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)
“Yes, sir,” he said, and the men already in the vicinity were called.
“She's still walking?” I asked, and one of them confirmed it.
“Should we call the cops? Add to the confusion,” Giotto asked.
“No. To get to me he is willing to give up his own son. That tells me he has snapped. If they come, he will kill her. I'm sure he has her under some kind of clock, I just don't know what it is. Any interference to his plan will mean death for her.”
“One thing's for sure, though,” Giotto said.
“What?”
“Anyone who's going to shoot her is not on the rooftop. She's a moving target and she's left that street.”
I nodded. “Have the men search the people in the cars discreetly.”
I opened the glove compartment. “Don’t you have a hat or a cap in here?”
“Sorry, Boss.”
“Fuck this.” I stuck an earpiece in my ear and got out of the car and walked as inconspicuously as I could toward the street. It was a good thing I was dressed casually in a pair of dark jeans and a T-shirt.
In front of me, I saw a man walking with another. He was wearing a mustard baseball hat. I hurried up to him and pulled a hundred-dollar bill out of my pocket.
“Sell me your cap,” I said urgently.
He looked at me as though he couldn’t believe what was happening.
“Sir, she’s almost at the intersection,” I heard the update in my ear. Instantly, I stuffed the bill into the man’s hand, snatched the hat off his head, and hurried away. I took the shortcuts I knew in between the buildings and through alleys until I could glimpse the intersection.
“Is she here yet?”
“Almost,” came the response.
In no time, she arrived at the end of the street. To my relief, the traffic light turned yellow and the cars gradually came to a stop. Now she would be forced to stop, but what I could never have anticipated was that she wouldn't. She continued walking into the traffic.
I couldn't wait a second longer then. I began walking briskly toward her rather than running so that attention wouldn't be drawn to me. As she neared the intersection and stepped out on the road, I heard a screech. Then a loud horn pierced the air. Some cursed.
Regardless, she didn't stop. She crouched down for a moment in fear, then she quickly got up and began to walk. This was a major street, and a truck without the capacity to stop was coming along now. The entire street was in chaos as she kept walking, and the cars kept trying to avoid her.
She stumbled and fell.
I began to run as fast as I could. I no longer cared what happened anymore, just as long as I got to her fast enough and put my body over hers. Would I be a suitable enough shield?
I wasn’t certain, but I was damn well going to find out.
Chapter 65
Zola
“If you don't get up right now and cross the road, I'm going to shoot you through the head,” came the threat in my ears through the Air Pods.
“One,” the counting began, and I was forced to get up.
Tears poured from my eyes, but I blinked them away and kept a sharp lookout for Dante. I wasn't under any circumstances going to let Ugo use me to hurt Dante. Instead, I was going to save him even if it meant my death. As soon as I spotted Dante I was going to scream at him and warn him to stay away.
The only thing I was grateful for was that Dante had not yet shown up. Maybe he wouldn’t and that would be the best-case scenario. There was still a distance to get to the other end of the street. Ignoring the curses flying all around me I kept going forward. I was surprised no one had tackled me to the ground yet.
Trembling with nerves and fear, I kept walking.
Suddenly, I heard a woman scream from across the street. Then, other shouts. It didn't take me long to figure out what the panic was about. I looked to my left and saw a truck coming my way. There was absolutely no way he was going to be able to stop despite the fact that I could hear the screech of his brakes.
"Get the fuck out of the way,” I heard multiple people yelling.
Instinct took over. I turned to run, but suddenly everything started happening in slow motion. All the sounds were magnified, I felt the air brush my face, as I turned, the colors were brighter, and my thoughts seemed crystal clear. I love you, Dante. Always did and always will. There was no surviving this. Death seemed so close. I could see the horrified expression on the truck driver’s face. A whiff of someone’s perfume filled my nostrils. I could feel the stitches in my head pulling. My jeans rubbed against a wound in my leg.