Chapter 49
“What’s the matter? Wondering where I came from?” Dante asks me.
“Leave her alone,” Alexander says sharply.
Dante raises an eyebrow, then smirks.
“Sorry, I didn’t know your cover had a bit of truth in it.”
I was about to argue, but Alexander pinched
e discreetly–his way of telling me to shut up.
“I wouldn’t have laid a hand on her if I’d known she wasn’t a prostitute or some cheap actress.”
Don’t react to his insults, Inara.
“How did you know I was in the country?” Alexander asks.
“I’ve got my contacts. You know that.”
“What do you want from me?”
“I came to return a favor. You helped me once. I always pay my debts.”
Another mystery to add to the endless list surrounding Alexander Graves.
“Shame you won’t let me inside
your
room.”
“Say what you have to say.”
Dante’s smile vanishes. His face turns serious.
“Sergio knows you’re in the country. And that you’re here, in Rome.”
I watch Alexander’s face fall.
He lets go of me and clenches his fists.
I need answers.
“Who’s that?”
He doesn’t look at me. Ignores the question.
“I said, who is that?”
“The head of the right–side mafia.”
Shit.
Alexander stares Dante in the eyes.
“How long before he gets here?”
“Seven minutes max.”
Alexander runs his hand through his hair and checks the time on his watch.
1/6
17:20. Wed 20
Chapter 49
He turns to me.
Grab your things and hurry. We’re leaving the hotel.”
Alexander gathers his belongings, but Dante grabs his arm.
He digs into his pocket and pulls out two keychains:
car key and an old rusty one.
“This is the key to your old hideout, hidden in a remote Everything you need to stay there.”
of
downtown.
I figured you’d need it eventually. It’s stocked with supplies for weeks.
Alexander stares at the key silently.
“A black car is parked downstairs to give you a head start before the
arrive. Take the back roads to avoid traffic if shit hits the fan
He hands him the keys.
If they don’t even like each other, why is he doing all this for himself?
He warned us. He’s saving our lives.
“Inara, get the stuff. Now.”
I rush to the bed and start grabbing our bags.
Good thing I hate unpacking.
I take everything, including Alexander’s laptop, from under the pillow.
I also keep listening in on their conversation.
“In case we don’t meet again, I just wanted you to know–I’m still sorry for what happened in the past. I know this doesn’t compare to what you did for me, but I hope it helps. You and your girl.”
I glance up to watch them.
Alexander puts a hand on Dante’s shoulder, then pulls him into a hug and murmurs a quiet thank you.
“I heard you did some time in prison. Hope your puzzle starts coming together soon.”
How does he know that?
Does he know what Alexander was looking for in there?
Alexander doesn’t react.
He grabs my arm and pulls me out of the hotel–probably to avoid any more questions.
Two minutes left.
I’m about to get into the passenger seat so Alexander can drive, but he stops me.
“You drive.”
“You’re better at losing them. You’re faster than me.”
“I need to take care of the vermin.”
I get the implication.
Chapter 49
I turn my head in shock.
Three men in black suits.
They look so identical it’s hard to tell them apart–same build, same face, same features, same eyes, same jawline, same neck tattoo, a dove with à cirka through it–the same one as the two men from the first night,
“Don’t panic As long as there are civilians around us, they won’t make a move.”
We’re surrounded by Italians and tourists.
It really was a smart idea to pick a luxury hotel that’s so crowded on the outside.
The triplets haven’t said a word since we spotted them.
We know they’ve seen us.
They’re just waiting for a better opportunity.
Alexander places his hand on the car door but doesn’t open it.
“Get in the car and start it.”
“If we move away from the civilians, they’ll kill us.”
“We’re not getting innocent people involved. We’re going to drive until we reach a deserted road outside the city.”
“I assume you have a plan?”
He looks at me with one of his infamous smirks.
It’s like being hunted actually excites him.
“I’ve got my weapons. That’s all I need.”
“I don’t know any routes.”
“Dante must have programmed everything in the GPS.”
“So what? I just get in and take off like a maniac?”
“Drive slowly. They need to be able to follow us.”
He’s either completely insane or a genius–but either way, my life is in danger.
I have no choice but to follow his lead.
I climb into the driver’s seat.
He settles beside me.
I glance into the rearview mirror to see if the triplets are still there.
They’re heading toward a car–probably to follow us.
Alexander turns on the GPS, and sure enough, the route to his hideout has already been entered.
He doesn’t look surprised–he clicks it without hesitation.
