Page 17

Silently, I get into the back seat of the car, and the driver pulls away from the curb.

I turn to face the stranger. “Who are you?” I ask in a strong tone that masks my fear.

My eyes adjust to the darkness in the car and I see a dangerous-looking man with cruel eyes and a permanent sneer.

“W-what do you want from me?” I stutter, trying to control my erratic heartbeat.

“Nothing serious. If you answer my questions correctly and give me what I want, then I’ll let you go,” he says, and I nod nervously.

“Where is your father’s last artwork?” he asks in a harsh tone. “The one that went missing after his death.”

I stare back in confusion. “I don’t know. It’s missing.”

He cocks the gun and jams it into my forehead. My heart races hard in fear. “Don’t fuck with me—where is the fuck is it!” he snaps, his eyes taking on a sinister glint.

I open my mouth, but words refuse to come. Fear is clogging my throat. Besides, I don’t know what to say. I have no idea where my father’s missing piece is.

“I’ll fucking blow your brains out if you don’t tell me where you’ve kept it. Did you give it to your boyfriend? Or did you trade it for letting you go?” he sneers, sliding the gun suggestively down to my cleavage as he trails his creepy eyes over my body.

Distaste coats my mouth as I shiver in fear. What have I done?

Suddenly, I’m drowning in regret about my accusations toward Roman before I left. I remember the hurt that he tried to mask. I can’t believe I accused him of knowing about my father’s death, even though I know deep down he had no hand in it. My anger was like a bitterness that I needed to expel, and he was there to receive it.

I should never have left. I should have stayed and resolved any misunderstanding.

I shouldn’t have walked out on Roman, and now I’m going to die without telling him how I feel about him.

Suddenly, the car jerks, racing forward. The gun slips from my face and fires beside me, missing me by a few inches. I gasp in shock and freeze, my heart now a drum, resounding in my head as fear becomes a familiar taste.

“What the fuck, Luca?” the stranger snaps at the driver. “I almost fucking killed her without getting the information we need.”

“Sorry, Silas,” the driver jeers. “We’re being followed. Maybe I should slow down for him to catch up?” he snaps sarcastically.

“You don’t have to be a fucking dick,” Silas mutters.

He turns around to look behind us, and I follow suit. A man is racing behind the taxi on a motorcycle at full speed. The rider has on a black helmet, but I know with every fiber of my being that it’s Roman.

I exhale softly in relief. Still, fear grips me at the thought of him being hurt. I know he can handle himself, but these people are erratic and one of them has a weapon.

“Hurry the fuck up, Luca—get us to a freeway so we can lose him,” Silas snaps, pushing his head into the space between the front seats.

“Don’t fucking tell me how to do my job! I don’t interfere in yours, or do I?” Luca retorts as he maneuvers the car.

“Shut the fuck up and drive.”

Roman suddenly revs the motorcycle to pull through traffic and come up next to the car. I gasp when he boldly jerks the motorcycle toward the car, causing Luca to almost lose control of the vehicle as he swerves to avoid a collision.

“Luca, don’t fucking stop the car, run him over!” Silas shouts.

“If we crash into him we’re dead, you moron,” Luca snaps back.

“Then do something. We can’t let him have her.”

The two bicker as Luca takes a sudden turn away from Roman. The car is fast, shooting downside streets and alleyways, but on his motorcycle, Roman is faster and can get through spaces where the car can’t fit.

Soon the motorcycle is gaining on us again, and the car has entered a narrow road with few ways to escape. I realize Roman might have been herding us here on purpose, as the car is forced to slow down.

I look around and contemplate opening the door and rolling out of the car since we’re driving at a slower speed. My injuries would be minimal, and there’s little chance of Roman getting injured. But as I move to open the door, pain bites into my scalp as Silas pulls at my hair. Tears well up in my eyes at the sharp ache.