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Code red, code red, this is an emergency. Get an ambulance, right now, she yelled through a
walky-talky.
Where were you? I screamed at her. You were supposed to protect him! I grabbed her coat
and shook her, but she pinched my hands and pushed me away.
I m sorry, Julie. I wasn t there when it happened. I was patrolling the upper floor when this
started.
Did you catch them? I yelled.
She shook her head and bit her lip. I m sorry, Julie. They managed to infiltrate the fleeing
crowd and ran away.
I frowned, angry at everything and everyone, and turned my attention back to Dominic. He wasn t
conscious anymore, and I was desperate to know if he was still alive. When I lowered my head near
his lips and nose, I couldn t hear him breathe.
My sobs became louder and louder, but the sound echoed into the void that ripped my heart to
shreds.
***
The trip in the ambulance seemed to last forever. I held his hand during the ride toward the
hospital, but he wasn t awake. I prayed for his wellbeing, hoping it might make a difference. Sharon
sat beside me with a blank stare on her pale face. I guessed she hadn t seen this much action before.
Neither had I.
When we arrived at the hospital, Dominic was picked up by three men with a stretcher and he
was ushered into the emergency room. I wanted to go with him, but they told me I couldn t. Waiting
hours in the hallway wasn t helping. My anxiety took a hold of my body, shaking it rigorously. My
heart ached, the pain tearing my chest apart.
Sharon got me some snickers from a vending machine and bought me a coffee, but I couldn t bite
or swallow through anything. It was like my body was completely shutting down, just like Dominic s
was.
My mind was going in circles, trying to think of things I still had to do. Anything to avoid having
to think about the things I might miss if he were to &
I thought about his voice, his touch, the way he looked at me, and all it did was bring more tears
to my eyes.
When the doctors came to tell me the news, the big news, I clenched my seat. They told me he
suffered some grave injuries and that he was extremely lucky because the bullet hadn t penetrated any
of his vital organs. They d taken it out and closed the wound. He needed to be held under observation
and was only allowed visits on specific times of the day.
I didn t care if I could only see him five minutes. I needed to see him and was glad with each
minute I got. It was more time than I thought I would have. It had crossed my mind he could ve died,
but now that I knew he was okay, I was relieved. My breathing became normal again, and I went
inside his room.
Dom? I said quietly.
He didn t answer. He was lying in the bed with his eyes closed.
I came closer and shivered from the ordeal we d been through. It terrified me to see him like
this, but at the same time I knew things would be okay. They had to. He was still here. He survived.
I held his hand, and his eyelids started moving. I held my breath. When his bright blue eyes
appeared underneath, my heart came to a stop. I was so happy to see them open again, even if only for
a little while.
He groaned and winced.
Hi, Dom. I blinked away the happy tears in my eyes.
Hey & he muttered.
I squeezed his hand, and he coughed, and then winced again. His hand moved to his side, to the
bullet wound.
What & what happened? he said, his voice still hoarse.
I don t think you should touch that, I said. You were shot, Dom. They came to the casino.
His eyes fluttered open again, and he looked at me with confusion as if he d forgotten all about
it. Seriously?
I nodded.
He sighed. Jesus Christ.
He tried to move a bit, but the pain held him back. Never thought they would go that far for
revenge. All because of that fucking money. He snorted.
I placed my hand on his cheek and caressed him. It felt good to feel his warm skin, and it made
my eyes sting with tears again. He placed his hand on top of mine and smiled.
I was so afraid, I whispered.
Don t cry, he said. His other hand reached for my cheek to wipe away the tear that rolled
down. I m still here. Alive and kicking.
I laughed. He pulled my head closer, and I leaned forward to give him a kiss. It felt wonderful to
have his lips on me again, knowing he was still breathing and his heart was still beating.
Someone knocked on the door.
I quickly came up again and turned my head. Sharon cleared her throat and came inside.
Hi, Dom, she said. Glad you re feeling okay.
Dom held up his hand for a quick wave and dropped his head back onto the pillow.
You gave us quite the scare there, she said. They re getting more aggressive each day. I think
it s time we went for the offense. Did you see anything? Can you give me any descriptions?
Something?
Dominic sighed, but didn t respond. I guessed he was still too tired to speak.
Do you even remember anything about the shooting? she asked.
He shook his head.
She looked around the room to think for a moment. Can I talk to you for a second? Sharon said,
and she looked at me.
My brows furrowed. What? Why?
I want to know what you saw. She beckoned me to come with her to the hallway, and I
followed her.
Did you see what they looked like? Were they male or female? How many were there? She
rummaged in her clutch and fished out a notebook and a pen.
There was a man who brought him a note. I think it told him where to go, because he went to the
roulette table. There were two people, a man and a woman. I only saw their backs. I don t know what
they look like. I think the man shot him through his coat.
She nodded and made humming sounds of approval as she furiously penned down everything I
said.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on the scene, trying to remember every little detail. The
conversation with Dominic about Daisy somehow crossed my mind, and I remembered telling him
about her coming over. That I thought she d abducted me. Her image was inside my mind, the way she
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