I prayed whoever was in the car gave up on finding us.
Time seemed to stand still. We traveled through the grove, staying in the middle of the row. Aaron was quite good staying on his feet. The path was smooth, which was a blessing.
Gunshots rang out and Aaron jumped behind a tree. He dropped me and pulled out his gun. I hit the dirt and held back a cry of pain. My ankle. I couldn’t put any weight on it.
“Stay here,” Aaron said as he left.
Before I could object, he was gone. I was left with no way to defend myself and with a sprained ankle. My bare feet burned from what I assumed were cuts from when I jumped out of the car onto gravel.
I leaned against the tree and inhaled the fragrant citrus. As fear threatened to break me, the cold stole my attention. My shivering and chattering teeth were a welcome distraction to what could be my last day in this world.
If I tried to find my way out of this, it could be detrimental to my wellbeing. Aaron knew where he left me. If he came back and I was gone, he wouldn’t know what happened to me and that would be bad. A stupid move like running could lead to more harm than good, so I would stay put as ordered.
More gunshots echoed in the dark night. I slapped my hand over my mouth so I wouldn’t scream and give my location away.
Was Aaron dead? Was Alessio? Would I be soon as well? Death would be better than being captured, where I could be tortured and raped. But I would do anything to save Alessio.
My legs gave out on me, and I landed on my bottom. Leaning against the tree, I pondered my words.
Images of my mother and father flashed behind my eyes. My papà would burndown the region if I died after he’d forced me into being Alessio Remotti’s wife.
Bright lights caught my attention. I peered around the tree and saw a car coming towards me.
Oh my God! They found me!
8
Alessio
“Are you sure this is the row you left her in?” I asked Aaron, who was laid out in the backseat, bleeding from a bullet wound in the shoulder.
“Sì,” he grunted. “Somewhere in the middle on the right.”
“Don’t you die on me.” I drove frantically, searching for my Gia. I hated running off without her and leaving Aaron to protect her. But I trusted he would protect her better than I could while protecting myself.
“Slow down,” Aaron whispered, short of breath. “You could pass her.”
“I hope she didn’t move from where you left her.” Knowing that stubborn woman, she might have gone off on her own. If she did, I would punish her for disobeying Aaron, my most valuable friend and bodyguard.
“Me too.”
“Wait.” I slammed on the brakes and stopped hard. Movement caught my eye on the right side. It had to be her. “I see her.”
“Hurry. More of them could be coming.” More as in a group we hadn’t identified yet, other than they were Italian and they wanted my territory.
I jumped out of the car and went to the spot where I thought I had seen her white coat. I scanned the area, wishing I’d brought a flashlight.
“Gia,” I called.
A yelp made my ears perk up. I ran in the direction and nearly toppled over her.
“Don’t touch me!” she cried out and crawled away, sobbing. “Just kill me if you must!”
“Gia, it’s me. Alessio.”
She stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Alessio?”
“Yes, Dolcezza.” I crouched so she could better see my face. “Let’s go.” I scooped her up and ran back to the car.
