I ignored the doctor’s advice and reached out to Hunter. “Give me the phone and another gun.”
Hunter ordered his men to hand over the prepared items. The phone was the latest iPhone, and the pistol was a Desert Eagle-my weapon of choice. I took the gun, weighing it in my palm. It was 0. 91 grams heavier than the one I’d lost. A faint scratch marked the grip.
“Is this your gun?” I asked Hunter.
He’d given me his own.
“I also have a Browning. Would you prefer that?”
I’d almost forgotten-Hunter was one of the rare dual-wielding masters of the East Coast Alliance, a force to be reckoned with. Antonio had agreed to let him replace Marcy as my head bodyguard, trusting his skill with two guns.
“No need,” I declined, tucking the Desert Eagle into the back of my waistband. “Don’t forget our mission. I need GC109 by tonight.”
—
Night fell, and the lights of E3 Harbor grew sparse. The bustling port transformed into its nocturnal playground.
A Land Rover appeared at the end of the road, speeding toward us like a charging lion, sharp and aggressive. Hunter and the bodyguards raised their guns, aiming at the driver.
Suddenly, the vehicle’s high beams flashed on, blinding us. I turned away, cursing under my breath.
“Hey, Bianca, my dear friend, have you missed me?” Grace leapt out of the car, arms open for a hug.
“Turn off those damn lights!” I snapped, waving her off.
Grace pouted, signaling her bodyguard to cut the lights. “You’re so cold, darling. Can’t you see the wounds in my heart?”
“Cut the act, Grace,” I said, suppressing the urge to vomit. “Where’s what I asked for?”
“You heartless bitch! Is it all about business with you?” Grace nearly jumped in anger.
“If it weren’t for this deal, I’d be at TLM Club’s training ground for the final drills,” I replied bluntly.
“You disappoint me, Bianca. You’re no longer my ‘darling.'” Grace pulled a glass vial filled with blue liquid from her crocodile handbag and shoved it into my hand. “Marry your motorcycle then. You’ll never be happy!”
“Bitch.”
I watched Grace’s theatrics with resignation. She really loved to perform.
“Is this GC109?” I held the vial up to the nearest light. The liquid glowed faintly blue, like sunlight scattered across the ocean or stars on a blue canvas.
“To be precise, it’s the GC109 experimental serum,” Grace corrected, summoning her bodyguard. “What you’re holding is just one sample. I made some adjustments.”
The bodyguard opened the backseat and retrieved a black briefcase.
“The real deal is here,” Grace said, patting the case. The bodyguard entered the code, and the case opened to reveal three more vials of GC109.
“Your job’s done, Grace.” After inspecting the goods, I signaled Hunter to take them.
Grace blew me a kiss. “Thanks for the cooperation. Wire the payment to my account.”
“I’ll remind Antonio.”
“Speaking of Antonio, congratulations on him becoming Luciano’s new Capo. I heard you’re rivals now. Why do you work for him?”
I had no obligation to satisfy Grace’s curiosity. With GC109 in hand, I turned to leave.
“Fine,” Grace relented. She noticed my injury and asked what happened.
I saw no reason to hide Rosa’s involvement and told Grace about our clash in Mexico City.
When Grace heard Rosa still commanded a formidable armed force, she was skeptical. “That’s impossible!”
“Ask Hunter if you don’t believe me. We’ve clashed with Rosa’s forces directly.”
Grace stared at Hunter, who gave a solemn nod.
Her expression darkened. “Did Enzo leave her that power?”
Grace’s brother, Grette, was the right-hand man of Caesar, Mexico’s Capo. Eliminating Enzo’s remnants was a key task Caesar had assigned to Grette.
“I need to talk to my brother,” Grace said.
As Luciano’s former Capo, Enzo wasn’t a saint. Many hated him, including Caesar. But he was still my beloved grandfather.
Grace, aware of my complicated position, didn’t push for more. “I can’t attend your match, Bianca.”
“I’ll drink an extra glass of champagne to celebrate the victory for you.”
“So confident, Bianca? Are you sure you’ll win?”
I raised a proud eyebrow. “No one is more suited for the crown of the Victory Queen.”
“Is your injury really not a problem?”
“It won’t affect my performance.”
“Fine,” Grace chuckled. “Your confidence shines like the stars.”
We said our goodbyes and got into our cars, heading in opposite directions.
E3 Harbor was eerily quiet at night, with almost no passing vehicles.
“Back to the city?” Hunter asked. He’d booked me a room at a five-star hotel.
Once the tension of the mission faded, exhaustion set in. My wounds ached faintly.
“Yes,” I said, rubbing my temples.
Hunter nodded and relayed the address to the driver.
I glanced at the briefcase by Hunter’s feet and gently shook the vial in my hand. The blue liquid moved like flowing sand, its faint glow shifting from one end to the other.
Grace had claimed this sample was a failed experiment, stabilized with an inert substance. It wouldn’t explode unless exposed to a specific catalyst.
After testing it a few times, I lost interest and tossed it into my handbag.
Just as I was about to ask Hunter to let me play with the real GC109, a loud crash jolted us.
Our car was rear-ended by a van, sending us skidding uncontrollably.
“Damn it!”
“We’re under attack!”