What’re you planning, Martina?

Roberto was discharged from the hospital after ordering the nurses to let him go. He wasn’t a weak man so he chose not to be in bed like someone with cancer.

“It is just a bullet,” he told himself. He walked out of the hospital with Vincenzo and headed for his car. The sleeve of his shirt was torn and stained with his blood.

He got to the door and Bruno opened up for him. Bruno also had his hand bandaged. The nurses treated him the same time they treated Roberto.

“Can you drive?”

“Yes, boss. I feel much better now. Thank you.” Bruno bowed, and Roberto nodded. He entered the car and met Martina sleeping. Her head was almost touching right her shoulder. She sat in the middle of the seat, and Roberto sighed. He looked at Vincenzo and spoke up,

“Sit in the front.”

Bruno closed the door and hurried to the driver’s seat. Vincenzo moved to the front and entered the car.

Roberto sat suitably and was very close to Martina. They were only a few inches apart. He could hear her breathing, and her hair covered her face so he couldn’t see her face.

Bruno ignited the engine and drove out of the hospital. As the car moved, Martina’s head kept moving. Roberto furrowed his brows as he looked at her. He expected her to open her eyes even if it was for a very short time but, she didn’t open her eyes at all. She was sleeping deeply.

As Bruno kept driving, he drove into a pothole, and they all jumped.

“Hey!” Roberto yelled.

“I’m sorry, Boss. I didn’t see the hole.” Bruno apologized fearfully.

Martina’s head fell on Roberto’s shoulder. He looked at her, and she adjusted her head on his shoulder and continued sleeping. She didn’t open her eyes all through.

“Why is she sleeping like she is dead?”

Roberto asked himself. He moved the back of his palm to her nose to check if she was breathing. He didn’t feel her breath on his hand, and his heart leaped. He withdrew his hand and put it under her nostrils again and still didn’t feel anything.

“Martina!” He lifted her head from his shoulders and brushed her hair off her face. Vincenzo looked back to see what was going on, and Bruno looked back through the interior mirror.

“Martina!” He moved in front of her, held her shoulders with his hands, and shook her.

“What is wrong with her?!” Vincenzo asked in terror.

“I have no idea! She isn’t breathing.”

Martina could hear the fear in Roberto’s voice and she couldn’t not hold it anymore. She burst into laughter and startled everyone in the car.

“What the f**k!”

Roberto slapped her very hard, and she fell to the chair. Her hair covered her face again and she held her cheek in agony.

“Why did you hit me, you as*hole?!”

He pulled her closer to him by her hair and their faces were inches apart. The strands of her hair covered her eyes, and she could barely see him.

“Don’t you ever try that nonsense with me! Ever again!” He threw her head to the chair again and sat up.

Vincenzo clenched his jaw as he saw the way Roberto treated her. He despised it.

“I have always warned her but, she would never listen.” He thought to himself. Martina raised her head and parked her hair backward with her hair. Roberto looked at her and saw she kept a straight face on.

She removed all the strands of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. She kept her gaze out of the window and was quite like nothing ever happened.

All of them in the car expected her to say something or yell at him but she didn’t. She folded her hands and kept looking outside the window.

Vincenzo stared at her trying to find out why she was so quiet.

“Is she tired of yelling already?” He thought inwardly.

Roberto also ignored her and looked outside the window. Vincenzo sighed and looked at Bruno who wasn’t looking well at all.

“Are you okay?” Vincenzo asked him. He looked at Bruno’s arm and saw he was starting to bleed again. His bandage was stained with blood.

“Stop the car.”

“No, I can…”

“Stop the car right now, Bruno. I can drive instead. You are not okay.”

Roberto watched them quietly. He didn’t care who was going to drive. All he wanted was to get home as soon as possible.

Bruno parked the car and staggered out of it. He held his arm in pain, and shuffled to the other side. Vincenzo alighted and rushed to the driver’s seat.

They got into the car, and Vincenzo switched on the engine.

“Vincenzo, get him a doctor as soon as we get home.”

“Yes boss.”

All of a sudden, Vincenzo’s phone began to ring. It was Greco. He answered the phone and put it on speaker.

“Talk to me.” Vincenzo uttered.

“We are out of Enzo’s mansion. We managed to kill every man that was present...”

“And Enzo?” Roberto asked.

“He escaped with few of his men, boss.”

“F**k.” Roberto mumbled, clenching his fist.

“And our men? Are they all alive?”

“No, Vincenzo. Two of us died, and about four of us are injured.”

Vincenzo looked at Roberto through the interior mirror, he was waiting for him to give orders.

“Take them to the nearest hospital. The dead ones, do the needful and don’t forget to send some money to their families.” Roberto ordered.

“Yes sir…”

“What else?” Vincenzo asked.

“How is Bruno and the boss? I saw the bullets hit them. Are they doing fine?”

“They are doing fine. Get back to the mansion as soon as possible.”

Vincenzo hung up and kept driving. He kept stealing glances of Martina through the mirror.

*Maybe I don’t like the quiet side of her.*

***

Martina stormed out of the car after Vincenzo parked the car. She headed to the mansion and flung the door open. She was still very pissed because Roberto slapped her.

“Martina!” Vincenzo called running after her. Roberto kept mute and strutted to the door. The guards opened the door for him, and he walked in.

“Vincenzo!” Roberto growled. Vincenzo took a u-turn immediately and ran to where Roberto was calling from.

“Boss.” He lowered his head hastily.

“Tell her to come to my room. She needs to change this bandage.”

Vincenzo nodded, and Roberto walked away. After he was gone, Vincenzo ran back to the room Martina entered.

“Hey…” He entered the room and met her laying on the bed.

“Vincenzo, I want you to rest. Let me rest.” She pulled the bedsheets over her and shut her eyes.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t. Mr. Roberto needs you now.”

She opened her eyes and looked at Vincenzo in anger.

“He wants to sleep with me again?”

“No! He wants you to help me change his bandage.”

Martina sat up, and a smirk crept up her face. Vincenzo arched his brows as he wondered why she smirked.