Chapter 20 Worst Possible Scenarios #2
Rolling out of bed, I yank on some shorts and head downstairs, planning to burn off some steam with a run around the grounds.
Nico showed me how to disable the alarm system so I can slip out without needing one of them to hover.
For once, his cocky attitude comes in handy—not that I’d admit it to his face.
If I didn’t hate the guy so much for flirting with Tess, we might even get along.
I’m just about to step outside when I stop cold.
A voice drifts through the crack in the door, the sound low and hurried. At first, I brush it off—someone’s always on patrol—but something in the tone makes me pause. The way they’re talking doesn’t sit right.
“She doesn’t know anything,” a voice mutters. Not just any voice, Matteo—one of the guards that drove us here. The one Tess has nicknamed Grumpy.
There’s a beat of silence then, “Yeah, I’ll be able to let you in if you show up. She’s drunk so it’s the perfect time.” They must be on the phone because it sounds like a one-sided conversation.
My stomach knots. Who the hell are they talking about?
Then comes a dark laugh, one that sends a chill down my spine. “Massimo will lose his mind when he finds out his daughter’s been taken—from one of his own houses, no less.”
The blood in my veins turns to ice.
“What’ll you do with her once you’ve got her? Kill her?”
The man laughs again at the response from whoever he’s on the phone to, a sick, twisted sound. Then, with a groan: “Christ, let me in on that action.”
Every muscle in my body tightens with fury. My fists clench at my sides as my breathing sharpens, ragged with the effort of keeping myself from charging out there and ripping them apart.
A traitor. One of Enzo’s men is a fucking traitor.
And from the sound of it, the Russians already know where we are.
I move quietly back into the house, slipping up the stairs soundlessly. My movements are unhurried, but my mind is racing.
“Tess!” I whisper aggressively when I get back into the bedroom.
Her head lifts up and she blinks groggily into the darkness. “What?”
“We have to go.”
“Huh?”
“The Russians are on their way here. We’ve been betrayed.”
She springs upright, suddenly much more alert. “How?”
“One of the guards. We need to move. Now.”
Tess gets right into action, packing up what she can quickly. I grab a bag from the corner of the room, tossing it to Tess as she throws on some clothes. Her movements are quick, but her breathing is shallow and erratic. She’s panicking, I can see it in her eyes.
“Keep it simple. Essentials only,” I say, forcing calm into my tone. “We’ll figure out the rest later.”
Her hands fumble over the zip of the bag, and she mutters something under her breath, too fast and quiet for me to catch. I head to the window and push it open slightly, peering out into the night. The grounds are dark, but the tension in the air feels heavy.
“They could already be here,” I mutter, mostly to myself.
“What do we do?” Tess whispers, frozen in the middle of the room.
“We leave. I’ll get you somewhere safe,” I reply firmly.
I glance back at her and see she’s rooted to the spot, clutching the bag tightly as though it’s her lifeline. She’s rambling now, her words spilling out in a rush. “How do they know where we are? What if they catch us on the way out? What if—”
“Hurricane,” I cut her off, crossing the room in two quick strides. My hands find her shoulders, gripping just firmly enough to anchor her. “Stop. Breathe.”
She shakes her head, her panic only growing. “I can’t—what if they—”
I don’t think.
I act.
My lips are on hers before either of us realises what’s happening. It’s not a soft, romantic kiss—it’s desperate, a grounding force in the chaos. For a moment, she freezes, then melts into it, her hands clutching at my shirt.
When I pull back, her eyes are wide, but the panic is gone, replaced by something else. Something steadier.
“You good?” I ask, my voice low.
She nods, swallowing hard. “Yeah. I’m good.”
A creak outside the door makes us both tense. My body moves instinctively, shielding Tess from whoever is on the other side.
The door cracks open.
“Relax, it’s me,” Nico’s voice whispers harshly, stepping into the room. He’s in jeans and a t-shirt, clearly having been on his way to bed before something tipped him off.
It being him doesn’t make me relax.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I hiss.
“There’s a traitor in the house.”
“How do I know it’s not you?”
Nico lets out a frustrated breath. “You just have to trust me. You guys need back-up getting out of here.”
I don’t trust him fully, but I don’t have time to fight about it.
“Ready?” I ask Tess.
She nods, her face pale. “Let’s go.”
We move quickly, heading down the staircase. The house feels eerily quiet; every creak of the floorboards amplified in the stillness. My heart pounds as I disable the alarm system at the door once again.
“Stay close,” I murmur to Tess as I ease the door open.
The cool night air hits us, but we don’t stop. Nico appears in front of us a moment later, armed and scanning the area like a hawk.
A gunshot rings out and I grab hold of Tess, picking her up and shielding her with my body as I sprint towards one of the cars. She squirms but my hold remains. Nico lets off a couple shots of his own as he follows behind.
I shove Tess in the back, buckling her seatbelt with shaky hands then yank open the driver’s door and get in.
“They’re coming,” I say, starting the engine.
Nico jumps into the passenger seat, and I throw the car into gear, tires screeching as we speed off into the night.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, I see headlights flash in the distance, and my chest tightens.
“Drive faster,” Nico hisses, his voice unusually serious.
I press the accelerator harder.
The chase has begun.
Tess
My body trembles as Kai tears down the country roads, taking sharp corners like a man with no regard for death. Gravel spits under the tyres, the engine growling as he pushes it harder.
Nico—not Happy anymore, not after he just helped us escape—pulls out his phone, his fingers slick with sweat as he dials. “I’m calling Enzo. Keep driving.”
“Put it on speaker,” I demand.
The line rings once. Twice. Then Enzo’s voice snaps through the speakers. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Matteo was a fucking snake. He sold us out,” Nico grits out.
A string of Italian curses follows. Then, “Where are you now?”
“On the road. They’re following us.”
My breath catches. I whip my head around to look out the back window. Shit. Headlights. Closer than before.
“Tess?” Enzo’s voice wobbles slightly, just enough to betray his nerves.
“I’m here,” I say quickly, leaning forward as if that will somehow help.
A sharp exhale of relief. Then, “Thank fuck.”
“I’m fine too. Thanks for asking, asshole,” Kai mutters, gripping the wheel tighter.
Then—blinding light.
A car barrels toward us from the front, appearing out of nowhere.
Kai swears and slams on the brakes. The force slams me into the seatbelt, my skull snapping forward, pain ricocheting through my head. My vision wavers.
A glance behind. Another set of headlights.
We’re boxed in.
Kai makes a snap decision, his foot hitting the accelerator as he yanks the wheel. The car jerks violently, veering right as we explode through the low bushes lining the road.
We hit the field hard. The car bucks and jolts, tyres struggling for grip on the uneven ground. My heart is a drum, hammering in my throat as we hurtle towards the road on the other side.
Almost there—
The impact is sudden.
A sickening crunch.
The world tilts.
Weightlessness.
A moment of absolute silence—
Then we flip.
My head cracks against the roof. The world blurs, spins—
And then nothing.