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Against my better judgment, I pleaded with him. “My sister is innocent, Rocco. She knows nothing. Jesus Christ, I know nothing!” I gripped his hand and placed my gun inside of it. “Take me somewhere. Let’s end this.”
Rocco barked out another laugh before he took a step back and spit a mouth full of blood on the floor between us. “I could shoot you now and have the busboy clean the blood from my shoes. Like I said, whore, you are already dead. And I will not have to lift a finger.” He watched my face twist as he took another jab. “You are now the price he has to pay. And make no mistake, he will pay it.”
He let the gun drop from his hand. “You keep your toy. You need it more than I do.”
He pulled the door open and walked out without a backward glance. Even with me in Barga, my sister wasn’t safe. I pulled out my cell phone.
Cedric answered on the first ring.
“Taylor.”
“Is she safe?”
“Yes. I’m with her now.”
“Cedric, don’t let her out of your sight.”
“What the fuck is going on?”
I paced the bathroom and shoved my Glock back into my purse. My voice was hoarse as I admitted my worst fear. “She’s not safe, no matter what I do. You are being watched.”
“I won’t leave her side, Taylor. What the fuck happened!?”
“I don’t know.”
“Taylor, talk to me.”
“I’m fine. Nothing happened. Cedric, just keep her safe. It’s time for a Hail Mary. I need you to promise me.”
“Goddamnit, Taylor. I won’t. That’s a promise.”
“No matter what?”
“Taylor, please tell me his name.”
I shook my head, unwilling to bring him into the crosshairs. He already knew too much. “We both knew I wasn’t going to live through this. Take care of my family. I love you.”
I hung up as I sank against the wall.
“Taylor?” Gian was at the door.
“I’ll be right there.”
Mustering up all my strength to keep it together, I pulled my dress back into place and ran my hands through my hair. I reapplied my lipstick and met Gian at the bar. “Where is Omero?”
“His wife called. He had to return home.” He gave me a sly grin as he handed me a whiskey. Apparently, there had been a conversation between the two men and Gian wanted to claim his prize. I gulped down the drink and ordered another.
“Are you okay?” Gian resumed his grip around my waist, and I nodded. I was anything but okay. I was terrified to walk out the door, unable to think about anything but an impending fight I had no chance of winning. I tossed the whiskey back and let it burn.
If I ended up buried in Barga that night, there was no guarantee that my sister wouldn’t suffer the same fate. That fear kept me planted as I tried to think of a way out of it.
But there wasn’t a way out. I still had no idea what I was dealing with. And if Rocco hadn’t bothered with the opportunity to take me out, there was only one other person that would do it.
The rest of my hope sank inside of me like a heavy stone drifting into the dark depths of Mediterranean. I was no closer to saving my family even as I sat as a sacrificial lamb for slaughter.
I needed to relocate. I needed to grab the rest of my ammo. I had to figure it out. I pushed away my drink and turned to Gian, who watched me carefully.
“Gian, take me to my hotel?”
