Chapter 12 #2
"Someone's hungry." He teased. I smiled sheepishly and walked over to him on the bed. I glanced at the clock and saw it was 7:30. The kids should of been home by now.
Adriano caught me off guard and pulled me flush against his chest. I let out a oomph as he took the opportunity to capture my lips in his.
I moaned into the kiss wrapping my arms around his neck. He flips me over as he lay on top of me traveling his hands lower and lower.
My body tingles with anticipation awaiting what was going to happen next.
That's until the phone went off. But he completely ignored it as he continues to trail hot kisses down my neck. I tried to block out the ringing but it was irritating me.
I pushed him away slightly which made his eyes darken even further "Please just answer the phone." I say. He gave me a grumpy look, sighing before he got off of me and sat beside me on the bed grabbing his phone.
"What?" He said in a gruff voice. I watched his face turn stone hard as his eyes turn into slits, the fire eminent in them. That alerted me that something was wrong.
I sat up on my knees in front of him looking at his face to see if he would give off any clues. But nothing. It was emotionless.
"Did you lose them?" Adriano asked.
2 hours earlier
AJ Pov~
"You're not losing them," Damien sang, glancing out the back window at the navy Audi that had been following us for the last ten minutes.
"You're not shutting up," I shot back.
I pressed harder on the accelerator as the SUV merged farther down the freeway. Instead of driving in a straight line, I changed lanes repeatedly, using the evening traffic to put more distance between us and the Audi.
"They're still there," Raf muttered, checking the side mirror.
"I know." I gripped the steering wheel tighter.
"I don't even know where we're going," I barked, frustration creeping into my voice. "If we can't go home, then we have to go somewhere."
"We don't have anywhere to go," Leo fired back.
I exhaled sharply. "Ales." She immediately looked up from her phone. "See if there are any houses or cabins nearby. We'll buy the whole damn place if we have to."
She nodded and immediately started typing.
The Audi began falling farther behind.
"I think we're losing them," Kaia said, watching through the rear window. A few seconds later, Alessandra looked up.
"There's a house in the woods about twenty-five miles from here. If we lose them, we can stay there until we figure something out."
"Perfect." I glanced at her briefly. "Tell me where to go."
She looked back at her phone. "Stay on this freeway for another ten miles, then-"
Bang!
The entire SUV jolted. Everyone froze.
"What the hell was that?" Kalani shouted. Another sharp metallic clang echoed against the side of the vehicle.
Marcio twisted around in his seat. "Are you kidding me?" he yelled. "They're shooting at us now!"
I slammed my fist against the steering wheel. "Damn it!"
"I am never going anywhere with you people again," Kalani muttered, letting out the most exhausted sigh imaginable.
Despite everything... I almost laughed. Almost, because this had just gone from surveillance...to attempted murder.
Alessandra Pov~
Before I could even process what had just happened, Leo, Damien, Marcio, and Raf all reached for weapons. One gun came from beneath a seat. Another from the glove compartment. Two more from the pockets behind the seats.
"What the..." I blinked. "How many guns do you guys keep in this SUV?" No one answered.
"Duck down," Damien ordered. Kalani, Kaia, and I immediately lowered our heads. I glanced toward A.J. He was still weaving through traffic like he'd been doing it his whole life.
Seriously...where did he even learn to drive like this?
Leo and Damien were the first to lean toward the windows. They fired almost in perfect sync. Despite the SUV bouncing over the road, both of them somehow managed to hit the Audi's windshield.
The glass cracked, but the rounds didn't punch through. "Bulletproof," Raf muttered.
Marcio nodded. "Our turn."
The two of them raised their weapons. Before they could even fire-
Bang! Bang! Bang!
More shots slammed into our SUV. Kalani, Kaia, and I all squealed, instinctively ducking lower.
"This is ridiculous," I muttered. Now I was getting angry and it took a lot to make me angry. The bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the armored glass. Thank goodness Dad insisted every family vehicle be fully armored.
The second the gunfire stopped, Raf and Marcio leaned out just enough to return fire. They weren't aiming for the windshield. They were aiming lower.
Pop! Pop!
The Audi's front tires exploded. The car swerved violently before spinning sideways across the road. The vehicles behind it slammed on their brakes, several narrowly avoiding a pileup.
"Yes!" Damien shouted out the window. "That's what you get, you motherfucker!"
A.J. didn't waste the opportunity. He pressed harder on the accelerator and disappeared into traffic.
"Ales," he called without taking his eyes off the road. "Where are we going?"
"Oh."
I looked back down at my phone.
"We're taking the Fearwick exit. It should be about seven miles from here."
"Got it."
"Is anyone going to call Dad?" Kalani asked quietly. The entire SUV fell silent. I looked over at Damien. No one answered.
Finally, A.J. spoke. "When we get to the house safely..." His grip tightened around the steering wheel. "...then I'll call."
I leaned back against my seat with a quiet sigh. Silence settled over the SUV. None of us knew why these people were following us. We didn't know what they wanted. All we knew was that we had to keep each other safe.
Thankfully, that was something we'd all been trained to do. The boys had been preparing for this life since they were toddlers. My sisters and I had been trained too. We knew how to protect ourselves.
Dad would be proud of how we handled this....he was also going to absolutely lose his mind when he found out we hadn't called him sooner.
~***~
About thirty minutes later, we finally turned off the main road and into a heavily wooded area. No one had followed us.
At least...not that we could tell.
The house sat tucked away between the trees. It was fairly large, built from beige brick with dark shutters and a wraparound porch.
Honestly, It was nicer than I expected.
A.J. slowly pulled the SUV to a stop in front of the house. He scanned the property for several long seconds before speaking.
“Damien. Raf.” The two of them immediately looked over. “Sweep the perimeter. Make sure we're alone.” They nodded.
“Leo, stay with the girls.”
He looked at Marcio. “You're with me. We'll clear the house.” Within seconds everyone was moving.
Leo stayed beside the SUV while Damien and Raf circled the property, their weapons drawn as they disappeared around opposite sides of the house.
A.J. and Marcio cautiously approached the front door, guns raised. I watched them exchange a glance before A.J. noticed something tucked beneath the door handle.
He pulled off a folded piece of paper. Marcio remained on the porch while A.J. walked back toward us.
A few moments later, Damien and Raf returned. “Clear,” Damien reported, holstering his weapon.
“Nothing around back either,” Raf added.
Only then did Leo unlock the doors. The twins and I climbed out while A.J. locked the SUV behind us. He unfolded the note and handed it to me.
It was written in Italian.
I cleared my throat and read it aloud.
Dear Mrs. Hart,
We couldn't stay the extra three nights because we had an emergency back home.
Thank you for your hospitality.
Sincerely,
The Paulo's
“Well...” Kaia shrugged. “Sucks for the Paulo's.” She headed toward the front door. I couldn't help but smile. Trust Kaia to find the humor in the middle of all this.
As we walked toward the house, I leaned closer to A.J. “You're sure this is safe?” I asked quietly.
He glanced at me. There wasn't even a hint of hesitation on his face. “Trust me, Ales.” His voice was calm. “I won't let anything happen to any of you.”
I studied him for a second before nodding. “I know.”
Marcio pushed the now-unlocked front door open after forcing the lock. The house was empty. For now.
A.J. reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He let out a slow breath.
“Time to call Dad.”