Ann’s POV
The van stops in an alley before suddenly pushing forward and then stops again a few seconds later.
I am about to ask where we are. I stare out of the car window and see Vicente standing beside a large door.
It looks like a warehouse.
Warmth spreads through me as his eyes land on me, giving me assurance, courage, and confidence that everything will be okay.
I am not supposed to be here, but I insisted on coming along with them, so he asked Luca and some of the men to come with me.
Why are we here anyway? I thought we were going to meet at Isaac’s hideout. From what I could grasp from his conversation with Fernando earlier this noon, Isaac is no longer where I know as home.
That put another fresh stab of fear in me.
What if he goes into hiding again?
But I trust Vicente on this. He made me promise I wouldn’t come out of the car, no matter what.
I am praying I won’t.
Vicente flashes me a small smile, then turns his back on me to give directions again before taking long strides towards the van.
“Are you ready?” he asks from afar, but I watch his mouth move, so I nod gingerly.
Despite the aura of confidence around him forcing me to let courage take over my fear, I can’t deny the dread spinning in my stomach.
This is a big deal.
Tonight will be the end of Isaac. I will see my mother. We will be reunited again, even though I don’t know what she would think of me now, what she would think of me abandoning her and not contacting her for years, or what she would think of my new life and my husband.
Would she like Vicente since he is in the Mafia too, or would she be scared that he will turn out to be Isaac?
He was sweet at first. I mean Isaac Rossi. Before they got married, I remember how he used to send her to give me some chocolate cakes and other gifts.
That stopped after the marriage, and she moved in with them. He didn’t hesitate to show his real attitude after they got married in court with just a few people present.
Sometimes, I pity my mother. Other times, I don’t.
Now, I pity her more than anything else. Isaac Rossi was her mistake, and I will make sure that mistake becomes a thing of the past.
His hands find mine through the window as he opens the van door, signaling to me to step out.
I obey quietly.
He shouts out orders to the soldiers before dragging me along with him to another car. A black jeep which I have never seen among the cars in the mansion.
I enter, and he moves around to slouch into the driver’s seat as well. Two seconds later, the back seats are filled with four soldiers holding firmly onto their weapons.
I try to look calm.
Vicente’s hand finds mine again as he presses a shotgun into my hand.
“Just in case,” he mutters quickly before I can object. “Someone might try to come near the car or attack you. This is just to defend yourself.”
I nod.
“Remember to stay put. Don’t come out unless I tell you to, okay?”
“Ok.”
“Good,” he watches me for another minute before looking away as he pulls the car out of the way for the van to also come forth.
I am counting every single second as we drive, with my eyes shutting and flickering open as each second passes.
There is no denying that I am super nervous. Scared too.
But I can do this. I can use this weapon to drive a bullet through Isaac’s chest since that is what I have always dreamt of.
Exactly 1730 seconds later, the car halts abruptly, and I flutter my eyes open to see a magnificent building in front of us.
In a flash, the men at the back rush out as well as those from the van behind. I can see them from the car window.
“Stay put, Ann,” Vince orders quickly before pecking my forehead and disappearing.
Then gunshots follow. Leaving me more shaken than ever. My heart is pounding hard, hoping Mother would make it out alive.
I hear a scream and more gunshots. A boy runs out of the building and suddenly falls to the ground.
He is shot.
A scream pierces my mouth.
Who is this boy? Does he work for Isaac? Did Vicente’s men kill him?
I am tempted to step down from the car and find Vince. No one needs to get hurt except Isaac and no one needs to get hurt as long as I get my mother back.
I stay put when I remember Vince’s warning. This is the condition for having me here. I clamp a hand over my mouth to force back the sob that is threatening to escape.
I can’t see Vicente anywhere around. I continue glancing around when a sudden knock on the car door jolts me up.
On first instinct, I grab the gun I dropped on my thighs and point it toward the window at the strange guy.
He doesn’t look familiar.
