A fairytale without name (Rose and Marco)

Chapter 28

Marco

"This is for Sean, Mancini. May you rot in hell." His words were the last thing I heard before chaos broke out. I quickly reached for my gun, but with Rose by my side I wasn't quick enough. I tried to get her behind me, to protect her with my body, but I didn't manage to do that either.

A bullet found her somewhere in her upper body, I couldn't make out exactly where. Two grazed my arm but I was able to shoot the bastard and put an end to this madness. I was livid. Where the hell was Alex? And how did the Irish dare to make an attempt against me in broad daylight?

Rose was lying on the ground, blood oozing from the wound I had yet to find. Her face was pale but to my surprise she seemed calm, no tears, no screaming. She was going into shock and I had to act fast. Kneeling next to her and placing her head on my thighs, I undid the zipper of her jacket to find the source of her bleeding. The mere contact of my hand on her body made her wince in pain and that's when I heard her speak.

"Marco, I want you to know that even if I die today, this will be my happiest memory. Thank you." She mumbled and her beautiful blue eyes closed with a sigh.

"Hey, Rose look at me. You aren't going to die. I won't let you die. Help is on the way. Open your eyes. Listen to my voice and come back to me. Don't give up, not now. I am not losing you. Do you hear me?" I kept talking and shaking her lightly but to no avail.

At that moment, I felt so guilty and so angry at myself. People had started circling us, holding their phones and calling for ambulances. I had to get her out of there before the police arrived. How could I be so careless, so stupid, ignoring the danger I was most likely putting her in just to satisfy my own need to be with her?

Danny, Jay and few other trusted men arrived shortly, sending the curious crowd away and helping me carry her to the car. Her breathing was slower now and with her eyes still shut, I felt powerless and useless.

Alex was found dead by the car, where he was supposed to be waiting for us to return. The men had their orders to take care of the two bodies and have a word with our people in the police.

Jay was on the driver's seat now and every now and then I caught him looking at me from the rear view mirror.

"Is she alive Marco? What the hell happened? We are supposed to be in a treaty. How did this happen?" his genuine concern about Rose made me overlook his tone and tried to hold it together.

"She is breathing. The bullet is still in I think. Somewhere under her clavicle. I don't know, just hurry the fuck up. She is losing a lot of blood. Did you call the doctor?" my eyes returned to her body, which was still so warm but felt so lifeless. How could I go on if she died?

"Everyone is set and waiting for us. How about you? Are you hurt?" not bothering to look at him, I explained how the bullets just grazed my left arm and that I was fine. The traffic was not busy as usual given the time and we made it to the hospital in record time.

A team was waiting for us at the entrance and when I saw Rose being taken away from me, I lost it. My legs couldn't hold my body anymore and I would have fallen to the ground if Jay wasn't there to support me.

"Let's get you looked at. They got her now. She is in good hands. There is nothing else we can do but wait." His words sounded right in my ears but my mind had a hard time accepting that waiting was the best option.

My mind had shut down, I felt no pain, and I couldn't focus on what the doctor attending to my wounds was saying. Her eyes closing before she spoke to me for the last time was the only image before my eyes.