Dominic
I drive until I see a rundown motel to pull off into. I park at the back just in case and go to the front desk.
“What will it be?” The lazy receptionist asks me, staring at television to the side.
“One room, two beds,” I say, taking out some cash and tossing it down. “And don’t tell anyone we’re here.”
The receptionist takes the cash and slides a room key to me, “Not here, got it.”
I take the key and check the number before I lead Sofia up to the room. Once the door is closed, she turns to me. “Are we safe here?”
“We’re not safe anywhere,” I say, setting the duffel bag down.
“You look like you could use a shower,” I say. I dig out tracksuit pants and a shirt and toss them to her. “These will be a bit big, but they’re clean, and you’ll be comfortable.”
She leaves to shower, and I step out of the room, taking a burner phone out of my pocket and slipping a preloaded sim card into it. I dial Alessandro’s number.
“Dominic, are you okay? I saw the news, and I assume that’s your handiwork.”
“A quiet, discreet option did not present itself,” I justify my actions. “I got here, though.”
“Where are you?”
“Best not to say over the phone. I don’t want to be long either, in case they track me. You never know.” I pause. “I think there’s more to this kidnapping than Facuno lets on.”
“Why’s that?” Alessandro asks. I can hear he’s shutting a door. He’s probably gone to his office.
“I don’t know. It’s a gut feeling. They knew where to find us at the last hotel I booked, and I used a burner cell for that too. No one could have known we were there.”
“Maybe they tailed you, and you didn’t notice them,” Alessandro points out.
I scoff. “Me? Alessandro, how long have I been doing this? And I was on my bike, which you’ll have to pick up later.”
Alessandro pauses. “Stay near New York but don’t go straight to Facuno. I’ll send word that Sofia is fine and that you’ll contact him on where to meet. I’ll dig a bit more into his family and their background.”
“Thanks, I’ll contact you tomorrow,” I say. “Speak soon.” I hang up and break up the phone and sim card, tossing them in a nearby trash can.
I walk back into the room as Sofia comes out of the shower. My clothes are bagging on her, and her hair is sopping wet, but she looks fresh and clean, and I’m sure she feels better.
Pretty girls like this are always a problem. One I don’t intend to get involved in.
I take out the next phone I’m using as a burner phone and organize a car rental from a place not far away. I use a false name to book it under, double checking that I have that driver’s license on me.
“So, you’re from the Sorvino family…” she says quietly. I look at her. She’s using a hair clip to comb her hair. She fixes the pretty clip into her hair and sits cross-legged on the bed.
“I am. I did say so early,” I say irritably. Man, was this princess stupid or deaf?
“What’s your family like?”
I look up at her, exasperated.
“I don’t really speak to people outside of my family, okay? I like to keep to myself, and you should do the same.” I sit on my bed and open the duffel bag. I reload my guns and check the other firearms and ammunition in there.
She turns back to the television and puts on a movie while I busy myself with polishing the guns. I glance at her now and then when she giggles at the movie. She has a beautiful face, but she is extremely frustrating.
“How did you get out?” I ask quietly. “Away from your captors, I mean.”
“Sorry?” she says, looking at me.
“You were running out of the house when I came in,” I say, looking at her. She makes me feel exasperated. “How did you get away from them?”
“They left me with one guard,” she says. “I tried to get out through a bathroom, but that didn’t work, so I seduced him, kneed him in the groin, and hit him with his gun. I then locked him in the room and sneaked out. I hid in a closet when you detonated your explosion because I knew the guards would come running past, and I didn’t want to get caught again. Once I thought it was clear, I came upstairs and bumped into you.”
“You talk a lot,” I say. “You could have just said you kneed the guard and sneaked out.”
She glares at me. “Don’t ask if you don’t want to hear the story. I’m so sorry that I have an extensive vocabulary.”
I roll my eyes. “Do you always talk this much?” “Do you always talk so little?” she snaps back.
I smirk. “I’m not a man of words, it’s true, but I am a man of action.”
She rolls her eyes and looks back at the television.
“Stay here,” I say. “I’m going across the road to get us some food.” “Am I safe here?” she asks.
“You asked that earlier. You’re not safe anywhere, but I can see this room from across the road, so I will keep an eye on you, don’t worry.”
She nods and hugs her knees. She looks so vulnerable. A small part of me twitches with a tiny need to protect her, but I bury that strange feeling fast. Emotions cloud your judgment, and that gets you killed quickly.
I leave the room, locking it behind me. I walk across the street to the fried chicken place, keeping an eye on the room as I place my order.
I sit at the window and watch the room as I wait for my order to be called. Twice cars drive past slowly, catching my attention, but they pass by without circling back. Something just feels off to me.
How did they know we were in the Holiday Inn?
The guy calls my order, and I get up, hurrying to pick it up before I walk back across the road. I keep checking my surroundings to ensure that no one is watching me or following where I am going, but it seems oddly quiet. I glance at my watch, it’s after nine, but there should still be some traffic.
It makes me feel uneasy, but I go back into the room and drop the food on the bed. “Help yourself. I just got chicken pieces, gravy, chips, and soda.”
She pulls a face, looks at me, and I deadpan her. She shrugs and opens the food up, starting to eat. I wait for her to take some for herself before I dig in, sitting on the edge of the bed with the cardboard container in my hand as I rip into the chicken.
She sits opposite me, watching me. I roll my eyes. “Please stop staring at me as though I’m going to grow a third head or something.” “You mean you have two?” she asks curiously.
