Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
We reach the trees. Niccolo pauses to look back and make sure nobody’s chasing. I’m about to keep crashing forward, but he whistles and hisses, “Hold up.”
Everyone stops. I put Kacia and Adrienne behind a tree and stare across the dark, open expanse toward the house. A small platoon of Russian soldiers are lined up, half of them standing behind tall riot shields, the sort rated for rifle fire, and more spill out from the doorway.
Damir Novalov’s voice echoes through the night.
“Seems like you got lucky, Luca Valverde. But what’s your father going to say when he realizes his son started a war?”
“My father’s going to be happy he gets to kill Russians without worrying about the consequences,” I respond, still partially behind a tree. I can’t be sure he doesn’t have snipers waiting for a good shot.
“What do you think you’re going to do with that girl, huh, Luca? You think the Greeks are going to touch your deal now that they know I’m against it?”
“I think the Greeks are going to see how much of a piece of shit you are and come crawling over to my Famiglia. I think they’re going to be happy to get out of business with you.”
“We’ll see, Luca Valverde, we’ll see. Good luck with the girl. I hear she’s vicious.”
“She’s not so bad once you get to know her.” I turn to the others and say quietly, “Start moving.”
Tony takes Adrienne and they hurry on. Niccolo follows. Kacia doesn’t go right away and stares up at me with these big eyes, pleading. “Come on. Come with us.”
“I’ll delay them.”
“No, Luca.” She touches my face. “I just got you back.”
I smile at her and lean down to kiss her lips softly. Fuck the blood. I don’t give a damn where it came from. I need to feel her right now. “Go with the others. I don’t plan on dying here. Please, flower. Go.”
She lets out a pained grunt but she pulls herself from me and hurries after the others, running low and darting from tree to tree.
“You know, Damir, it didn’t have to go down like this. We could’ve all worked together.”
“There’s no working together in our world, Luca. You have to understand that, and if you don’t yet, you will. The Greeks might play ball for a while but it never fucking lasts. Trust me, they always turn on you when you need them the most.”
“That’s the thing. They only ever turn on rotten, worthless pieces of trash like you. Good luck in the coming war, Damir. I think you’ll need it.” I back away from the trees as the Russian soldiers begin to advance. I fire off a few random shots and force the column to pause before I turn and start sprinting into the night.
The others are at the wall already. The girls are up and over and Niccolo’s scrambling after them. I leap, grab Tony’s hands, and he hauls me over. This time, I land with a little more grace. Tony drops beside me with a grunt and we’re away, running along the wall, down the street, back to the car. We get inside, start the engine, and roar away as the front gates open and more Russians come spilling out.
They take potshots as we disappear into the hills, but it’s finished.
I catch Kacia’s eye in the rearview mirror and grin.
That shouldn’t have worked, and yet here we are, riding off together back toward the airport. The tension in the car melts away the further we get from the Russians and soon the others are laughing together, elated to be alive, just as shocked as I am that we made it out in one piece.
“All thanks to Kacia,” Adrienne says. “Seriously, she came up with this wild idea to remove the hinges holding the door in place—”
“You popped the hinge pins out?” Niccolo gives her an appraising nod. “That’s clever.”
“They never saw it coming,” Adrienne says.
“We jumped on that asshole like it was the last thing we’d ever do. And honestly, for a second back there, I thought it was.” Kacia meets my eyes in the rearview. “Until you showed up.”
We reach the airport. Security isn’t happy when they see Adrienne and Kacia in bloodstained clothes, but some cash and some promises helps to smooth it over. At least we were able to wash the worst of it off Kacia’s face—otherwise they probably would’ve called the cops on sight. “How did you get blood all over your mouth?” I ask once we’re on the plane.
“I bit the guy’s wrist. He was going to shoot me.” She shrugs like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
I laugh, unable to help myself, and Adrienne joins in, and soon the whole cabin’s cracking up. It’s the relieved-to-be-alive laughter of people that know they shouldn’t still be breathing.