Police sirens fill the street. I pull my knife from my back pocket and cut the ropes off her. When I take the gag off her mouth, she bursts into more tears and throws her arms around me.
“Baby, I got you. Come, let’s go.”
“Alex… you’re here,” she cries.
“Come, doll, we’ve got to get out of here.” I help her out of the van, and we both get on the bike.
As we take off, a plan forms in my mind as well as a million fears.
I’m alone now.
I don’t have the guys anymore.
I broke the brotherhood just by coming here and saving my girl.
We both have targets on our backs now.
* * *
She’s holding on to me tight.
The grip of her arms around my waist is firm, but she’s shaking.
The tremor of her body pressed against my back vibrates through me, and I pray she holds on.
I’ve never ridden with her like this. No helmet. Nothing to protect her if we have an accident. I’m worried even though the worst of the problem is behind us.
I got her.
I got her back.
As to what’s next… well, that’s the part I still have to figure out.
I’m on what we call emergency protocols. I’m using mine now in a way I never anticipated. I’m on the country roads making headway to a place I hoped to never use.
“Alex, where are you heading to?” Number Four asks.
“My safehouse,” I answer, and I almost imagine what his face must look like although I’ve never seen him.
None of us have ever seen the guys in the secret squad. Only Claudius and his father have. That was on the day he took over the empire. It was part of the initiation.
The reason why we’ve been so formidable is resilience and tact. We have a system set up for everything. This is one of them, and Number Four has gone quiet and is hesitant because he knows that where I’m heading, no one will be able to find me.
“So, I can’t follow you.” It’s not a question. It’s a statement of fact. He’s not allowed to.
“No. I’ll tell you when I’ll relieve you.”
Cora tenses, and her heartbeat speeds up, drumming against my skin. I want to calm her and soothe her. I want to check that those bastards didn’t hurt her. Mostly, I just want to see her face and assure her that I’ll take care of her.
“What should I tell the boss?” he asks in that same hesitant voice. I’m sure by now he can guess if I’ve mentioned the safehouse and the other guys aren’t involved in any way that this is a rogue mission.
“Nothing. I’ll speak to him.”
“Okay, promise me you will, Number Four,” he says to me. He’s never called me that before, but he’s right to. I am Number Four. Even when Jude was part of the crew, I was still Number Four.
“I give you my word,” I promise.
“Good luck amico mio,” he says.
“Grazie,” I answer back in Italian, thanking him, and the line cuts.
When we first took our positions in the leadership hierarchy, we chose our safehouses. All secret locations that no one would know about, not even each other. Claudius made sure of that. Unlike other setups in most of the mafia families, ours is completely different and rigid to the point where we know we have to keep certain things secret from each other. That’s the only way it would work.
Mine is in Warroad Minnesota, a very long way away from here. We have another twelve hours or so ahead of us and that’s if we don’t run into trouble, or at the very least get stuck in traffic.
I just need to get there. There are a few things I have to do first to make sure no one can follow us.
Then I have to figure out everything else.
I need to know what happened with Cora, and I need her to tell me everything. I need to know what I’m up against, and only then will I know what steps to take next.
The first on the list is to get rid of the bike.
I’ll head to the checkpoint in the next town and lose it.
We’ll go the rest of the way by car.
Chapter Sixteen
Cora
I can’t stop shaking.
I can’t stop thinking about what could have happened to me, and part of me is still wondering if this is some kind of dream.
Like I died and I’m in some in-between limbo-like place with Alex where we’re on the run.
This wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want any of this.
I’m actually holding what I want, and I know if this is real, I just dragged Alex into shit.
I put him in danger. How ironic that it’s me who’s involved him in this whole thing. It could mean death for the both of us.
I don’t know what we’re doing, or where we’re going. We’ve been on the road for hours, fleeing.
The only thing to soothe me is being close to Alex, holding him and feeling the beat of his heart. Unlike mine that’s beating so hard and fast from fright, his is steady.
He’s so focused, and his concentration deep.
I heard what he said to whomever that was on the earpiece, but I couldn’t really make out what it all meant. It didn’t sound good.
But then, what do I expect?
Nothing good is happening, and I’m not sure what to do.
I’m worried for my life, worried about what I might have stirred up, and worried that Alex is now involved.
I’m running, and I needed to see Richard.
I’m running, and I don’t know where Alex is taking me. He said safe house. Wherever that is, it’s not anywhere near Illinois, and I have this feeling we still have miles to go.
The next hour passes, and I realize I’m right, but we turn off the country road and head into a village. Twenty minutes later, the bike slows, and I lift my head to look around. We drive down a road leading to a factory-style workshop in the middle of a field.
Alex heads toward it, and as we pull up on the pavement, a tall, lanky man comes out.
He looks hesitant at first, but that soon changes as he gets closer and seems to recognize Alex. He smiles then, and his demeanor is more relaxed.
