying to get his screams out of her ears.
“I don’t care if you die in there. You deserve worse.” She thought to herself.
She looked around the hospital and saw a man making a phone call. Her eyes widened as she remembered that was the perfect opportunity for her to put a call across to Alberto.
She rushed to where he stood and waited for him to finish with his call.
“Hi there. Please, can I borrow your phone for some minutes? I have an important call to make, and I am not with my phone.”
“Oh sure.”
He passed the phone to Martina, and she collected it with a bright smile on her face. She took a few steps away from the man and dialed Alberto’s number on it.
She had always known having his phone number stored in her head was the best thing she could ever do for herself. It began to ring, and she started to pace.
He finally picked up, and Martina’s eyes widened.
“Alberto!”
“Martina?! Martina, is that you?”
“Yes! It's me, Alberto. Oh God, it’s so good to hear your voice again.”
“How are you? Where are you? What has that bastard done to you?!”
Martina’s eyes heated up, and tears streamed down her eyes.
“He raped me, Alberto.” She mumbled.
“Martina, please tell me where you are right now. I’d come and get you. Caterina is doing very fine, and she can’t wait to see you. I will come and get you no matter where you are.”
Martina lowered her head and shook her head as she cried.
“No, Alberto. I won’t leave until I have finished what I started. I am going to help you get him.”
“No, Martina! Hell no! The plan was a mistake. I don’t care about apprehending Roberto anymore. I care about you now, and I want you back home. I want you to have your life back.”
“You’d lose your job if you give up, Alberto.”
“I don’t care!”
“No… No, Alberto. I would never do that to you. This is the only way we can stop him for good. I am not going to throw this opportunity away.”
“Martina, please tell me where you are. And where he is, this is the perfect time to apprehend him. You don’t have time on your side.”
Martina covered her mouth with her hand as she wept. She raised her head and exhaled loudly.
“He took my virginity, Alberto. If I don’t bring him to justice my way, then I have lost to him. I was made for this, Alberto. I’ll do what I have to do.”
“Mar…”
She hung up and fell on her kiss and burst in more tears.
“Are you okay, Miss?” The man that lent her the phone asked. She bounced her head slowly and stretched his phone to him.
“Thank you for letting me use it.” She mumbled, and he nodded slowly.
After some minutes of crying, she stood to her feet and cleaned her teary face with her palm.
“The game has just begun, Roberto Galante.”