Mistaken Identity (John Wick) *COMPLETED*

Chapter Ten

FINAL CHAPTER

6 MONTHS LATER

JOHN

'How is the hunt going Jonathan?' Winston asks, sipping his drink at the bar in The Continental.

He'd been keeping close tabs on me these past few months, making sure I wasn't going to break because Mia's death weighed heavily on my soul and mind. I sit down next to my friend and mentor and order myself a drink.

'Viggo's dead and his organisation is pretty much done for,' I state coldly and accept the drink placed in front of me.

This hunt had taken a toll on me both physically and mentally, I wasn't getting any younger and if I wanted to continue throwing my weight around and killing people I needed to take better care of myself.

'You need a break Jonathan, here take this,' Winston smiles over the top of his glass and slides an envelope towards me.

I open it and pull out a plane ticket to Rome, 'err Winston--'

'Just take it, Jonathan, you like Rome and they are expecting you at The Continental Rome,' he cuts me off and continues sipping his drink.

I pocket the plane ticket and grunt, 'thank you, Winston.'

'You might find more than you bargained for out there, Jonathan.'

Winston had always been cryptic, beating around the bush. Of course, there was another motive to send me to Rome, but he wasn't going to tell me, I would have to find out for myself.

SKIP PLANE RIDE

Rome was one of my favourite cities, so much culture and history attached. I walk through the lobby of The Continental and put my bag down by the concierge desk. No matter which hotel you stayed in, you could guarantee the staff would be the same, however, I didn't recognise the young girl stood behind the concierge desk typing away at a computer. There was an air of familiarity about her, Mia was dead, but her ghost was still haunting me. This girl had the same hair and facial features as Mia, but there was no tell-tale scar, and she was dressed a lot more formal than anything Mia would have been seen dead in.

'Hello and welcome to The Continental John,' she speaks in a familiar pitched voice, and my heart stops in my chest.

'Mia,' I gasp, not quite sure what to believe anymore.

She grins, 'the one and only. I'll give you your room card and then come and find me in the lounge; we have a lot to catch up on.'

She hands me a key card and motions for me to move aside so she can serve the person behind me. So this is what Winston was referring to when he said I'd get more than I bargained for out here. Mia had a lot of explaining to do.

MIA

After John left to go to his room, I serve a couple more guests before excusing myself. I head towards the lounge and wave at some familiar faces, this place was my new home, and I couldn't be happier. Winston had said he'd send John my way one day when everything had cleared itself up, and the heat was off me.

I order two drinks, remembering John's favourite and find a secluded booth in the back of the lounge. John enters and spots me, I wave him over, and he slides into the seat opposite me, and I push the drink towards him, 'I bet you have a lot of questions, John.'

He nods, 'How and why?'

I place my hands in my lap nervously, afraid at how he would react when I told him the truth, but knew this day was going to come, and I'd grown a lot as a person these past six months and needed to remember that. John had a stare which scared people shitless; he could look into your soul and right now he was using that infamous stare on me.

'We'll start with the why. I overheard your conversation with Viggo when I was due to listen to the recordings, remember I was still new to this other world and heard him make you an offer. Me for your freedom, so I freaked out and told Winston who said only I could come to the decisions whether or not I trusted you fully.'

John tilts his head to the side, 'that can't be all Mia.'

I bite my lip, 'from what I pieced together the Russians are not very nice people, and I see why my mum gave her trust to Winston despite my dad's long-standing history. Even if you didn't give me to them for your freedom I just knew in my gut, they weren't going to let me live a normal life John.'

'Now onto the how Mia,' he states calmly, but his face remained unreadable.

I gulp, 'It was Winston's idea when I told him that my staff were smelling gas in the shop. So the gas leak was real. The only way to make my death look believable to Viggo or anyone else with a grudge against my family was to make you believe I was dead; that way, people wouldn't suspect a thing. I never asked where Winston got the dead body, which matched my height and gender, and the DNA was pretty simple.'

John remains silent as he stares me down making me feel slightly uncomfortable, 'I had every right doing what I did John, and yes it can seem a little harsh what we did to you, but you should understand survival and doing whatever it takes to make sure you come out of a hairy situation alive.'

He taps his fingers on the table, 'do you trust me now Mia?'

I nod and lean back in the booth, 'I realised I could trust you when Viggo's men tried to kidnap me, you could have walked away and let them take me, but I saw fear and determination in your eyes as you shoved people aside to come to my aid. At that point, it was too late, and the plan was in place to fake my death, I'm becoming very good at that.'

A ghost of a smile flickers across his lips, 'yes, your actions were cruel and manipulative, and Winston played me well these past six months. But I understand why you did it Mia, and that's why I can safely say I forgive you and I'm happy to see you alive and thriving. What happened to the scar?'

I brush my fingers across the now flawless skin, 'Winston thought the scar would give me away, so he paid some people to remove it. When I woke up and saw no scar, I cried because its all I've ever really been known for. It was a part of my past and had no place in my future.'

What John does next takes me by surprise, he reaches his hand across the table and takes hold of my free one, 'Viggo is dead. His organisation in shatters. He won't be a problem for you anymore, Mia; I made sure of it.'

I open my mouth, but no words come out, I was stunned to silence by what John was telling me. I'd constantly been looking over my shoulder these past six months worried they might con on and come to find me. But now a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulder, and I could continue to enjoy the new life I'd made for myself here in Rome.

'Thank you, John, but I have no intention of returning to New York anytime soon.'

John continues stroking my knuckles, his eyes less cold and more filled with life, 'I understand. Do you like working here?'

I smile, 'Its great John; I've been given a clean slate. The first month it was hard, but now I've learnt the language and a bit about the culture of Rome and the workings of what goes on into running a hotel for assassins I don't want to leave. How long are you here by the way?'

John removes his hand from mine and picks up his glass and raises it, 'Winston told me to take a break, and I think I could do with some time off. To relaxing, and catching up with old friends.'

I raise my glass, 'to a new life, and catching up with old friends.'

We clink our glasses together, and everything seemed to slot into place for the first time in a long time. I'd made sure my affairs were settled in New York and my staff compensated for trauma and lack of jobs, but now I could only look ahead to the future and where it took me. If John hadn't walked into my coffee shop with a contract to kill me, I'd probably be buried six feet underground courtesy of the Russians who'd hired John in the first place.