“Alex… well, hell… you devil, you just drop by and don’t give me a heads-up?” the man says.
Alex smiles at him.
“Sorry, Bernardo, this is a bit of an emergency,” Alex explains.
He gets off the bike and helps me. My feet touch the ground, and I’m so shaky my knees buckle. Alex catches me, and Bernardo rushes to my other side. I open my mouth to say that I’m okay, but my throat is so dry and I’m so numb that I can’t.
“Jesus, what happened?” Bernardo asks.
“You don’t want to know,” Alex answers. “I need a car. Do you have one?”
“You know I do.”
“Thanks. Can you take her in and get her some food and water?”
“You bet. Head into the garage. Killian will sort you out with a car.”
“Thanks.”
Bernardo secures a tighter grip under my arm, and I look at Alex.
“You’re safe,” Alex tells me. “I’ll come and get you in about ten minutes.”
“Okay…” I manage, but my voice is so faint I hardly recognize it.
“Come on, doll,” Bernardo says and ushers me into the house.
I make it although my legs quiver. When we open the door, an older woman comes out, and concern fills her face when she sees me.
“Martha, can you be a doll and get us some of that bread you made and some of the lunch?” Bernardo asks her.
“Of course.” She quickly rushes away into a room I’m assuming is the kitchen. A delicious aroma is coming from there.
The scent tickles my nose and twists my stomach, making it growl.
I haven’t eaten since yesterday, and it’s late afternoon now.
The clock on the wall over by the fireplace says it’s nearly two. I’m right—we’ve been on the road for hours.
Bernardo sits me down on the sofa and grabs a
cushion to put behind my back. I’m so weak. I think it’s shock because I’ve been without food before for longer than this and been fine. I’ve just never been kidnapped before.
Bernardo looks at me and gives me a warm smile. “Are you okay?” he asks.
“I am… thanks so much.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Where am I? I mean, where is this place?”
“You’re in Wolf Valley, just past the Stateline to Wisconsin.”
“Oh.” I was right. We’re far, far away, in the next state, and we’re getting a car. Where will we go then?
“You look like you’ve been through quite the ordeal,” he notes.
“Yes,” I say, and a tear runs down my cheek.
I wipe it away quickly, and he offers up a look of sympathy.
“You’re in good hands if you’re with Alex,” he says. “If he brought you here, you must be pretty important to him.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.” I do. It’s good to hear it being said to me even if it makes me feel more like a bigger fool for breaking up with Alex.
I don’t have anybody who would have done all that he’s done for me. If I didn’t have him, I know I’d probably be dead now.
Martha returns with a tray of delicious-looking food. There are slices of roast chicken on a plate, homemade bread on another plate, and a platter of roast vegetables. It looks amazing, and my mouth waters at the sight.
“Thank you so much for this,” I tell her.
“I hope you will like it. I was trying out a new sage recipe for the seasoning on the chicken,” Martha replies.
“There’s nothing my wife cooks that isn’t fit for God himself,” Bernardo states with a smile.
“Grazie, amore mio,” she says, and she sets the tray down on the coffee table.
I dive in straightaway, and they leave me to eat. I polish off the food in next to no time, and it makes me feel stronger in mind and body. I finish off the last piece of bread just as Alex walks into the house and sits opposite me.
“You okay?” he asks.
I release a sigh. “No… but thank you for saving me. Thank you for coming.” I haven’t said that yet.
“You know you’re welcome.” He reaches over and takes my hand, covering it with his. Warmth seeps into my skin, calming me.
“I can’t believe you were able to get me.” Only someone like him would have been able to save me from those people. They were Matvey’s guys. They spoke Russian.
“I do my best, doll.” He gives my hand a gentle squeeze.
“These people seem nice,” I say with a little smile.
Bernardo and Martha both seem like nice people. They seem to keep themselves separate, like they wouldn’t dabble in danger. The house is cozy and quaint, humble with the sparse décor and the wooden stairs leading upstairs. It feels like a sanctuary.
Alex grins back. “Yeah… they knew my father. They helped out a lot when he died and when Phillipe died too. They’ve always been in my life. I trust them. They moved out here because it was safer, away from our way of life. It was Bernardo who taught me how to take a bike apart and put it back together again a hundred times better.”
I smile at that and almost forget the craziness. “That’s really cool.”
“Yeah… you won’t like to hear either that he taught me how to do my first real stunt and gave me that taste for danger you’re always telling me off for.”
“It saved me today, so I can’t tell you off anymore,” I answer.
Seriousness returns to his eyes. “Baby… finish the water. We need to make a move as soon as possible. We’ve already been on the road for longer than I wanted.”
A chill races down my spine. “Do you think we were followed?”
“I don’t, or we’d know about it already, but I won’t rule anything out.”
I sigh and gaze into his eyes. “I should tell you what happened.”
