“Here,” he said a couple of moments later, pointing at the spot where the grass was thinner.
Marcos crouched and patted the ground.
“I hope there aren’t any snakes here,” I said.
Marco’s eyes went wide. “Jesus, woman! Don’t say such things.”
“Are you afraid of snakes?”
“Of course not.” Marco gave me a hard look, but his hand was shaking a little. He definitely was afraid of snakes. “Got it. Not a snake. The door.” He pulled a rusty knob he’d uncovered and opened what resembled a manhole. We peered inside, but all we could see were the steps and the dark ground. There was a faint light coming from somewhere, which meant once we went through we’d be out in the open.
“Follow me. Shoot anyone you see,” Aaron whispered as he lowered himself down, grimacing a little, probably because of his sore ribs. I waited for Marco, but he extended his arm, directing me to go after Aaron. I assumed he wanted to keep an eye on me and didn’t trust me at his back. Great.
Aaron had already gotten down and was waving at me to hurry, which meant there weren’t any guards in sight. That didn’t mean someone wouldn’t come running or be alerted of our presence, so I climbed down, Marco coming after me, gun in hand. I jumped down and found myself in between two old rusty cars. This place really was an old underground garage, and we were in the farthest corner, or at least I thought we were. It was impossible to see from all the supporting columns obstructing my view.
But there was no mistake what all that whiteness peeking from in between the columns was. We’d found the trucks. I drew out my gun, just as Aaron lifted his and indicated with his fingers that we should follow him and keep close to the walls. As we approached, I looked around for any cameras, but I couldn’t see anything. For all I knew, they were hidden.
The three of us crouched behind a huge trash container that had been just dumped in the middle of two parking spots and stunk of something rotten. I so didn’t want to know what had been thrown in there. Muffled voices could be heard as someone made their way around the trucks, probably the guards.
Aaron peered above the container, then quickly crouched down, hissing in pain. He raised three fingers, which meant he’d seen three guards.
“We should split up and surprise them,” Marco whispered.
“They’re coming!” someone shouted, his voice full of panic.
“Get the truck!” another man yelled. The sound of multiple feet rang out through the garage, and the three of us exchanged quick looks.
“Someone’s coming. Either your people or mine,” Aaron said to me. “We have to move or they’re going to get away. Can’t avoid engaging the guards now.”
Marco and I nodded.
“We have to split up and run like hell. They’ll shoot to kill, so be careful,” Aaron said.
“Kill or be killed,” I whispered, my heart thudding loudly in my ears. Still, I jumped up to my feet and ran, aiming my gun at the guard closest to me. He shouted when he saw me, and the first bullet missed him, but I got him before he could get his gun from his belt. More shots rang out, and I hid behind the first truck, sneaking around it, farther away from the yelling and shooting.
I opened the door and went through the papers that were on the driver’s seat, but all I found was a paper with number three on it. Wrong fucking truck. I slammed the door just as another of the guards came into view. Throwing myself to the ground, I avoided the bullets the guard had fired. I barely had time to roll over and fire, hitting the guy in the stomach. A spark of pain spread through my arm, and I realized one of the bullets the guy had fired before falling to the ground had grazed me lightly.
The screech of tires not far from me indicated that more people had arrived at the garage. The only thing I didn’t know was if it was more of our enemy or my family. Or maybe it was both. Shit! My head was ringing from the shots fired and I stumbled to my feet, aware that I wouldn’t be able to hear if someone came up from behind me. Keeping myself close to the wall, I counted the trucks and set my eyes on the one that was supposed to be the fifth. Except Aaron was there firing at someone I couldn’t see.
I scurried from one truck to another like a mouse. Glancing at the truck, I wondered how I could get to it and how to destroy the drug. I didn’t even know what it looked like, but I assumed setting it on fire would work. Now if only I could find something that would help me do that. Surely there had to be something in here that could start a fire...
Careful not to be seen, I opened the door of another truck and climbed onto the seat. I was glad the fight was on the other side of the garage and not here, but that also meant it was more likely my family or their men were here. They’d probably parked their cars in the middle of the garage to form a shield and were exchanging fire. Speaking of a different kind of fire, I spotted what I’d been looking for. A book of matches. I immediately slipped it into my pocket. The driver had to be a smoker because there were cigarette butts on the dashboard.
A bullet embedded itself into the windshield, making me yelp. The glass cracked in various places and I ducked down as another bullet brought it crashing down. I knew whoever it was that was shooting at me would have to come around the door that I’d left open, so I crouched low. The glass on the door exploded into thousands of pieces, forcing me to close my eyes for a moment.
The shots paused, so I jumped out and lifted the gun, firing through the now missing window, most of my body shielded by the door. Someone grunted, and a few bullets embedded themselves in the door but didn’t go through it. When my gun was empty, I threw it to the ground and got the second one. I waited for a few moments, but no one tried to shoot at me, so I risked a peek around the door. The shooter was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Letting out a shaky breath, I got to my feet and looked toward the fifth truck.
