Enzo rushed her off the highway, his left hand gripping the steering wheel while his right hand held a pistol, the speed of the car creating nothing but a rush of wind by Sookie’s ears. Sookie glanced at the rearview mirror; it seemed like there were cars chasing them.
As the intensity of the gunfire increased, she realized they had been half-surrounded moments ago. Perhaps, the people helping them evade and escape from the rear were on Enzo’s side.
In an attempt to shake off their pursuers, Enzo drove across the bushland, heading into the wilderness. The grating sound of the tires against the ground made Sookie’s scalp tingle.
Suddenly, Enzo rolled down the window, leaned out, and fired two shots backward, while the other party, not to be outdone, relentlessly sprayed their car with an AK. Bullets whizzed past them, and the pursuing car drew closer. Tears streamed down Sookie’s face involuntarily.
But it seemed like Enzo was willing to take a gamble. He bellowed at Sookie, “Come on, drive!” then leaped into the backseat. Sookie hadn’t reacted yet, but she knew that if she didn’t take hold of the wheel, she would truly be in mortal danger the next second.
Enzo picked up a submachine gun, took aim at the approaching figures, and rapidly fired shots, shattering the rear windshield. Sookie screamed as Enzo reclaimed the driver’s seat, flooring the gas pedal to exit the old factory. The tires rattled across the gravel road onto the sidewalk, hurtling towards Highway 50.
“Where are we going?” Sookie asked softly, shivering in the passenger seat with only a sweatshirt on. Their car windows shattered, cold winds rushed in from both sides. Enzo glanced at her and took off his jacket, handing it to Sookie.
Trembling, she put it on, feeling enveloped by his scent. In this tense and perilous moment, it subdued some of Sookie’s anxiety.
“We’re safe now,” Enzo finally assured her after a long while.
“Oh, okay.”
“Why are those guys-” trying to kill us?
“Are you an idiot?” Enzo roared. “What’s not to understand?” In this situation, he had no patience to explain things to this woman.
Sookie wanted to hold back her tears, but she couldn’t. She silently wept. She had never been this melodramatic. But she had been through too much in this period, things beyond her comprehension. Just five minutes ago, she had almost been shot. It was extremely difficult for her to calm down.
She broke down but restrained herself, her shoulders twitching as she cried silently. Enzo, irritated by the sound, muttered under his breath. He veered off the highway, speeding down the exit ramp, past the parking signs, and screeched to a halt at a gravel rest area.
“Ah-help-stop-” The rapid descent down the slope was like hurtling off a cliff, and Sookie cried out. It wasn’t until the car came to a stop that her nerves ceased their convulsions.
She breathed rapidly, her vision blurred, her hands fumbled to open the car door, and she crouched by the roadside, retching. She could feel the adrenaline rushing through her body, her instincts urging her to flee. Her steps faltered, staggering forward. She only knew she had to escape all of this.
“Sookie-” Enzo got out of the car, walking a few steps to reach her, grabbing her arm.
“No, no-” Sookie shook her head, pushing Enzo away, her body resisting, wanting to keep him at a distance. “Let me go, please. I won’t tell anyone.”
Sookie was on the brink of a breakdown, and a trace of tenderness flashed in Enzo’s indifferent eyes. He pulled her close, holding her tightly. At first, Sookie struggled, screamed, but eventually, she exhausted her strength and weakly clutched his T-shirt, weeping against his chest.
“I understand, my dear,” Enzo’s voice echoed in Sookie’s ear, his arms around her, soothing her back.
He held her like that for who knows how long. She occasionally gasped for breath, her tears seeping into his cotton shirt.
“I’m sorry,” Enzo said softly. “I forgot, you’re a hothouse flower, you haven’t been exposed to such brutality.” He felt guilty, tightening his grip around her arm. He shouldn’t have involved her in all this.
Perhaps because there was no pursuit at this moment, or perhaps the repressed emotions had found release, Sookie gradually calmed down.
“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” Enzo patted her head. Sookie slowly withdrew from his embrace, frowning at him.
“Was your life always like this?” Sookie couldn’t imagine so much violence in today’s society.
Enzo sighed softly. “Yes, darling, you probably don’t understand. From the age of 10, I had to learn to lie, deceive teachers and government officials, so I wouldn’t be sent to a welfare home and could continue living with my brothers.”
“Because when I was fifteen, I shot my first person; by the time I was twenty-one, your age, I was already the leader of the Shadowy Saints gang. I was responsible for leading my crew to fight for territory, seize supplies, our business built on blood. Some feared us, some relied on us, the police chased us, rivals attacked us. Everything I’ve been through is much more than what you see in gangster movies on TV. So, shooting, fleeing, getting injured, for me, it’s routine.”
Yet he had overlooked her, this innocent princess.
His voice was hoarse as he gently pushed her disheveled hair behind her ear. “My life is extremely dark; unlike you, who grew up in love, surrounded by kindness and mercy, your world is white, sacred.”
Then Enzo averted his gaze, his expression turning stern.
“Alright, we need to continue. I’m sorry for losing my temper, but my goal now is to keep us both alive. Okay?”
Sookie nodded, her face looking somewhat pale from the shock and excessive crying. “Okay.”
They turned and walked back to the car.
“Sorry, I got a little worked up just now, I was scared,” she muttered.
“It’s okay, you were brave,” he said, pulling her close, looking into her eyes.
“You’re the person driving with a gangster and fleeing,” Sookie said, rolling her eyes.
“Thank you,” Enzo chuckled.
“Let’s keep going, princess!”