Page 94 of Humility

I pushed through a pair of swinging doors that led to a storage area, and as if Dario knew the store like the back of his hand, we weaved through the rows until we reached the back door.

“The boy, I can’t leave the boy,” I said and turned to run back, but Dario grabbed me with one hand and nodded under his other arm. The child was curled up and hanging on to Dario’s side, the plastic bag still tightly clenched in his small fists.

“Let me look first.” Dario pushed open the door and looked out. “Okay, let’s go.”

Dario put the boy on his feet as we stepped into the alley.

“Hey, are you okay,” I asked, looking him over. He looked at me and then Dario and didn’t say a word before taking off down the alley. “Wait, come back,” I called out, but he turned at the end and disappeared.

“He is probably heading somewhere safe. We need to do the same.” Dario wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pushed for us to break into a light jog. He took us a different way back to the truck, but I could tell that was where we were heading.

Dario pressed his arm against my body, keeping me flush to the wall as he peeked around the corner. It was quiet where we were, but I could hear sirens in the distance and screams that seemed so far away now.

Holding out his fob, Dario hit the unlock button. There was a distinct rumble as it started, then a loud explosion. I screamed and ducked as Dario once more covered me.

He forced me to look at him. I realized as his steady hands cupped my face that I was shaking. “What’s happening?”

“I’m not sure, but we are the targets. We need to get off the street. Are you okay to run?” I nodded. He pulled his gun and grabbed my hand. “Then let’s go. I know a few hidden spots and have a couple of friends around here.”

Dario was fast, and I felt like he had to drag me along, but he didn’t seem bothered and never broke stride. I followed like his shadow, staying close and doing what he said. Many turns later, he had me stand back while he opened a random gray door and guided us inside. The scent of food cooking hit me, and I knew before we took another step that we were in the back of a restaurant. He pushed through another door, and a dozen line cooks turned to look at us as we walked through.

“Dario ga koko ni iru to Kenji ni tsutaete kudasai,” Dario said to the woman who rushed up to us as he pushed through the black door to the front of the restaurant.

She gave a little bow and rushed off. Dario pulled out his phone as he kept me close to his side, and I couldn’t figure out what to say or ask first. I’d been angry with the shop owner, but I didn’t want him to die, and yet I knew that his lifeless body was going to haunt my dreams.

“I didn’t know you spoke Japanese,” I said, but my voice sounded like it came from someone else.

“I know nine languages,” he said, rubbing his hand up and down my arm.

“Oh no,” I said, and Dario’s eyes roamed over my body as he began patting me down. “I lost my bag.” He pulled me in and held me. I felt cold, really cold. Did I get hit?

“Angelo, I’m at Kenji’s with Jasmine. There was an attack. Yeah, but she’s going into shock,” Dario said. That explained the cold. If it weren’t for his arm holding me up, I would’ve sunk to the ground. My head felt light and spun like I had too much to drink.

“Dario-san, kon’nichiwa.” A handsome man, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, approached us. I opened my mouth to greet him, but my tongue was heavy, and my knees gave way.

Dario didn’t let me fall as he picked me up into his arms, and I rested my head against his shoulder as he spoke. I couldn’t understand what they were saying as we walked. Everything was slipping in and out of focus. My eyes were heavy, and I couldn’t fight anymore. They closed, and everything went dark.

Chapter Forty-Three

JASMINE

I woke up wrapped in warmth.

Then, a flash of gunfire and a dead man crossed my mind. My eyes snapped open, and I gasped like I’d been jerked by an invisible line. I didn’t know whose bed I was in, but I could hear Angelo’s voice, too soft to make out what he said. I blinked a few times to get my bearings in the dark room. When did we get home? Or better yet, how? Everything was foggy after we reached the restaurant. Tracing the features of the man in front of me, I knew it was Enzo, and the arm wrapped around me from behind had to be Dario.

“Shh, it’s okay. You’re safe, and it is still very early. You might as well rest a little longer,” Dario whispered.

“When did we get home?”

“It was late. The shock wore off, but you were still pretty upset and fell asleep almost immediately.”

“That poor man, I didn’t want him dead.” Covering my mouth, I tried to wipe the image from my mind. I grew up in a family where death was as normal as eating Sunday dinner, but I’d never seen anyone killed before. Papa kept me from that side of his business.

I’d heard tales of torture rooms and knew that those who crossed any of our families found themselves hunted and killed. I wasn’t completely sheltered from what happened, but nothing could’ve prepared me to be inches from a deadman’s face. One moment, I was talking to him, and the next, I was staring into a hole where his eye had been.

“I know you didn’t. You’re a good person and would never want that.” Dario held me a little tighter as he kissed my head.

“And the boy…he looked so scared. I hope he’s okay. And your truck…were…were they after us?”