Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Chapter 63
Dante
“What the fuck? Isn’t that … is that Miss Leone?” Giotto exclaimed.
My heart jumped into my throat as I looked in the direction he was pointing and could indeed see her walking down the street. I looked even closer, unable to believe my eyes.
My hands instantly went to the door. I pushed the latch and opened it, but suddenly, I felt a solid hand drop on my arm.
“Hang on, Boss …”
I stopped and looked at him.
He shook his head. “Something’s not right. It's too fucking easy.”
The moment he said these words, I came back to my senses. I took in the dazed, disheveled, bruised state of her. She was alive, but Jesus, what had they done to her? I closed the door and stared at her. She was putting one foot before the other, but she looked extremely wobbly and weak as if she could collapse any moment. I had to clench my fists to stop myself from running to her. I had to think fast and assess the situation, but I was so shaken by the sight of her that I couldn’t even think straight.
“What do you think is happening?” I muttered.
“Bait,” Giotto replied, his eyes scanning the area around her.
I could barely control my temper. “Why? Do you think he was aware I was coming?”
Giotto turned to me. “It’s not unfathomable.”
“Tommy,” I said, then shook my head. “No, it can’t be him. He wouldn’t have double-crossed me. Not after what I’ve done for him, and he’s not that way.”
"People change, Boss," Giotto said with a shrug.
I had no choice but to acknowledge his words as the truth. I definitely wasn't about to stick to my faith in him if it meant jeopardizing Zola's life.
“Let's assume he did tell him I was coming. Let's also assume he knew I had the means to be able to find the house.”
“Yeah,” Giotto replied. “Using her as bait makes perfect sense.”
“I run out to meet her, and he takes me out. Or quite possibly, both of us. But what about his son? Does this mean he is willing to sacrifice his son?”
“Looks like it.”
My blood ran cold. Giotto was right. It looked and smelled like a trap. One I couldn't work my way out of because the area was so built up. It was surrounded by huge buildings with many windows and flat rooftops, which meant we could be shot from any one of those vantage points. It would take a split second for it all to come to an end.
“Food truck,” Giotto said suddenly.
“Where?”
“I spotted one on our way down a few blocks away. We could get him to drive over and arrange some sort of accident to distract them. In the meantime, he could shield her.”
I considered this suggestion and then looked up at the rooftops of the buildings. “He might not be on the rooftops.”
“Yeah. He might just be in one of the cars.”
“The shooters can't be far from her if they want to get a clean shot. Get the men out on foot. They can start searching the area when I give the signal, but they have to be very careful or they will stand out like fucking gorillas at a chimpanzee party.”
Giotto quickly made the call while I kept my eyes on her. I watched her walking and wondered if she was ever going to stop. What was Ugo's plan, to have her walk until I went to her, then shoot us both?
I needed to come up with a plan, but my brain was like mush.
She came to the intersection, and although there weren’t any traffic lights, there was a stop sign. Instead of checking to see if she was walking into traffic, she just kept going as though she was a remotely controlled toy. I scowled. It was bizarre. Was she on drugs?
All the alarms in my body went off when I saw a vehicle heading directly towards her. The driver wasn’t speeding, but she was walking straight into his path and he had to screech to a halt. The car skidded to keep from hitting her. She staggered away in shock, but then just kept walking in a straight line while everyone else on the street seemed horrified. The driver jumped out and began to rain down curses on her and I had to hold myself back from running out and protecting her from him.
She looked scared, but she turned away and continued walking like a battery-operated broken doll. Soon she would be out of my sight. That was when I saw the air pods in her ear.
Ah, he was directly communicating with her. Something else was clear too. She had been told to walk in a straight path, no deviations no matter what.
Chapter 64
Dante
Iturned to Giotto. “She’s heading to West 4th and will be out of sight soon. Get an extra set of eyes on her quickly.”