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As soon as I see that he’s trying to turn around, I grab his wrist and twist it behind his back, making him yelp in pain and surprise. He obediently bends forward to save his arm from injury and make it easier for me to control him. This goddamn bastard thinks he can do whatever he wants, huh?
I purse my lips, keeping words of anger and mockery from slipping out, and kick Louis’s ankles, forcing him to drop to his knees. That way, my gun isn’t touching his skin, but I make sure to keep it close enough that Louis can feel my presence behind him.
“You could’ve just told me, you know? I don’t mind getting my pants dirty.” He tries to glance at me again, sounding like a displeased child, but I hit the back of his head with my gun. His pretty eyes don’t work on me anymore. “Goddamnit—Okay, you don’t want me to look at you, got it. What do you want, then? Can you talk?”
I can, but I don’t want to. Even with the mask muffling my voice, I’m worried that Louis may recognize it, and that’s the last thing I need right now. Although, I have him already, so why does it matter?
In fact, I kinda like the idea of looking into his eyes as I kill him. I want to see his surprise when I take off my mask. I want him to know that the girl he so easily broke nine years ago is strong enough to get back at him.
I don’t move for a few seconds, thinking about it, and Louis audibly sighs and tilts his head. “Well, have you made up your mind? I can’t spend the whole night here, it’s getting chilly.”
Oh, shut up, I want to snap back at him, but I bite my tongue at the last moment and only push his head with my gun. It’s not enough to hurt him, but I can hear Louis huff under his breath. He doesn’t like his position, I know it, and it fills my heart with a wicked kind of pleasure. I push him again, and Louis grumbles under his breath but remains in his place.
So he does know how to be a good boy, huh? I chuckle at the thought and, following the smoldering urge to see this bastard’s face, step forward. My gun is fixed on him, and when I come to a stop right in front of Louis, it’s aiming right at his forehead. Ah, what a satisfying sight.
Even in the blue shadows of dusk, I can see his face clearly, and something in my chest tightens when I realize just how little he has changed since the last time I saw him so close. Of course, his Italian features—olive skin, dark eyes, and sharp facial lines—haven’t changed at all. His square jaw is even more pronounced now that he doesn’t have the messy stubble of a twenty-year-old, and his frame has widened over the years.
Louis looks like a more mature and handsome copy of his young self, and as soon as I catch the pulse of heat in my chest, I clench my jaw. God, how many girls has he lured over the years? At least they only got away with broken hearts, not ruined lives and butchered families.
While I’m studying him, I see that Louis is eyeing me back, probably trying to calculate my next move. My face is covered with a mask, my hair is hidden under the hood of my jacket, and after nine years apart I doubt he can recognize my figure. He can see my eyes, though, and when our eyes meet, Louis’s gaze lingers and he frowns.
Shit. I bite my lip, barely stopping myself from looking away. He may remember me, but…I’m not the only person with green eyes in Chicago, okay?
“So,” Louis drawls, and I tense up from inside, expecting him to call my name. “Are you ready to talk now? I mean, it’s not like you just want to kill me. You had a pretty good chance at doing that even before I noticed you, so I guess you want something from me. What is it? Let me guess…”
Louis keeps blabbering, but I take my mind off this background noise and focus on the gun in my hand. He’s right—I could’ve killed him right away, but I didn’t even think about it. I didn’t want it to be over so quickly, I wanted to savor the moment I’d been waiting to experience for so long.
Louis Messina is completely in my power. Isn’t that worth taking a moment to enjoy?
But he’s right—it’s time to get it over and done with. I grip my gun tighter, take a deep breath—trying to calm my frantic heartbeat—and focus on Louis. I want to see his eyes widen in shock and the blood pour down his face. I want to give him a taste of my pain. I want to hurt him, I want to kill him, I want to, I—
Something in my chest suddenly shrinks, tightening into a ball of pain and grief, and I struggle to breathe. I have to do it, I have to, I’ll never get another chance! But my fingers start to shake. I’ve killed dozens of people in my life, but when I look down at the man I’ve been chasing for years, my throat tightens.
God, Sasha, get yourself together. Just fucking do it!
But a sudden flash of car lights on the road blinds me—and the next moment, Louis barrels into my stomach and tries to knock me over. Son of a bitch! I instinctively open fire, but he catches my wrist and directs my gun at the bushes on the other side of the road. The sound of a firefight seems to scare the driver who chose the worst time to take this route, and he frantically drives away.
Even with the dots of light still dancing in my vision, I blindly kick Louis in his chest, and he groans through gritted teeth and grips my wrist tighter, fighting for the gun. Shit. He’s stronger than me, and if I don’t do something, it won’t be long till he forces me onto the ground. I open fire again, hoping to throw him off, but after two bullets it goes quiet.
Goddamnit. I didn’t care to check the magazine before going after Louis, so it must be empty. Shit. Shit! I immediately let go of the gun and, using Louis’s momentary confusion, I kick him between his legs and push him away. If I can’t finish my task, I have to keep my identity secret, so I take off in the direction of my car.
My heart is pounding in my ears, my body is brimming with adrenaline, and I ignore the growing pain in my abdomen. Damn, Louis didn’t hold back when he jumped at me. I reach the bridge in what feels like moments when, all of a sudden, something heavy hits my shoulder.What the hell?
I don’t stop to figure it out, but the next hit comes right in the middle of my back, and shit, it hurts! The impact makes me stumble in my run, and only when I drop down with my hands holding me against the ground do I realize what happened. That goddamn bastard threw gravel at me!
I grit my teeth and push myself up, making another attempt at darting forward—but of course, it’s too late. Without even coming to a stop, Louis grips the back of my neck and, using the momentum, pushes me to the bridge pillar, taking control of my elbow.
“Now, we can talk.” His voice is hoarse and full of anger, and I swallow and try to get my hand out of his grip. Damn it. So much for savoring the moment.
Louis pushes me against the pillar with my hands behind my back and my cheek pressed against the cold, vibrating surface. It’s completely dark here under the bridge, and only the stream of car lights running on the edges of its shadow illuminates it. I stare at it blankly while my mind spins in frantic circles. Shit, shit, shit.What am I supposed to do now?
“Who are you and what do you want from me?” Louis raises his voice over the hum, squeezing my neck hard enough to bruise, but I keep my mouth shut. I can’t tell him, not now. “Alright, well, if you want to play mute…”
He doesn’t finish and yanks the hood off my head, revealing the heap of freshly dyed red hair. I’m not stupid enough to spy on him with my natural blonde hair, okay? Anyone in the Mafia world would recognize me from afar, and that’s the last thing I need.
But Louis doesn’t stop there. He reaches for my mask, and this time I shake my head and try to weave out of his grip with more effort. No, I can’t let him see my face! I hum in protest, still keeping my lips sealed, but Louis catches my chin and forces me to turn my head to the side before pulling the mask down.
Well, shit… but maybe it’s for the best.