Aaron was nowhere in sight, but someone was trying to climb into the driver’s seat but was yanked out. Looking around me, sweat beading my forehead, I made a mad dash toward the right truck. No one fired at me, but a small canister in between two trucks caught my attention. There was another one, but it had been overturned and was lying there, empty, and smelling strongly of gasoline.
Santini’s men had probably wanted to make sure the trucks had enough fuel to get wherever they were supposed to go, since their original plan had been different and possibly involved shorter routes, or if the trucks didn’t run on gasoline, maybe they planned to use it to get rid of anything that could be used as evidence after they delivered the drug.
I ran toward the canister, but just as I was about to grab it, I looked up and saw Jason running across the parking lot, gun in hand, but not far from him was Marco, his gun ready. Marco saw my brother and took aim. I opened my mouth to scream, but I had no idea if I’d done it or not. My whole head was reverberating, my heart skipping a beat. Marco fired and I stopped breathing.
The bullet whizzed just past my brother, who rolled on the ground and disappeared behind one of the cars. I breathed a sigh of relief, unsure whether Marco had missed on purpose or it had been pure luck that my brother hadn’t been hit. My mind was like mush, and for a second, I couldn’t think. A bullet hitting close to me made me jump, and I dashed back behind the truck, hoping no one had seen me. I still held the canister in my hand.
Pressing myself against the wall, I crouched and lowered the canister to the ground. My family was here, and I didn’t know if any of my brothers were hurt. Was my father here too? Oh God. Shots were still being fired, voices were still yelling, but I couldn’t hear or understand anything. Fifth truck. I had to get to that damn truck and destroy the drug before anyone working for the Viteris could get to it. Once that was gone, maybe they’d run away as there would be nothing left to protect. No one could get and sell the drug, and take over the world.
I didn’t know what my family would do, but I was sure they wouldn’t sell it if they knew how dangerous it was, even if it could help them defeat the Viteris once and for all. But I had to s
top this and... My thoughts flew to Aaron. Had he been hurt? Killed? My mouth went dry just at the thought. I shook my head, closing my eyes for a second. I could do this. I could. I’d think about the rest later.
Gathering my strength, I got to my feet and peered around the truck. A few dead bodies lay scattered around, but it wasn’t anyone familiar. When I was sure the air was clear, I picked up the canister, gripped the gun in my other hand, and raced toward the back of the fifth truck. A figure stood there, opening the back of the truck. Lowering the canister in case I had to dodge any bullets, I inched closer. As if he could sense me, the figure turned around.
Aaron. We stood there for a moment, completely frozen. Then we pointed our guns at each other’s heads.
Chapter 25
“Octavia, put down your gun,” Aaron said. “I won’t let your family take this.”
“I won’t let you take it either,” I said.
A frown line creased his brow, but his grip on the gun didn’t waver. “Wait, what do you want to do with the drug?”
“Destroy it. I don’t want anyone to get any ideas to steal it or sell it,” I said. “Not even you.”
“You want to destroy it?” He gaped at me.
I jerked my head back toward the container I’d left on the ground. Bullets were still flying, but we were protected by two wide columns.
“Okay,” Aaron said, lowering his gun and taking a step back. “Do it.”
“What?” I still had my gun pointed at him in case it was all just a pretense to get me to lower my guard. “Why would you let me do that? I thought you wanted to sell the drug on your own to use the money to destroy your father or my family.”
“No, I don’t want to sell that shit.” He scowled. “And how could I even do it without my father finding out and coming for me?”
I shrugged. “You could say someone else stole it. Like my family. Your father would never know.”
“That’s not what I want. Losing this will be a huge blow to my father,” Aaron said, and I finally lowered the gun.
“Can’t he just make more?” I asked. “I know it’ll take time, but...”
“Hopefully, he can’t. I overheard something about your family finding the source and destroying any chance of making more. I think this is all of what’s left of it. With it gone...”
“Okay, let’s do this.” There wasn’t much time for chitchat because someone could come and attack us before the shipment was destroyed. Aaron ran for the canister, then brought it to me as I looked inside the truck, which was full of boxes. I opened the first one and saw packages of whitish powder. “We’re sure this is it, right?” I asked.
Aaron nodded. “They wouldn’t be protecting this truck otherwise.”
“Fine then.” I climbed inside and spilled the gasoline around as Aaron kept watch to make sure we weren’t interrupted. He’d never wanted to use the drug. Somehow that made me like him even more. Once I was out of the truck, I pulled out the matches, lit one, and carefully dropped it inside. Fire spread through the truck as it caught the empty egg cartons that were supposed to hide the drug, and we backed away as someone shouted. They must have noticed the truck was on fire, but they wouldn’t be able to save the shipment.
Aaron grabbed my hand and we ran, hiding behind other trucks and columns and avoiding bodies. The gunfire had ceased and was replaced by the sounds of running engines. It was a surprise there were still cars that could run, but I hadn’t even seen the middle of the battlefield, so maybe those were new ones. It sounded like they were leaving, though.
“Come on!” Aaron led me away from the trucks, and we reached the hole we’d used to get inside. Letting go of me, Aaron pushed me up, and I quickly climbed up and hoped no one was waiting for us to emerge.
