stood on the corner in Little Italy, her heart beating so hard she felt it in her throat. The thumping echoed in her ears in harmony with the footsteps along the pavement behind her. Slowly, Genna turned, her breath catching.
Matty.
He swaggered past, brushing against her, his cologne swarming her like a cloud. Closing her eyes, she breathed him in. Something about his scent relaxed her, a subtle spicy aphrodisiac that was uniquely him. It was home.
When Genna reopened her eyes, she stared at his back, watching him walk away. It was like he hadn't even seen her standing there, waiting. He swung his car keys around a finger, the sight making the hair on her arms prickle from alarm. Something was wrong... so very wrong. What was happening? Where was he going?
She opened her mouth to call his name but no sound came out. Matty continued on, unlocking the driver's side door of the Lotus with his key.
No. This wasn't right. What was he doing?
Genna tried to go after him, to warn him, to stop him, but it was as if a wall stood in front of her, blocking her, locking her in place.
An invisible boundary separating them.
Matty climbed in the car and shut the door. As if in slow motion, Genna stared through the back window, watching his shadowy figure as he stuck the key in the ignition. Frantically shaking her head, she screamed until her throat felt raw, her lungs scorching, but the neighborhood remained deathly silent, abnormally still.
One second... two seconds... three seconds passed, counted by the beats of her frenzied heart, as Matty turned the key. Silence reigned for what felt like an eternity.
In the blink of an eye, it was all gone.
BOOM
Gasping, trying to catch her breath, Genna sat straight up, blinking rapidly to adjust to the darkness. No. No. No. Her hands pawed at the bed, feeling only sheets.
No warmth. No body. No Matty.
"Matty?" she yelled, panicked, as she climbed out of the bed.
The door to the motel room opened, a burst of warm air rushing through. Matty stepped inside, clutching a cell phone.
Matty.
Genna ran right at him, leaping up, jumping into his arms. Legs wrapping around his waist, she buried her face into his neck, trying to ward off tears as her body shook.
"What's the matter, baby?" he asked, kicking the door closed behind him before carrying her over to the bed. "What's wrong?"
"I woke up and you were gone. I thought… I mean…"
Matty dropped his phone down onto the mattress as he hugged her, rubbing her back. "Reception in here was shit so I stepped outside, trying to get a better signal."
"Who were you calling?"
"A friend," he said. "The one who helped us with everything. I was seeing if he knew of anywhere safe, you know… if he knew a place where we could settle for a while, get us out of these motels."
"Did he?"
"He's going to get back to me."
She wanted to ask more but the words wouldn’t form as he pulled her back into the bed, holding her.
"I'm here," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."
Chapter Two
"Did you hear? Can you believe it? They said he's up in surgery right now."
"Is he going to make it?"
"Maybe… who knows? Does it even matter? I just can't believe the guy's not dead yet."
"Oh my God, you're so bad!"
Gabriella Russo glanced up from where she sat at the information desk in the Presbyterian Surgical ICU, glaring daggers at the back of the pair of nurses: Cindy Lou Who and her spiteful old friend, the Grinch. Cindy's blonde hair was French braided into pigtails, while the Grinch wore hers incredibly short, a sandy-colored mop balanced on top of her head. Both wore bright blue scrubs, the usual around there… a fact that Cindy often whined about. Why can't we wear patterns? I've got these kitty-cat scrubs I'm dying to show off!
Oblivious to the attention, the nurses continued with their gossip as Cindy giggled.
She giggled.
"I'm just being honest. Who cares if he lives? They're going to send him over here to us, and for what? He's just going to take up a bed. And I don't care what the charge nurse says… I'm not taking care of him. I want nothing to do with that. I'm not busting my ass saving his life when we're all probably better off if the guy dies, anyway."
"I feel the same way."
Gabriella cleared her throat, loud enough to make both nurses look