He signals to me to step out, and I furrow a brow. Who is this guy? Is he one of Vicente’s men?
The shooting has died down now, but I haven’t seen any familiar figures. Perhaps Vince ordered him to come guard me. Maybe he is worried I would go against his orders.
I touch the door handle to open it when someone fires a shot at him, and he drops dead to the floor.
I cover my mouth again with my eyes widened in fear.
Fernando rushes out with a body which he dumps right next to the first boy, who is in a pool of his blood, making sudden realization dawn on me.
This is it. This is what Vince’s life is about. This is the type of life he lives on a daily basis.
This is the type of life THEY are expecting me to accept and become used to, but the question is, can I really accept this life? Can I really accept this title and act like a real Mafia Queen when I have my past ready to haunt me at any time?
I don’t realize I am shivering until Vicente steps out with my mother in his arms. A loud gasp escapes me as I touch the car door again.
She looks frail and smaller than I remember.
Vicente knows I am looking, so he smiles and drops her to her feet. She glances around with terror in her eyes before they finally settle on me.
A tear slips down my eyes and I start to cry uncontrollably. She begins to walk towards me, almost limping while I turn to Vince, asking for permission to step out with my eyes. He shakes his head and moves behind her.
Others follow, and I assume the deal is done until we hear a loud bang.
A shot pierces my mother’s chest, and her eyes bulge wide open in shock. She stretches her hand towards me.
Shock has me reeled to my seat until Mother drops to the floor, and I jump out of the car.
“Mom!”
Vincete is right beside her, shouting at Fernando to get the car. When I look up, I see a helicopter above us and another gun pointed at me. Vicente notices it, too, and shoots at the man I eventually recognize as Isaac.
A smirk is plastered on his face as he bows at me dramatically before disappearing. The helicopter advances further into the sky, and he is gone.
“Mother!” I scream at the top of my voice.
“Mom, please stay. I’m sorry I left you behind. I’m sorry I am late. I’m sorry I let him hurt you. Mom, no!”
Vicente picks her up from the floor, leaving them to run behind him as he helps Mother to the van, her blood spurting everywhere.
I enter the van, barely sitting when it kicks off. My gaze does not leave her as the van drives with such a high speed.
I can’t lose her. Not when it’s time to start a new life with her, outside of Isaac’s home, where we would have freedom again to do whatever we like and please.
Vince is here to protect us both. If she stayed with him, Isaac would never get to her again.
Mother can’t die now. Not now.
I don’t know how long it takes, but in my head, it seems like the van halted just two minutes later, and everything happened so fast; the nurses rushing out with an emergency bed and placing Mother on it while Vicente wrapped a hand around me, guiding me into the hospital.
Mother is rushed into the ICU, and we wait at the reception.
My eyes are dry. My hope is reducing by the second. My hands won’t stop trembling at the possibility of her dying, leaving me all alone in the world.
Will she ever forgive me? Will she forgive me for running off and leaving her behind? Will she forgive me for not contacting her all these years?
I don’t know when Vince let me go until I lift my head and realize he is up on his feet.
I glance up to see a doctor approaching. I jump up, running towards him to bombard him with questions about my mother.
But the shake of his head stops me abruptly. And my feet give me away before he mutters. “We lost her.”
I shake my head, finding it hard to believe until Vicente moves closer, his face pale as white. He wraps a hand around me in an embrace, and then it sinks in.
Mother is dead. She is gone. Isaac killed her.
“No!” I mutter in denial. “Is she dead, Vince?”
I step away as he stares at me with hesitation before nodding in response.
I push him off me with a scream before making for the room where she was rushed into.
She can’t be dead.
Someone grabs me from behind, twirls me around, and stops me from going in to confirm if it is indeed my mother or someone else the doctor is talking about.
Vince’s face appears before me, and it slowly dawns on me. Quietly, I lower myself to the ground before bursting into uncontrollable tears.