Aaron followed me out, and we slammed the door shut behind us. I let out a loud breath. The field and trees around us were in darkness, and the metal container that was at the entrance to the garage was on fire. A few cars were scattered around, dead bodies everywhere. I squinted my eyes, looking for a familiar face among the men who were standing around one of the cars. Michael’s face came into view, and a fraction of the tension left my shoulders. He was talking to someone on the phone.
“You should go to them,” Aaron said quietly. “The air’s clear. My father’s men have fled.” He waved with his phone, which meant he must have gotten a message from someone.
“Marco?” I asked, holding my breath.
“He’s fine.”
“Good.” He must have gone with his father and the rest of Roberto’s men. Before I could say anything else, Aaron pulled me in for a kiss, his tongue parting my lips and exploring my mouth. I held onto him, unwilling to let go, but I knew I’d have to.
“They’re going to be looking for you,” he said when we pulled away. “You should go.”
“But you...”
“I’ll be fine,” he said.
“We...” I started to say, but Aaron placed his finger over my lips.
“There’s no we, Octavia. There can’t be. This was an act of war, and I don’t want you in the middle of it. You should go somewhere far away from here. Be happy. I’m sorry for what you had to go through because of me.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but I knew that he was right. He was still a Viteri, and I was a Ferrara. “Be careful, okay? You don’t have to be a part of this war. You can go wherever you want...”
“Octavia, go.” Aaron’s voice cracked a little. “Just go.”
I broke into a run, my eyes filling with tears, and I knew that if I looked back, I wouldn’t be able to leave him, so I kept my eyes on the men in front of me. Slowing down, I raised my hands.
“Don’t shoot me!” I yelled as everyone reached for their guns.
“Octavia!” Michael yelled in shock. “Put your guns down!” He raced toward me and pulled me into his arms, squeezing so hard that I thought I wouldn’t be able to breathe. “Sis, I thought I’d never see you again. How did you...?”
“Is everyone okay?” I asked, pulling back. “Is Dad and...?”
“Yeah, everyone’s fine.” Michael gave me a reassuring smile.
“Where are they?” I looked around, but all I saw were the faces of my family’s most trusted men, which explained why Michael didn’t try to hide my real identity.
“Dylan got shot. He’s going to be fine. I have to call the rest to tell them to stop chasing after the Viteris because you’re here.” He fished his phone out of the pocket inside his jacket and quickly dialed a number. As he went on explaining that I was safe and with him, I glanced back at the darkness, wondering where Aaron had gone and if I’d be seeing him again.
***
“Oh, honey.” My mom wrapped her arms tightly around me and released me after what seemed like a century. In fact, today I’d been hugged more times than I could count.
“Mom, I’m fine.” I was a bit annoyed that my mom had been forced to cut her vacation short, since it had taken my brothers and me ages to convince her she could leave us for a while and have some time for herself, away from all the stress and drama. We’d wanted Dad to go too, but he’d thought it was too much of a risk for them to be seen together in public.
“I want to know what happened.” Her brown eyes were hard. “If anyone touched you... I want their names or descriptions, and I’m going to end them.”
“Mom!” I sighed, taking a seat on the sofa. My whole family was in the room, and the guards were outside, ready to take on anyone who dared to interrupt. But after what happened, the Viteris had retreated and the word about our win had spread through the whole area, which meant no one really dared to come against us.
Dylan was lying on the couch, his arm and leg wrapped up. He’d been lucky the bullets hadn’t hit anything important. Jason and Michael were standing in the middle of the room and arguing about what they should do about my kidnapping. Jason insisted Aaron and the Viteris needed to pay for what they’d done, but Michael wanted to hear my story first and th
ought going after the Viteris now was too risky since they’d holed up pretty well and were expecting more attacks. My father was sitting across from me, his face calm, but his eyes were troubled.
“You went there without my permission. You could’ve been killed,” he said, but he was failing at sounding angry at me.
“But I wasn’t killed. It was my decision. I’m here now. We stopped the Viteris from distributing that drug, and Katya is safe and well. That’s all that matters.”
“I shouldn’t have...” Tony started to say, his eyes fixed to the floor.
“Tony, I told you it wasn’t your fault.” I’d have to talk to my brother later about this and convince him that he shouldn’t feel guilty about anything.
“You burned that shipment,” Dylan said. “That was pretty awesome. How’d you do it? How’d you even get there?”
“It’s a long story.” I didn’t want to relive that quite yet.
“Why did you do that? We were winning. We could’ve taken that drug!” Jason narrowed his eyes at me. “We could’ve killed them all. Instead, some of them got away!”
“The Viteris’ men would’ve fought for it until their last breath. I’m sorry that your friend Coco got killed. I heard that wasn’t the only death. But how many more of ours we could’ve lost and for what? Roberto wasn’t there. What would you have done with the shipment anyway? You would’ve become a target for anyone who wanted to get their hands on it, or did you want to distribute it and kill a bunch of people?” I met his eyes.
“Quiet!” My father raised his hand before Jason could reply. “You made the right call, Octavia. I’m proud of you.”
“Father, you...” Jason started to say, but my father flashed him a warning look.
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