"Hey… hey, stay with me."
No response.
Marco swore under his breath and pressed his fingers against the side of her neck, checking the pulse.
Still there.
Weak, but there.
"Come on, Miss Scalese," he muttered. "Don't do this to me."
Because the first rule here was simple.
She had to stay conscious.
If she slipped too far into shock while he was digging that bullet out…
He exhaled slowly. Marco shook her shoulder a little harder this time. "Veronica," he said firmly. "Wake up."
Because the next few minutes were going to be hell for both of them.
"Luca?" she whispered.
Even half-conscious and drowning in pain, that was the man she called for.
"Its me Marco," he said quickly, leaning closer so she could focus on his voice instead of the dizziness threatening to pull her under. "Listen. This is going to hurt a lot but I have to do this, okay?" Marco reached toward the glovebox and pulled out a bottle of alcohol he kept there. He poured the alcohol over his fingers.
