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“Congratulations,” she says as I close the door.
I lean against the wall, tilting my head back. I’m messing everything up but I don’t know how to do anything else. Having a family is a foreign concept. There’s no way that I can deal with two people depending on me long-term.
As I stand outside Aria’s room, I try to think about what the future will look like with a child. Nothing comes to me as I try to picture it. I can’t see a future with my child and it makes me feel like I’m already a failure of a father.
Once I hear Aria’s soft snoring coming through the door, I stand up straight and head for the panel in the wall. If she finds out that I’m leaving her in the middle of the night, she will never let me live it down.
Part of me wants her to find out, just so she has a reason to be angry with me.
I open the panel and set a timer, leaving me enough time to get out of the house before it arms itself. Before the timer begins, I check my holsters, making sure that there is a gun in each one.
“Here goes nothing,” I say, patting my pocket and feeling the butterfly knife nestled inside.
I leave the house, waiting in the driveway until the security system arms itself. As soon as I know that Aria is protected, I get on my bike and drive away.
The streets are winding and dark until I get to the city. Tourists are pouring out of the bars and into the streets. I avoid them as I turn down an alley before exiting it onto another street.
A black car drives down the street, close to the end of the block. I duck down another alley, killing the engine. I get off the bike and peek around the corner, keeping my helmet on to hide my identity.
The car stops at the end of the road and Antonio and Salvatore Russo get out. I keep to the shadows as I walk down the street, watching as the two men walk into a pub.
There is a brief moment where I consider pulling out my gun and shooting him down where he stands. He is a threat to hundreds of people.
Two of those people are my baby and a woman that intrigues me more than any other woman I’ve ever known.
I can’t kill her father and brother right now, even if they are a threat to my child. Death is too easy a punishment for them. Antonio deserves to suffer for the pain he’s caused.
The FBI will make sure that he suffers when they finally catch up to him.
I follow them into the pub, staying far enough back to avoid their notice. They weave through the crowd of drinking tourists until they take a seat at a table in the back with another man.
As I creep closer to them, my mind wanders back to Aria at home. She is tired and it isn’t likely that she will wake up and find me gone. At least, I hope she doesn’t.
Thoughts of Aria are still clouding my mind as I take a seat near the Russos, keeping my back to them as I take my helmet off.
“We have a problem,” Antonio says. “We have an FBI agent in our possession. He is at our estate currently and locked up, but I worry about disposing of him. I suspect he isn’t the only undercover agent to infiltrate my home.”
“I would be wary,” the unknown man says, his voice gravelly. “It is wise of you to suspect that there are others there. Do you have a way of getting this man to Italy? My men would be able to take care of him for a favor in return.”
I listen closely as a waitress comes by and takes my beer order. However, the moment a hand clamps down on my shoulder, I know I’ve been made.
“Listen to me very carefully,” Salvatore says, his voice a whisper. “My father has not noticed that I am talking to you yet. You’re going to put your fucking helmet back on and then you are going to meet me outside.”
As quickly as he appeared, Salvatore is gone. My blood runs cold as I put my helmet back on, making sure the visor is flipped down. Salvatore is already pushing through the door and heading outside by the time I get up from the table.
I glance at Antonio before leaving. If I ignore Salvatore and stay, there is no telling what will happen.
Although, it’s safe to assume that I wouldn’t be leaving alive.
When I get outside, I look around and see Salvatore across the street. He’s leaning in an alley, smoking a cigarette. He nods when he sees me, before turning and walking down the alley.
My hand hovers near my holster as I cross the street and follow him down the alley. There was no thinking of a plan before I went out tonight. I just needed an escape from the villa.
Of course, there is a drive to get rid of Aria’s father before his grandchild is born. I don’t want him to have any influence over our baby’s life.
When Salvatore finally turns around and stops, he takes a long drag of his cigarette. I take my helmet off and keep it tucked under one arm, my free hand still hovering near my gun.
“You know, you look nothing like an FBI agent,” Salvatore says, gesturing at me with his cigarette. The smoke curls toward the sky. “Tattoos all over your body. It’s an interesting choice. Most agents don’t do that. It makes them too easy to recognize.”
