Chapter 13
Thirteen
Emilia
I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m driving far from that house. James is infuriating; I can’t think straight in his presence. Now that I’ve placed miles between us, I can finally pull myself together.
The beach fades away as I make my way into the downtown of the city. Here, there are only towering buildings and congested traffic which gives my mind something else to focus on. As I drive out of downtown, I enter the Italian district of the city. It’s not officially called the Italian district, but it’s what my parents always called it growing up. There are many Italian families in this area, most related one way or another to the Bonettis. My shoulders drop and I let out a pent up breath as I realize I no longer bear the Bonetti name. Running my hands through my hair, I tell myself it’s all going to work out .
Pulling up to my house, or rather my old house, I see Matty’s vehicle parked in the front. Good, they’re home . I don’t know where I would have went if they weren’t.
I walk up the front walkway to the door and knock. It feels incredibly foreign to knock on what used to be my own home, but nonetheless, I wait patiently.
The door pulls open, revealing a tired and disheveled looking Lorenzo. He opens the door just enough so that his face shows, and upon seeing me, looks over my head, eyes darting left then right, before ushering me in.
“What are you doing here, Emilia?”
“Relax, Lorenzo, I just came here to visit the two of you. Is that too much to ask?”
“Oh, ok. No, no. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very glad to see you. Let me get Matteo.”
Lorenzo proceeds to shout for Matteo, and I think to myself that he seems a little off, but I keep the thought to myself. Who knows what Lorenzo has had to deal with since I’ve been gone …
I don’t have to wonder for long, however, as Matteo joins us in the living room and fills me in on what has happened in the past twenty-four hours. Lorenzo has been forced by my mother to take up my previous position within the family, shouldering much of the responsibility that would have been my own had I not been married off. Shortly after the reception, when all the family was done cleaning up, there was a minor drive-by, probably by the Romanis. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Matteo thinks it was their way of showing they wouldn’t back down without a fight, which ultimately led to Lorenzo and himself having to work twelve-hour shifts standing guard outside my father’s bedroom door. We talk for hours, watching movies and just enjoying each other’s presence. Matteo even helps me pack more of my clothes.
I thought coming here would distract me from my predicament, but if anything, it’s stressing me out with all the troubles my family is having to endure in my absence.
“Matty, do you think this marriage was for nothing? I mean… I thought Anthony would back off now that I’m married. I worry about you all. You’re my only familia .”
Matteo slings an arm around my shoulders and tugs me close. “Ahh, principessa , don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine, OK? You just focus on living your life. You wanted out of this life eventually, right? I say take this break and run with it. James isn’t so bad, is he?”
I respond with a roll of my eyes. “Matty, you have no idea. The man is infuriating at best.”
“Ah, but that means you feel something for him, no? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be getting so worked up.” He ends his sentence with a wink.
All these damn men can shove it. I push Matteo off me and rise to my feet, grabbing my keys from the end table. It’s starting to get dark, and I promised James I would be back for dinner. Before I forget, I send him a quick text letting him know that I’m on my way back.
“I really enjoyed visiting with you guys. Let’s grab breakfast one of these days, OK?”
Matteo gives me a tight hug, and Lorenzo just gives a grunt and a nod of his head before disappearing into his room.
“Don’t pay him any mind, he’s just tired. We’ll see each other every week, Em. You aren’t getting rid of me that easily,” says Matteo, reassuring me with one last squeeze before he releases me.
I give Matteo a strong face, but inside I’m falling apart. Matteo has been the family member I have been closest with all these years. Hell, we were raised as siblings. Matty is my brother, regardless of blood. The prospect of not seeing him every day is tearing me in two.
I quickly finish up our goodbyes and head back to my vehicle with my bag, plopping down into the seat with defeat before locking the doors, the mental exhaustion weighing on me. When you’ve been born and raised in the Bonetti family, you learn to protect yourself against any possible attacker; being a woman just adds to that fact that I always need to look over my shoulder.
Now that I’ve had a chance to steel myself and keep the tears at bay, I start up the car and pull out into traffic. Not even two minutes down the road, the fuel light comes on, jarring me from my thoughts. I sputter out a few choice words in Spanish and slam a hand down on the steering wheel. Of course I wasn’t paying attention on my way to Matteo’s, desperate to get as far as possible from James. So now, I’m forced to stop and get gas in a rather shady part of town; there’s no way I’ll make it to the house if I don’t stop now.
Finding the closest Chevron, I pull into the rundown gas station and pull up to the pump. Keeping my head on a swivel, I make sure to take in my surroundings as I put gas in the tank.
