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“They’re still with us!” Sofia shouted, glancing back over her shoulder.
“Not for long,” I growled, spotting a narrow ramp leading up to an overpass. “Hang on!”
I slammed on the gas, the car surging forward and up the ramp, tires squealing as we climbed. The SUVs followed, but I could see them struggling to keep up, their bulky frames swaying dangerously on the uneven terrain.
I swerved sharply, sending us careening around a stack of concrete barriers. “They’re too heavy!” I shouted. “They won’t make the turn!”
Sure enough, one of the SUVs tried to follow, but its rear wheels lost traction on the loose gravel. The driver overcorrected, and the SUV spun out of control, slamming into a pile of metal pipes with a deafening crash.
“One down,” Sofia muttered, her voice tight.
“One more to go,” I replied, glancing in the mirror at the remaining SUV that was still on our tail.
I gunned the engine again, pushing the car harder as we reached the top of the ramp. I could see the lights of the city below, the rush of traffic, and the streets stretching out before us. I needed to get us back onto the main road so we could blend in.
“There!” Sofia pointed, spotting a narrow off-ramp that led back into the city. “Take that!”
I nodded, yanking the wheel hard to the left, sending us hurtling down the ramp. The SUV followed, its headlights blinding, but I could feel the gap widening between us as we merged back onto the main road.
“We’re losing them!” Sofia cried excitedly.
“Not yet,” I muttered, weaving through traffic, cutting across lanes, trying to shake them for good. I could see the driver in the SUV behind us, his face set with determination, refusing to give up.
I took a sharp right, barreling down a narrow side street, then another left, zigzagging through the back alleys, taking every shortcut I knew. The SUV struggled to keep up, its engine roaring, but I could feel it starting to lag, the distance between us growing with every turn.
“Come on,” I hissed under my breath, my hands gripping the wheel tight. “Come on…”
And then, just as I took another sharp turn, I heard it—the screech of tires, the sound of metal crunching against a brick wall. I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the SUV slam sideways into a dumpster, its engine sputtering to a halt.
“They crashed!” Sofia shouted, her face breaking into a grin. “We did it!”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, my heart still pounding in my chest.
“Yeah,” I muttered, a grin spreading across my face. “We did.”
I slowed the car down, turning onto a quieter street, the noise of the chase fading into the distance. I looked over at Sofia, her cheeks flushed with adrenaline, her eyes bright.
“You okay?” I asked, my voice softer now.
She nodded, but her face paled as she looked in the rearview mirror.
“Massimo,” she whispered, her voice edged with alarm. “Behind us… another car.”
I turned, catching sight of it in the mirror—a black sedan, moving fast, too fast, closing the distance between us. My gaze flicked to the driver’s seat and my heart stopped. Raffaele was leaning out the window, a twisted smile on his face, as the car came to a stop.
“Shit,” I muttered, gripping the wheel tighter. “Hold on!”
Raffaele’s men had played their cards, and now he was making his move. I saw him step out of the vehicle with a massive weapon aimed directly at us, his eyes wild with raw determination.
Fuck.
He was holding a rocket launcher.
The street was too narrow, too quiet—there was no way we’d get away in time if he pulled that trigger.
“Massimo, we need to move!” Sofia urged, panic creeping into her voice.
I slammed on the gas, the engine roaring as I tried to swerve out of the way. But I knew, in that split second, we wouldn’t make it.