Chapter 49
Dante really is our savior.
Put your seatbelt on.”
Is this a joke?
“I’d rather avoid you being launched through the windshield during our little chase.”
Why the concern for me?
I don’t understand why it would even matter to him if I made it out alive or not.
He must be worried about the consequences if he doesn’t return me safe to my father.
But that doesn’t make sense–this man fears no one, especially not Khalid.
1 buckle my seatbelt.
I start driving through the streets of Rome, following Dante’s route.
Alexander reaches into the back seat and grabs a duffel bag thadn’t noticed when I got in.
I try to focus on the road, but my eyes drift toward the contents of the bag.
I open my eyes wide in shock; it’s impossible he’s holding what I think he is.
“You’re going to shoot those guys with that monster?”
麻綠藝
He’s holding a Beretta MX4 in his hands, a submachine gun that could wipe out three entire families. This weapon can cause countless casualties if it falls into the wrong hands.
“A Beretta MX4…”
“Looks like you paid attention during your father’s lessons.”
I roll my eyes.
“How did you get one?”
“I knew Dante wouldn’t disappoint me a second time. I knew he’d get it for me.”
He smiles.
“Do you even know how to use it?”
“Just drive, I’ll handle the rest.”
I refocus on the road. I spot the mafia’s car a few meters behind us in the rearview mirror. A gunshot rings out. They waited patiently for us to reach thèse deserted streets to launch the attack.
“Don’t stop under any circumstances,” Alexander orders.
Alexander leans out the car window, holding the machine gun tightly. He grips the weapon and begins shooting at our enemies.
I hear a flurry of gunfire, but I try to remain calm. I can’t lose focus or we’re dead.
I have to trust Alexander.
He keeps shooting without pause. He ducks back into the car to reload. The triplets‘ car takes advantage of it to catch up on our left. The man in the
Chapter: 49°
passenger seat sisits sheating at me and manages to shatter a window.
Alexander turns his weapon toward me to aim at the attackers. My face contorts.
8 rather you not point that thing at me!”
“No choice, doll!”
He opens fire and hits the guy sitting in the back seat.
Their car comes to a halt, and I catch a glimpse of the two remaining brothers‘ anguish as they watch the lifeless body of their brother bleed out. They pull him from the vehicle and lay him on the ground to try to revive him–but it’s too late.
I can’t even imagine the pain they must be feeling. It was them or us. The choice was made.
I accelerate, but Alexander slams the brakes hard, forcing the car to stop. I look at him, confused.
“What are you doing? This is our chance to run!”
He doesn’t answer and gets out of the car, determined, carrying the machine gun. He walks toward the two men whose suits are now soaked in their brother’s blood.
They bite their lips, watching Alexander approach with hate and disgust. They know what’s coming.
I shout at Alexander:
“You don’t have to kill them! We can go!”
Why do I feel pity for them? Probably because they’re devastated over their brother’s death.
“I’m not the kind to leave witnesses.”
“They won’t follow us, just let them go!”
“Stay out of this. If it’s too hard for you to watch, go back to the car.”
I don’t answer and follow him. I watch the two men and Alexander’s weapon, which he hasn’t lowered once.
He shoots one right in the forehead and finishes the other with a bullet to the heart.
“Had to get rid of the vermin.”
He turns to head back to the car when I grab the sleeve of his shirt.
“You’re just going to leave them here?”
“They should be grateful they died together.”
“Passersby are going to find their bodies.”
“And?”
“The police could easily trace this back to you–three murders.”
He smirks.
“No fingerprints, no witnesses, no mistakes, no murder weapon, no proof. No case.”
He removes my hand from his sleeve and starts whistling, satisfied with what he’s done. He gets in the car, this time on the driver’s side, tossing his still
Chapter 49
loaded wespen onto the backseat.
I sigh and join him. He’s about to start the engine when his expression suddenly shifts.
Fuck!
“What? What is it?”
A knot forms in my stomach–please don’t tell me it’s not over. Three dead in one day is enough.
“They got blood on my shirt! It’s ruined now!”
He clenches his fists.
“Blood is so damn hard to get out! It’s trash now! Those assholes pissed me off to the very end!”
His cynicism is terrifying. He’s more upset about his shirt than the three lives he just ended.
He smiles again, turns on the radio, and places his hands on the wheel.
“Looks like a beautiful day ahead!”
He drives off at full speed, leaving the deserted road and the corpses
behind.
AD
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