AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re joking, right?” Nikolai asks, his laughter cut by the edge of uncertainty.
“I swear to you, brother, I’m not joking.”
“How did you go about getting a woman pregnant the same day that you met her. This is the engineer we’re still talking about, right?”
“I met her months ago. I told you that,” I reply impatiently. Nikolai never listens to me. He acts like he is, but he doesn’t remember half the shit I say to him. I, on the other hand, have a photographic memory.
“Man, you’re in over your head,” he says, amusement slipping into his voice. “You have to marry her. Bratva rules.”
“I know, and I mentioned that to her.”
“Probably freaked her the fuck out, or is that why you’re calling me? Did she jump off the train or something?”
“No, and no. I mentioned it to her, but we didn’t really go into details,” I reply, gritting my teeth at his jokes. Usually, I’m the one joking around and giving him a hard time. I’m sure he’s thrilled that the tables have turned.
“So, you’re still not sure if she’s going to jump off the train and make a run for it. Understood.”
I roll my eyes. “She’s not going to do that. She likes me, and to be honest, I also like her. A lot.”
“That’s a first.”
“Yeah, it is a first, and it’s also a last,” I reply, a hot ball of anger rising in my chest. “Lola is really special to me, and I’m taking this seriously. I suggest that you do the same.”
“Temper, temper… I guess you really are serious about her. I guess congratulations are in order. I think you’ll be a decent father if you cull your impulsive nature a bit.”
I shake some of the tension out of my shoulders, switching the phone to my other ear. “We’ll see about the impulsive part. I have something planned, but if we want to get this damn train to Texas without getting killed by the Pessolano Family, it’s going to sound a bit impulsive.”
“A bit? If you’re ready to admit it’s even a little impulsive, it must be batshit crazy,” he says, his voice walking the line between irritated and amused. “I hope you actually took the fuel I gave you. It wasn’t easy to get on such short notice.”
“I told you I filled up already,” I reply with a scoff. “But we’re going to stop the train soon and stage an ambush. I know Lorenzo is probably trying to set one up himself further down the tracks, and that’s why we need to beat him to the punch.”
“Hold up. You need to rewind for a moment and explain to me what the hell is going on. I’m being kept in the dark about too many things,” Nikolai says, his tone switching to the more serious one he uses when he’s conducting business.
I rub the fog from the glass and look out the window at the trees flying past, the tempo of my words falling into harmony with the frozen pines. “We spotted a helicopter flying over the tracks a little while ago. I have to assume Lorenzo is angry about me taking his train, which I’m sure he wants back as soon as possible, considering the load on board.”
“And our ruby,” Nikolai adds.
“He doesn’t know he has it. It’s just another gemstone in the lot, but that’s also when he wasn’t expecting us to come steal the train. He had almost no security, trying to pass it off as an empty passenger train.”
“I know this already,” he replies with a note of impatience.
“Right, but I’m trying to make a point. You see, Lorenzo isn’t prepared. He wasn’t expecting this, and now he’s scrambling to get ahead of us and stop us from reaching Texas.”
“Sounds like he’s the one planning an ambush.”
“Right,” I say, feeling vindicated because he’s come to the same conclusion as me. “But we’re the ones who are actually going to pull off a successful ambush. Let me tell you how.”
I dive into a detailed explanation similar to the one I laid out for Lola, highlighting more of the benefits than the safety of the whole thing. Nikolai knows what I’m capable of. He doesn’t doubt that I’ll keep myself and Lola alive. He’s only concerned that we’re going to make irreversible waves through the organized crime sector by butting head with the Pessolano Family.
I point out that it’s not possible to make waves if you eradicate the water entirely, and that’s what I intend to do. I’m certain Lorenzo has taken charge of this perilous game of cat and mouse. He wouldn’t trust anyone but himself to do it, and that means the ambush is going to hit him with more bullets than he knows how to stomach.
If everything goes according to plan, we’re going to do much more than steal a train full of jewels. We’re going to take down the Lorenzo Family for good.
I’m expecting a medal of honor from the FBI and a get out of jail free card, if nothing else.
Nikolai laughs when I tell him that. “If you come home with the Lola and nothing else, I’ll be happy. Family matters the most.”
“Ah, you’ve gotten old and soft,” I respond playfully, but in truth, I’m starting to feel the same. The seasons move quicker each year, and the taste of Lola’s lips feels like it has the potential to slow down time and return it to the way things used to be.