Feeling more at ease that I’m the only one here, I think of what awaits me at home. Will James be angry that I’m late? Is he upset over my abrupt departure this morning? What does he think of this whole scenario? Maybe he’s just making the best out of a shit situation… Maybe I should start doing the same.
Suddenly, the gas pump stops, signaling the tank is finally full. As I go to grab the handle of the pump, I realize I am no longer alone. Chills skirt down my spine, some instinctual part of my being noticing the danger and sending warnings trickling through my system. Keeping them in my peripheral vision, I notice two blacked out vehicles facing me, almost daring me to move. How did I miss them pull up? I was probably too engrossed in my own thoughts…
Slowly, I put the pump back into its holder and take a deep breath. If I time it correctly, I can turn and climb into the driver’s seat before they can get to me. Once I’m in the vehicle, I should be somewhat safe if they decide to ram into my car. At least once I’m inside I can grab my gun under the seat. The knives I have on my body won’t do much damage to a vehicle. No, my best bet is to get into the car quickly and gun it for home. Literally.
Counting down to myself, I prepare to pivot and put myself safely in the car.
Three…
Two…
One…
I explode into action, my hair whipping around my shoulders as I rip open the door and launch myself into the vehicle. At the same time, I register the rev of their engines as they taunt me, causing my adrenaline to spike in answer.
Turning the key, I rev my own car to life and make a split-second decision to back out and get the fuck out of here. Squealing the tires, I whip the car out into traffic and floor it.
Peering into my rearview mirror reveals the cars in pursuit, zigzagging through traffic to keep me in their sights. The car beneath me climbs to record speed, but it’s not enough for the newer vehicles that are chasing me. Soon, the buildings and skyscrapers fade away and are replaced by ocean views, winding roads, and rocky ridges. They gain on me, relentless in their pursuit. I have to assume those chasing me are the Romanis, but how they knew where I would be and when, is beyond my knowledge.
A quick glance shows one of the blacked out vehicles gaining on my bumper before tapping my backend, causing my car to swerve. I do everything in my power to keep my vehicle steady before the next tap. It’s almost like they are playing with me. I have no doubt that they could easily wreck me, so I can only assume they have orders not to kill me. I can’t help but think that killing me would be preferable to whatever they plan on doing should they get their hands on me.
Reaching under the seat between my legs, I grab my gun from its holster, taking the safety off with one click. Already prepped with one in the chamber, I rest the gun on my lap, keeping it ready. Looking back again, I see no vehicles. Confused, I look around and almost let loose a pent up breath. My fear is renewed when I see both vehicles gaining on me from my left side. Sweat runs down my forehead; I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up for.
Rolling down my window as they get closer, I take aim and shoot, firing three rounds into their passenger window. The glass shatters and the vehicle swerves before losing ground on me. Looking back reveals the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road, and I can only hope my bullets found their mark. One down, one to go.
Before I can even finish thinking about what to do next, I’m hit from behind so hard my head flies back before whipping forward and slamming into the steering wheel. I quickly lose control of the vehicle, careening toward the edge of the road. I slam on the brakes, but it’s not enough; the cliff edge is coming up too quickly. My car plunges down the cliff, my body jerking with every bump as it goes before rolling to a stop near the bottom. Thankful the cliff had a broad slope instead of a plunging cavern, I take in my surroundings. The hood of the car is absolutely wrecked, smoke billowing out, obscuring my view of anything in front of me. It’s too dark out to make out any other features anyway.
Undoing my belt, I search my lap and then the floor, desperate to find my gun. Relief bubbles up out of me as I feel the cool metal, my breath catching on a sob. Just as my hand latches onto my gun, my door is ripped open.
I struggle, kicking and screaming, before the man pulls me to his chest using my left arm. He has a bruising grip on me as I fight to escape his grasp. I’m momentarily dazed when he backhands me and is able to haul me to his chest once more. Taking advantage of the new angle, I quickly bring my gun up under his chin with my right hand and blow a hole through the fucker’s head. Blood and brain matter spray everywhere. His body slumps to the ground, and I can finally take a few deep breaths. Resting my hands on my thighs, I double over and puke the contents of my stomach onto the cold ground.
Taking lives never gets easier, but when it’s my life on the line, I won’t hesitate to do what needs to be done. Taking stock of my surroundings, I realize I’ll never be able to get my car out of here. Walking back to the vehicle, I reach inside and grab my phone, calling Matteo and requesting a clean up crew for tonight’s unlikely turn of events.