Stepping out of my ambulance, there was no sign of the bleeding man that had been called in. My partner, Mia, crossed her arms and huffed. 

“This smells of mafia shit. Watch your ass, Grayson.” 

“I just want to make sure we aren’t leaving someone behind. You hear me?” 

“Watch your ass.” 

Grabbing my bag, I headed for the alley. There was a visible blood trail. It was still fresh, too. There was a possibility that there was something or rather someone there that needed our, or rather my, help. 

“Mia, I’ve got—-“Someone slapped their hand over my mouth and their other arm around my neck. Panic set in and I flailed in their arms. 

“Move a fucking inch and I’ll make sure you have a nice nap.” He growled, his accent clearly Italian. 

“Let–go–I’m a—medic,” I said, to the best of my ability. He was crushing my windpipe. He roughly reached into my pockets and I felt him yank out my wallet before. 

“Ambrose Grayson…” He muttered before he tightened his grip even more. The sound of someone rushing over was all that kept me awake. 

“Let go of him! Goddamn it! You’re going to get us into so much fucking trouble. That is my chief’s only fucking son, Di Salvo.” 

The sound was familiar, and the man loosened his grip and another set of hands held me up.

“Ambrose, can you hear me? Fucking say something?” 

“Ugh.” I grunted, finally getting a look at my saviour. Sasha fucking Dean. This was definitely mafia bullshit. The other man slinked away into the dark, his figure large and his face, or what I saw of it, horribly handsome. 

“Let me help you.” 

“I’m fine.” 

“You can barely hold yourself up.” 

“I just need to catch a few breaths and I’ll be fine.” 

“What the hell were you doing here?” He hissed. 

“We got a call. I figured it was Mafia related, but I didn’t expect this. Just who the fuck was that guy?” I said, rubbing my throat. 

“I can’t discuss that with you.”

“Of fucking course you can’t, but I’m damn sure my dad knows who that hell he is?” 

“Of course he does, he’s the chief of police—” 

“He’s a dirty cop.” I grunted. Looking at Sasha. He looked good. But he did every time I saw him. His lover was good for him, mafia or not. 

“Let me help you back to the bus. I’ll make something up and—--“ 

“Fine. But make it good. Fuck.” 

Sasha took my bag and helped me back to the ambulance. Mia got out when she saw me and started freaking out. 

“I fucking told you this was mafia shit. I told you to watch your ass. But no. And just who the hell are you?” She snapped, her eyes narrowing on Sasha. 

“Sasha Dean. Officer. Want to see my badge?” 

“That true, Grayson?” 

“Yeah, he’s a sheep of my father’s flock.” 

“That’s polite. Maybe next time I’ll let the creep in the alley use you as a stress ball.” Sasha said flatly. 

“I’ve got him.” Mia said, yanking me to the back of the bus and opened the door, shoving me and the bag inside before slamming the doors shut in Sasha’s face. 

“Grayson. What the hell man, you look like someone tried to end you. You need to go to the ER. I’m calling dispatch and taking you there.” 

“We have work to do. Just drive us back to the bay and I’ll be fine by the time we get there.” 

“I hope you intend to file a report with the boss in case anything else happens. You know, later.” 

“Nothing is going to happen later. Seriously. It was a one-off thing.” 

She sighed. But nodded. “Just know I don’t believe you, Ambrose.” 

“That’s fine.” 

Mia drove back to the ambulance bay, and after she explained the whole situation to our boss against my wishes, they sent me home, or rather. Told to go file a report with my father and then go to the ER to get looked after. That honestly didn’t feel like it needed to happen. But here I was. Pulling into the station and getting out. Tucking my keys in my pocket. I remembered my wallet and checked my pockets. Finding it right where it had been before. 

Pulling it out as I headed inside, everything looked like it had before, minus the fact my old student card was missing. It must have fallen out when he had pulled my wallet open. It was just a useless hunk of plastic. I just kept it in there for something to take up the empty space.

Lukas was waiting by the door when I got inside, camera in hand. 

“Holy shit, you actually came. Haha.” 

“Taking bets on me?” 

“Maybe the chief was worried you wouldn’t actually come and report your attack. Though Sasha made a report too.” 

“Did he?” 

“Yeah, he said some creep attacked you in the alley. He saw you and saved your life.” 

“Yeah. A Mafia creep.” I grunted. 

“Trust me, this will get dealt with.” 

“Yeah. I’m not too worried. I’m still breathing.” I said, touching my throat. 

“Your dad wanted me to take pictures before you head in to speak with him.” 

“Ok.” 

Stepping into another room, he took a bunch of pictures before he all but sent me off to my dad’s office. My dad looked at my neck and sighed. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Like a rag doll. But I’m fine. Sasha saved my ass.” 

“I’m going to have a talk with Maddox about this, or rather, one of the underbosses, and we will get this sorted out in a timely manner.” 

“Don’t bother. Pretty sure he’s not—--“ 

“I’m doing it, regardless.” 

“I spoke with your boss and he assured me you’re on medical leave for a week or two until your throat doesn’t look like they nearly killed you.” 

“I didn’t ask for that. I don’t actually want medical leave. I want to work—-“ 

“Sorry, but protocol is protocol. So you best head to the ER and get checked out. Report all damages to me, no matter how small.” My father said, crossing his arms and making his point known. 

“I’m fine, I don’t need—--”

“Better yet, let me call in a favour and get you looked at right now.” He said, before pulling out his personal cell and calling a number. 

“That’s really not—--”

“I wasn’t asking you what you thought. I was telling you what the plan was, so you don’t run off like you do, so sit put.” He said. Before whoever he had called, picked up, and he spoke. I tuned him out, not at all interested in whoever he was discussing my health and wellbeing. I didn’t know everyone that my father did, but I knew some of the larger players. I had a clue who he was calling. Alessio Mihail, son of Andrei and he was a large player. I knew enough about him and his family not to get in the way. 

My father crossed his arms once he was off the phone, and spoke. 

“Someone is coming to get you. Be on your very best behaviour on the way there. I mean it.”

“Yeah, Yeah. I got it. You don’t have to remind me not to flirt with the hands of death. I’ve already done that once this week, hell once today,” I bitched.

I waited around until Sasha seemed to appear out of thin air.

“We meet again, Ambrose.” Sasha said, chuckling. 

“Yeah, I didn’t think it would be you, though. That was coming to get me. I assumed it would be a grunt.” 

“Yeah, it might have been, if I hadn’t offered first. Better it be someone you know taking you to see Alessio.”

He pulled me along behind him, leaving my vehicle at the station. He told me not to worry about my car, someone would bring me back. I frowned at the idea, and was just going to tell him it was fine and to let me go home, but he spoke. 

“Ambrose, not a good idea. Alessio is waiting for you, and you don’t want to waste his time. Trust me.”

Sighing deeply, I got into his SUV and buckled in.  

“Who was it earlier that tried to end me?” I asked, again. 

“As I told you, Ambrose, I can’t tell you that information. But know that I am dealing with it.”

“Fine.” I said flatly before mentioning that I was missing my school card, and that if they found it, I would like it back. 

“We didn’t, but if they do find it, you will be the first to know, of course.”

“I doubt that. But thanks anyway.” 

“Look, I know this is a lot. Trust me on that. But I am going to make sure that what he did to you is brought up and punished. There was no reason for it. You were just doing your job.”

“Yeah, I could have ignored the call, but if someone died because of me, it would be my ass. Not anyone else’s, and I couldn’t do that to someone, Mafia or not.”

“I get it, trust me Ambrose.”