“Yeah… but not here.” He glances at the kitchen door. Bernardo and Martha are inside the kitchen talking. They’re talking about the food, but I’m certain they must be curious about what’s going on with us. “We’ll talk later. I got a car. I want you to get some sleep when we get in, and we can worry about talking… later.”
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere safe.” He nods and stands. I get the feeling he doesn’t want to tell me. He never mentioned a location on the phone either to the person he was talking to.
Worry fills me. I know him. If he’s not saying much, it means he’s worried too . It means he’s scared too, and I’ve never known Alex to be scared of anything.
* * *
We get into a black Mustang, a real old muscle car that holds that edge of power as we drive away.
I fall asleep, and when I wake up, it’s pitch black outside.
Night has fallen, thick and heavy, and where we’re driving towards is dark too. There are no lights around, just the moonlight.
We’re surrounded by the forest, and there’s a deserted feel about the place.
I shuffle and straighten up, facing Alex.
He glances over at me and looks me over.
“We’re near now,” he says.
I’m about to ask where we are when I see a house come into view.
It’s a lake house, and the land surrounding it is vast.
Everything is so dark, and I can’t see all that much, but what I see is beautiful. The house is massive, and there’s a barn across from it.
I wonder who lives here as we pull up on the drive and get out of the car. It’s cold, much colder than where we’ve come from, and I start to shiver as the wind picks up and lifts my hair.
“Where are we?” I ask.
“My safe house,” he answers.
“This is yours?”
“Yeah, and before you bitch at me for getting it on dirty money I’ll tell you I got it from the sweat off my back.” He gives me a weary smile that recedes as soon as it appears. Placing his arm around me he pulls me close and I savor the safety I feel in his arms. “Come, doll let’s get inside,” he says.
“Okay.”
We walk up the path and onto a porch. A soft amber light switches on, lighting up the door so he can see to open it.
I like the homely feel of the place, although I’m not quite sure how I should feel about being here yet.
We enter, and the interior is just as I imagined. It’s homely. Not lavish like his home in Chicago. Just homely with a country feel to it that’s soothing.
He ushers me into the living room, and the lights come on in there too, revealing a stunning setup with a floor-to-ceiling glass windows that hold a magical view of the lake.
I walk over to it and place my hand on the glass as I look out at the moonlight stroking the surface of the water.
It’s time to talk. I know it is.
He’s waiting, and I know that once I talk, I’ll break down with fear.
I turn back to face him and take in the look of anticipation on his face.
He points to the sofa, and I move back over to sit down. Alex, however, remains standing.
“Tell me what happened, doll. All of it. I want it all,” he says.
I draw in a sharp breath and start with what I found out last night from the phone call and the email, then I finish with this morning’s event. By the time I get to that part, he pulls up one of the wooden chairs and sits on it backwards.
The stern expression on his face is what worries me. He has every right to be worried. We have Zack, the rogue federal agent who can do anything he wants, and Matvey on our backs. It’s too much.
Add in whoever they work for and it spells big trouble. They know I know what they’re planning to do.
That’s death.
We need help and I can’t just allow them to go through with a plan that will kill people.
Alex hangs his head. Not a good sign.
“I have to tell Richard,” I say, and his head shoots up.
“Like
fuck… Cora, if there’s one thing this has taught you, it’s that you can’t trust anybody, and those who you can trust will be in danger if they know whatever the fuck’s going on,” he argues.
My eyes widen. “So, we stay here and hide? Alex… you think it’s right that I stay here like this and hide what I know is going to happen? They’re going to sell missiles and kill people. How can I just sit here and do nothing?”
“Doll, I told you this was dangerous. I asked you to get off this case. Look what happened to you today. Look what we went through. You can’t just call Richard. They’ll be listening for that call. Looking for it.”
“Richard can stop it, Alex. He’ll be able to stop it.”
He stands and shakes his head. “What you’re proposing is suicide. We’re staying here where I can protect you.”
I stand too. “What if I leave?”
“You’re not leaving here unless I say so. You aren’t doing shit unless I say. The only person I trust right now to protect you is me, so please feel free to fight me on it. You won’t win.”
His eyes bore into mine, holding me in place, and I’m frozen by his words.
I was kidnapped this morning, and I’m certain death was in the cards for me. I’ve gone from one captive scenario to another.
Death or protection.
I’m numb once again because he’s serious. It’s their way. The mafia way. They take what they want, and they do things like this to get what they want.
What do I do now?
He walks away, leaving me to my thoughts.
Chapter Seventeen
Alex
I walk out onto the boardwalk and absorb the cool night air.
I got this place because of the lake and the homey feel about it.
Our home in Italy when I was younger looked a little like this. I didn’t want to leave, but Pa got a job working for Raphael Rossi. He was to do some work in New York for him. Run the branch of the bookie office there. The pay was good, and Pa couldn’t refuse.
We left Italy a family of five. Now there is just me.
Only me and the ghosts of the pasts haunting me so bad I think one day I’ll lose my shit and go crazy.
Double Edged Hearts Page 12
