Chasing Stars - A Midnight Mafia Novel

Chapter One

As I stood outside the hospital now I urged myself to just wait five more minutes. Surely Alessio was getting ready to call me. I had been gone almost an hour. I should just give him five more minutes. Of course, I had been saying that for the last 25 minutes.

The truth was obvious. Alessio didn't care.

He'd told me he loved me, fucked me, and that shot my dad.

I rested my head against the pay phone and slipped a quarter into the machine.

Maybe he didn't shoot him. Maybe I wasn't giving him enough credit. Maybe he had a good reason for not giving enough shits about me to a simple call to see if I was okay and where I was.

I hesitated with me second quarter.

Mother fucker. He already knew where I was. I looked at my cellphone, the reason I was using the payphone rather than the cell was because I didn't know if it was bugged or something. I shouldn't have to worry about something like that. I threw my phone as hard as I could to the ground and shoved the quarter into the machine.

A few rings later and his voice filled the line. "Yeah?"

"You've never heard of hello?"

The line was silent for a few moments. "Kate?" I didn't respond. After another few seconds he sighed. "Hello."

I turned my body in towards the phone to shield the world from our conversation. "Nash. I'm in."

"In? In where? In trouble? Where are you?"

The anger that had been fueling me mixed together violently with frustration and fear. "I'm at the fucking hospital. They won't tell me shit." I said and my voice betrayed me and cracked.

"Calm down." His voice was gentle now. "Your dad?"

"I don't know! That's the problem!" I yelled through tears.

"Calm down Kate."

"No!" I yelled again and then looked around. "No." I repeated in" a softer tone. "You want information from me and I want information from you."

"Slow down Kate. What are you even talking about? I don't-"

"You tell me if my dad's been shot, if he's alive, I need to know now. And I'll help you."

"What?"

"I'll help you take down the Genovese...I'll help you take down Alessio."

The line was quiet for a long time.

"Nash?" I breathed.

"I heard you. Where are you? I didn't recognize your number."

"Pay phone. Do we have a deal?"

"Of course not." Before I could yell at him he continued. "Listen, I'm upstairs right now. I'll be down and two minutes and we'll talk then okay."

"Nash-"

"Two minutes." He repeated and cut the line.

I slammed the phone back down and tapped my foot impatiently. Just shy of three minutes later Nash came through the automatic doors to the hospital. He frowned the moment he saw me and took in my wardrobe.