I smirk and wait. She finally gets the joke and pulls a face. “Seriously childish.”
Sofia
I’m still full from the chicken earlier. Unlike Dominic, who seemed ravenous, I ate my chicken as politely as possible before moving on to some chips and gravy. I’m not generally a fan of greasy food, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers, and it’s not like this place would have room service.
The clothes feel baggy on me, and I feel awkward, almost naked, in front of him. I didn’t like how he looked at me when I came out of the shower.
Dominic throws his box of chicken bones away and goes back to his guns. I know it’s stupid to try talking to him, but I’ve always been curious, and I want answers.
“Why did my father send you? Why didn’t he send someone from our family?”
“It’s complicated,” he says in his short, gruff way.
“Uncomplicate it then,” I say. “How do I know you’re not working for Jose, and this is all just a rouse?”
He snorts. “You think if I worked for Jose, you’d still be in
America?” He looks at me. “I’m starting to question your intelligence,
Princess.”
God, I fucking hate how he calls me princess. If he keeps it up, I don’t care how scary he is. I’m going to slap him. I shake my head and take a deep, calming breath. “So why didn’t my father send someone from our family?”
He huffs and puts his gun down, turning to me. “I’m going to explain only once, so keep up and don’t interrupt.”
I nod, and he immediately starts talking, “Firstly, your father wouldn’t move against Jose unless he had security, say from another family, that the rest of his family wouldn’t be taken out by the Catalans who basically rule South America. Secondly, I need your father’s allegiance to my family in our efforts to overthrow Jose Catalan because he wants my brother, and probably the rest of my family, dead. Got it? So, I have to keep you safe for a few days because they will be expecting us to go straight to your father like idiots. Once my brother says it’s safe, we will meet up with your father, and you can fly back to Argentina and be with your family and get married and live happily ever after. The end.”
I stare at him for a moment. That’s the most he’s said in one go, and it kind of floors me. I stroke my hair behind my ear. “All you had to say was that my father and your family are working together to overthrow another Don.”
He glares at me, and I smirk. “Just saying… But I don’t want to return to Argentina. My dream is to study digital art in New York.”
“Well, unfortunately, we can’t all have what we want. It’s not safe for you in New York, so you’ll have to make do with whatever you can study back home.” He goes back to his gun, but I’m persistent. He needs to learn that.
“They don’t offer as good a qualification back home. The prestigious schools are here. It’s not safe for you, but you live here, I assume?” I gesture around me. “I mean, how can you live here when you’re in danger and I can’t?”
“Because my job is dangerous, I accept that. To remain here, you would need full guards, twenty-four-seven, escorts, drivers, and all kinds of things.”
“And you don’t think my father can provide these things?” It’s my turn to huff. “You think you’re better than our family because you come from New York and we’re from Argentina. Argentina is rich in resources and culture, unlike any you will ever know. You get your drugs, your weapons, everything you smuggle you get from the South American countries. Without us, you are nothing.”
He doesn’t respond, and I partially turn my back on him, so I’m facing the television again.
“Does my father know you think your family is better than ours?” I ask angrily.
He sighs. “Every family thinks they are better than the other families. Some through virtue, some through morals, and others through power. Your father and my brother need this allegiance to overthrow a family that has abused their power and has no virtues or morals regarding the rest of the family.”
I hug my knees. “So, this is just a job.”
He nods, and I shake my head. “You’re just going to keep me safe?” “You are safer with me than on your own,” he says.
“You’re a killer,” I retort. “You’re not exactly a safe person to be around.”
He looks up at me. “I only kill when I’m ordered to kill. I only kill who I’m ordered to kill to get what I need if necessary. You shouldn’t be complaining about me being a killer. I killed many people to save your life. What? Did you think they wouldn’t overpower you because you had a gun? You were shaking when you held that gun? Do you remember? Because it’s heavy and you’re not used to that weight, firing that would have hurt you a lot.”
I frown and rest my head on my knees.
“You’re brave, probably stupid, Princess. But you are brave, and now I need you to trust me, do as I say, and we’ll both come out of this relatively sane.” He starts to pack away his guns. “If I were you, I’d get some shut-eye. We’re going to be moving around a lot to evade detection.”
“How much can we move around New York?”
“Oh, there are lots of places to hide,” he says. “We won’t be going into the city just yet, but we’ll get there. I have a general idea of which direction we should head.”
I pick up the food and deposit it on the side table beside the bed. I curl up in my bed, pulling the thin blanket over my body. I don’t like the way he watches me.
“I’m going to scout around before I settle in,” he says. “Stay here and don’t open for anybody, got it?”
I nod and watch him leave. I’m wondering how long he will be when he comes rushing back in. “Get up. They’re here.”
“How…” I start to say, but he roars, “Just get up and get moving. I’m going to shoot to the left as we step out, move to the stairs on the right and get down to the bike as fast as you can.”
I nod and wait at the door. He counts to three and steps out. I wait, and when I hear his gun go off, I run behind him and to the right. I try to hold my hands over my ears to block out the gunfire, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. Only two shots ring out, and then it goes quiet. I get to the bike, and as I turn around, he pushes me out the way, frightening me.
“Are they coming?”
“They’re dead, but I need to figure out how they found me. I’ve made a plan for the morning. We have a couple of hours before the rental place opens. We’re going for a bit of a drive now. Try not to fall asleep. I know you’re tired, but you can sleep in the car when I’m driving tomorrow.” He gets onto the bike, and I quickly climb on behind him. I look around as we zip away, worried more of Jose’s men will come out and follow us.