Chapter Twenty What Better Cardio Than Running for Your Life
West
“Can’t you drive any faster?” I ask Joseph, nearly ready to jump out of the passenger side. Despite being our designated getaway driver, he sure is taking his sweet time. We could have taken a right three blocks ago and avoided all this congestion.
Joseph shrugs, gesturing rudely over the steering wheel at a car that cuts us off. “Will you just tell me what’s going on?”
“No time,” I say, getting out. The Old Town of Nice isn’t much farther. I’ll be able to run to Adelina faster than Joseph can drive through these cramped, narrow streets. “Adelina, are you still there?” I ask before slamming the door behind me.
“They’re closing in,” she says, breathless.
“I want you to walk into the nearest store or café. Someplace packed with people.”
“Um, okay. Yeah, there’s a restaurant here.”
“That’ll work. What’s it called?”
“La Belle Azure.”
“Listen to me carefully, okay? You’re going to walk in and ask for a table. You’re going to take a seat as close to the kitchen as you can.”
“What? I’ll be a sitting duck.”
“They’re not going to do anything with people around. Trust me.”
There’s a pause. I know she hasn’t hung up because of the harsh sound of her labored breathing.
“Okay,” she murmurs.
I navigate through the streets, taking tight alleys and sharp turns until I finally pinpoint the restaurant in question.
A normal person would enter through the front, but I have to think like an escape artist. Circling around back, I find the door to the kitchen propped open with a plastic milk carton.
Either someone forgot to move it after their smoke break was over, or the chefs in the back are hoping to generate a cross breeze to keep cool.
Whatever the reason, I use their oversight to my advantage and walk straight in.
Naturally, I don’t get very far before one of the chefs spots me.
“Who are you?” he asks gruffly from behind the line.
There isn’t any reason to panic. I learned long ago that it’s better to go with the flow.
I reach into my pocket and flash him my wallet, snapping it closed before he gets too good a look.
It helps that I already have my burner phone pressed to my ear.
Appearing busy and self-important will help sell the act.
“Health inspector,” I answer curtly. “I’m here to investigate a complaint. A customer claims to have seen rats running around.”
The chef blanches. “Rats? O-oh, but we…This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Save me some time and let your manager know I’m here, would you? I need a word with them.”
“Of course,” he says, scuttling off.
Obviously, I have no intention of sticking around for the meeting.
I move through the kitchen toward the swinging double doors, peeking out through the circular viewing window.
Adelina is right there, just within reach, an undeniable tremble in her shoulders.
There are two men roughly three tables away, staring her down like wolves eyeing a lone lamb.
Could they be working for Berruci? And if they aren’t, why the hell are they coming after her?
Maybe they’re bad men who just so happen to be targeting Adelina.
My heart stutters. It feels like too much of a coincidence, but there’s no way Berruci knows. How could he?
Something isn’t adding up, but I’ll have to leave my theorizing for later. For now, I need to get Adelina out from under their claws.
“I’m here, but don’t turn around yet,” I say into the phone.
Adelina takes a deep breath. “What’s the plan?”
“Working on it.”
I scan our surroundings. Even if we make a break for it, Creep #1 and Creep #2 can easily close the distance and grab Adelina before I can spirit her away to safety.
It isn’t until I see a busy busboy, a large plastic tray full of dirty dishes and empty glasses piled high in his arms, that I decide to make my move.
He’s just about to enter the kitchen through the double doors when—
I push through them, grab Adelina’s hand and pull her in after me.
The men give chase, just as I knew they would, but are slowed down by the busboy.
They crash into him, causing the poor kid to drop his tray and scattering bits of porcelain, glass and metal cutlery all over the floor.
One of the men slips in someone’s leftover salad, smacking his head against the tile floor, but the other guy manages to barge his way after us.
“Run!” I shout, dragging Adelina through the kitchen and out through the back.
Creep #2 is gaining on us. We fly past groups of people, many exclaiming in alarm and confusion as we shove on by.
I hold on to Adelina’s hand tightly, but I can feel her fingers slipping.
She can’t keep up, her strides too short and her stamina quickly draining.
I need to think of something—and fast. Leaving her behind isn’t an option.
I had no choice with Michael, but it will be different with her.
“Over here,” I say, noticing a guided tour ahead of us.
It’s a large group of men and women—roughly twenty people, by my count—all of them moving together as a dense herd with their backpacks strapped onto their fronts for additional safety.
We aren’t going to blend in by any means, but they will certainly protect us with ample cover.
I tear off my baseball cap and slap it on the first tall blond man I come across before shoving our way through the crowd and pulling Adelina around the nearest corner.
We’re well hidden by the sea of people, but I press her against the brick wall and blanket her with my arms and body anyway to keep her out of sight.
Adelina pants against my chest, her cheeks flushed and brow covered in sweat as she grabs fistfuls of my shirt.
“Breathe,” I whisper. “It’s going to be okay. I’ve got you.”
I watch carefully as her pursuer comes into view, making a beeline for the guy I forced my hat onto. He grabs the blond by the shoulder, spinning him around.
“What the hell’s going on?” the tourist snaps.
The thug’s confusion is brief, swept aside by a look of irritation. He starts off the wrong way down the street, continuing his search. Adelina and I let out sighs of relief. We’re in the clear for now.
“Are you okay?” I ask her.
“I think so.” She nods, struggling to catch her breath. “I can’t believe you came.”
I chuckle. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I thought…I thought maybe…” Adelina clings to me, shaking as she hugs me tight. “Nothing. Never mind.”
I hold her firmly, wishing there was something I could do to soothe her nerves. It was lucky she called me when she did. I can’t imagine how terrified she must have been. “Tell me what happened.”
“We were shopping. Diana said— Oh my God. Diana. I don’t know what happened to her, she…Do you think they took her?”
“We’re going to figure this out.”
“But what if—”
I cup her cheeks and look into her eyes. She’s on the brink of hyperventilating. “Stay calm, Adelina. I promise you, everything’s going to be okay. I’m going to call Joseph and have him pick us up and take us back to the hotel.”
She swallows hard. I see the doubt in her eyes, the fear. And the thing is, I can’t even blame her. If she tells me that she’s out—that she wants to go home—I don’t think I have the heart to stop her.
“A-alright,” she murmurs.
I pull my phone from the back pocket of my jeans and dial Joseph’s number, keeping one arm wrapped securely around her waist. Adelina rests her cheek against my shoulder, and I press a kiss to the top of her forehead.
She makes no effort to move away, and I, for one, don’t want to let her go.