Vera

Chapter 12

Vera

I tighten the black jacket around my body. It is early November and already freezing.

I'm walking to a gas station only 10 minutes away from my apartment. I highly underestimated how cold it was outside and how dark.

I can defend myself if anyone tries anything but regardless I shouldn't have walked. I'm still a little shaken from the robbing encounter. Jasper and Mila basically put me on lockdown when I told them.

I kind of had to sneak out to leave tonight, but I just wanted some air and peace. And ice cream.

I've also been thinking about Santi. How the chances of him killing the robber are pretty high and how me not asking for his number or any way of communicating with him was stupid.

Those first two run-in's were a coincidence the odds of that happening again were slim to none. New York was a big city we were in a smaller and vastly less populated part, but still big.

I'm halfway to the store when I hear grunting. Great I have to walk past someone fucking in an alley, but then it stops. I slow my steps, making them as quiet as I can. I hear shifting then a man walking out the alley clutching his arm.

It's extremely dark apart from a few street lights. I quietly get closer and see the man has black hair that's disheveled. He's muscular with broad shoulders, very similar build like Santiago.

There's no chance. "Desoto?" I whisper cautiously, if it isn't him I don't want to get the man's attention he could be dangerous.

"Santiago?" I say a little louder the man seems to hear me this time. He slowly turns and it's him. "Santi, what are you doing?" I ask darting my eyes to his arm that he still has an iron hold on.

"Why are you out so late? Someone could hurt you." He says taking a few steps toward me. I can see him better now. There's a pained expression on his face and his brows are scrunched tight.

I look at his arm again and this time I can see blood on his coat sleeve. "Jesus, what happened?"

My eyes widen at the steady stream of blood flowing down his arm. I walk to him and place my hand on his. He becomes rigid. I look up into his eyes. There's the smallest bit of vulnerability that he quickly hides.

"Come on, I'll take you to Mila she can check you out." I grab his hand gently and tug for him to follow me but he doesn't budge. "I don't want to go to the hospital." I sigh heavily looking at him, by the amount of blood he has on the outside of his arm he clearly needs stitches.

I'm good with stitching, I had to be when my brother would get deep cuts, but I haven't done any since he...

"Fine I'll take you home and do them myself. Keys." I hold out my hand and wait for him to give them up. He stares at me, he's being stubborn, well he doesn't know I can be too.

I shove my hands in his pockets and feel around until I touch his keys. I then come upon the problem of not knowing where he parked. I look up at him to see him in utter shock. I raise a brow and shake the keys in my hand.

"Tell me where you parked or I'll have to set off the alarm." He continues to stare and I give him one right back. After about a minute he nods his head across the street to a parking lot.