“Tell me more about yourself,” she says on the drive. No longer tied up. No longer my prisoner. I’m not fully sure what we arebut I know I never want to let Gianna go now. The only problem is: if I were truly a good man who cared for her, I’d return her to her brother. But have I ever been a good man?
“What do you want to know?”
“I want to know about your mom. You said she was the one who taught you to be the way you are.”
“She never taught me to be a hitman,” I explain. “She taught me to be a good man. And I used to be.” A chuckle escapes me. “I used to want to be a doctor when I was a kid. Even in high school, I had plans to go to medical school one day. Become a doctor.”
“What changed?”
“My mom died. When I was in high school and then I was put in foster care. No one wanted an angsty, broody teen who had just lost his mom. It formed a darkness around me. After I turned eighteen, I was on my own. I had nowhere to go and didn’t have anything to do with my life. I ended up getting involved in this gang of drug dealers. It wasn’t easy but it gave me enough money to get by. Until I was found by this one man. His name was Alex Romano. A mafia man. I thought I was going to die. He didn’t want me peddling my shit in his territory. But instead of killing me, he offered me a job, working for him. That’s where I learned how to use a gun.”
“What happened after that?’ she asks.
I clench my hands around the wheel as the memories come back to me. Memories I haven’t shared with anyone before. But with Gianna it just feels right. After she shared her most intimate secrets with me, it’s only fitting I do the same.
“I became a good marksman. And that’s when Alex had me work as a hitman. He taught me how to kill and how to leave no trace behind. He never had me kill any women or children. It was always just men who had wronged him. I guess that’s where I learned my code. Only bad people. And then Alex died – killedby a different hitman. Another mafia guy put a hit out on him. I was left with no job but I was good at only one thing: killing people. It’s ironic that I used to once want to save people’s lives. I barely remember that part of myself anymore. So I made my way in the world. That’s what I’ve been doing ever since.”
“All because you lost your mom, she murmurs. “I lost my parents when I was a kid. In a car accident. Enzo always thought someone put a hit on them too. But he could never prove it. I was so much younger than him when it happened so my aunt and uncle took me. But my uncle died of a heart attack when I was a kid and so my aunt Francesca took over everything. I think it made her obsessive. It made her cling to me harder because she had lost her husband. But she ended up controlling me too much.”
“How young were you when your parents died?”
Her eyes become wistful as she looks out the window. “I was only eight at the time. So it hurt. I was confused and scared and sad. It didn’t help that Enzo was already eighteen and making his way in the mafia. He needed to take after our dad. I never even knew my dad was in the mafia until I was older. I just knew that he and my mom had died and that my brother left me with my aunt and uncle and that was it. I learned everything else as I got older. Even though I’m twenty-one now, I’m still treated like a baby. It’s frustrating but I get it. My brother doesn’t want to lose me the way he lost our parents.”
“But then he did lose you. He must be losing his mind.”
“I know he is,” she says with a sigh. “And I wish I could tell him I was alright.”
“I promised I’d return you to him. I just have to find a way to do that without you getting hurt and without me getting killed.”
“So where are we going now?” For once, she doesn’t sound too upset by going somewhere with me. Last night changed a lot for both of us.
“To another motel. I need to deal with Marco.”
“Why didn’t you just kill him then?”
“Because I wouldn’t have been able to deal with the body and get you out of that situation. And I would have had to kill the priest but he was just an innocent man. It seemed like a better idea in the moment to only wound Marco and not kill him. I didn’t shoot him anywhere that would make him bleed out fast. I know he’s not dead. I feel it in my gut.”
“So, are we just going to move from one motel to another until you figure out what to do?”
“Yes,” he admits. “This car will be fine. I bought it with cash when I left you tied to the bed. So no one should be able to track us with it. But I only have so much cash left. I’ll need to get more to pay for the motel rooms.”
“Is that risky? You’ll need to go to an ATM to get the money.”
“I know. I suspect your brother is looking for me. He must know who I am by now. I just have to hope he has his sights set on Marco and not me.”
Her hand covers my knee. “We’ll figure this out. Together. Because the truth is… I don’t want you to die, Will. I just want to be free.”
“I’ll give that to you. I promise.”
I find us another motel far away from the other one. After leaving Gianna in the room – and trusting her not to run – I head to an ATM far enough away to get more cash. I quickly get the money and leave, heading back to the motel.
After parking, I get out and notice a car pulling into the parking lot. A car I remember. Nico’s car.
He drives his car right in my direction and I have no choice but to dive out of the way. I roll onto my side and stand up. He jumps out of the car and walks right over to me, swinging his fist. I dodge out of the way.
“How did you find me?” I snarl, trying to land a hit at him but he also dodges.
“We’ve been tracing your ATM activity. You fucking idiot. You used it and I got a notification. I was in the area by sheer luck and followed you here. Where is my wife?”
