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My ears ring as I give the signal to cease fire. I lean down and grab her hand, pulling her upright. “Come on,” I say. “We need to get out of here.”
She looks up at me, a dazed expression on her face. “You’re dead,” she says. “I saw it happen.”
“Later,” I reply, pulling her over to our car. I load her into the back as Alessandro barks orders at my men. He leads two of them over to the car she was driving. “I’ll follow you,” he shouts across to me. “Get going.”
We move in convoy out of there, leaving the factory far behind us.
I sit in the back of my car, close up next to her, holding her hands in mine, stroking her hair. “You’re all right now,” I tell her as we bump along the rural roads toward the airfield. “Soon have you out of here.”
“How are you alive?” she asks, leaning against me, all the strength going out of her.
“What made you think I was dead?”
“My father showed me a video of your car. It was pushed into a ravine and it blew up. How did you get out of that alive?”
“Climbed out before it caught fire.”
“Simple as that?” She looks up at me. “I was so sure you were dead.” She manages a smile, blinking slowly, like she might fall asleep. “You came to rescue me, didn’t you?”
“We’re not safe yet. There’s a jet fueled and ready to take off but we’re still on cartel turf. A lot can go wrong.”
“You’ll keep me safe.” She snuggles toward me. “I know you will.”
The road’s clear the entire way. We get lucky, I guess. We drive into the airfield. Alessandro peels away, circling the perimeter as we drive right up to the side of the plane. The door’s open, the steps out ready for us.
“Come on,” I tell her. “Let’s move.”
Alessandro has finished his sweep. He brings his car in next to mine, getting out at the same time as me.
“We did it,” he says, pulling out his gun and examining it closely. “Been a long time since I’ve used this.”
“Cut the bullshit. We need to get in the air.”
“Hold on,” he says, swinging the gun my way. I wince but when he shoots, it’s at my driver. I turn in time to see him drop to the ground. The other man who came with us drops an instant later. I turn back to face Alessandro, the barrel of his gun still smoking.
“What are you doing?” I ask, moving Anna behind me. “You better have a fucking good reason for that.”
“Same reason I shot the guys in my car,” Alessandro says. “I’m making a change of career.”
“You’re what?” I reach for my gun, but he sees the movement, shaking his head.
“You’re dead before you pull it out,” he says. “Bullet would go straight through you and hit her, so I don’t know why she’s hiding behind you.”
“What are you doing, Alessandro?”
“I told you. I’m changing career.”
“How long has Piper been paying you off?”
“Long enough to make a fool of you, Marco. Half a mil’ to tell him your location. How could I resist?”
“How long have you worked for my family?”
He shakes his head. “No need for that sentimental bullshit. This is business, that’s all. He made me a better offer.”
“You’re willing to work for a slave trader?”
“Human trafficker, let’s get the term right.”
