The King Killer | Mafia dark romance | ✔️

21. The collateral

Valentina

Air around me smelled metallic. My mouth tasted rotten, laden with the soot from the heavy firing. In the center of all the chaos stood a heavily armored vehicle. My ears rang at a volume which I perceived to be enough for it to bleed.

Masked men fired rounds of bullets as I bucked behind them to the man who vowed to be my guard for the trip. Alejandro was the only one who wore no mask. Flaunting his identity, he jumped up from the jeep which brazed bullets like a video games.

I saw his hands move up and down and his lips curl up and sideways, instructing me. I had a reckoning. Al must have worn ear plugs. How else was he able to withstand the sound that was enough to make the ground crumble and walls to quiver? I placed my hand over my ears and tilted my head sidewise. Al's eyes widened. He moved with lightning speed, dragging me inside the jeep.

With two pats on the driver's back, the vehicle rumbled to life. Pins pricked in inner lining of my ears as I palmed them, lowering myself between my legs. I screamed for myself, for the situation we were in. I had never flaunted rules so carelessly, neither have I endangered my life in any way.

Marrying Antonio was the biggest life threat I could ever undertake, close second being this decision to raid at Spain's Capo quarters.

A pair of hands grabbed my shoulders and shook me. With the which that roared and speed at  lightening pace, I held onto the roof handle. Al pressed the sides of my cheeks, shoving a pill deep inside my throat. With a dry sensation which itched its way down my throat, I coughed. He patted my back and tossed a water bottle. I drained the contents before sliding back to my seat.

The backgrounds of the mansion disappeared in the distance, smaller and smaller with each passing second. A siren bellowed through the mansion and into the nearby areas. Alert was on. We were on the run. With the constant blares, I was remembered of the time when mom was carried in the back of ambulance.

This siren call had the same sound, same effect. It made my mouth dry, my heart to pound into my ribs. I was expecting death. It could come in any form now.

"Feeling better?" Al turned me to him. I peeled my eyes off the darkening sky and placed it over him. With a scope adjusted to his rifle, he checked the vision with a closed eyes. "Perfect," he murmured to himself.

"Yes. I am fine. Actually I am great." I clenched my teeth and grunted. He laughed at my behavior. Rarely having witnessed Alejandro laughing, I punched him for his playfulness. "I don't know why but I am so fucking pumped. I want to punch a hole in the wall," I growled again, grinding my teeth.

He passed another bottle towards me. "Stay hydrated," he instructed before pulling a Remington rifle from his bag and on my lap. "Epinephrine effect won't stay for long. We need all hands on deck."

My eyeballs shot out. "You gave me fucking adrenaline?" I screamed at him. He shrugged, tossing off the backside topping off the jeep. "You asshole," another louder scream and Al turned to me, holding both my hands.

"We might die here today, if we don't fight. Do you want to die here? Do you want some pervert to rape your dead body?" he scanned my face. His eyes darkened. He was telling the truth. 

I shouted. "No," and began loading my gun. It clicked in with the magazine.

The driver in the front shouted. "Tailgate." Someone was following us. 

Al and I took the corners, hiding behind the metal stems of the vehicle's skeleton which held up the roof. With the open view, wind blew my hair in all directions. I felt a harder pounding on my chest when I tied my hair in a haphazard manner. Slitting the dresses' sides, I crossed my legs, watching a black SUV tag us.