Page 59
Docking in Naples at nighttime is supposed to give us an extra layer of cover considering who is after us, but the team that greets us on the dock is unlike anything I've seen before. The men I met with Valentina in the hospital were armed, but the ones waiting for us at the docks are even more intimidating.
Their armor is thicker and heavier, weighing down their movements as they walk forward to help unload Illyana, who, thankfully, remains asleep as she's wheeled from the yacht and into a waiting ambulance. I stare wide-eyed at the assault rifles held close to their chests and the line of dark cars waiting alongside the ambulance.
"Don't worry," Cassian says, walking with his hand in mine. "This is all to keep you and Illyana safe."
"It's a lot," I murmur back. "Won't all of this stand out like some kind of beacon to Mario?"
"It might." Cassian nods and he opens the car door for me. "If he's smart, it'll scare him away from approaching us, which only works in our favor. Valentina will travel with Illyana in the ambulance. She'll keep her safe."
"You promise?"
The corner of his eyes crinkles slightly as he smiles. "I promise. Valentina is the best of the best."
Despite trusting him, my heart lurches as the ambulance starts up and pulls out into the dark street with only a single car following it. They vanish into the night before Cassian's even in the car, but once he sits next to me, he pulls out his phone and scrolls to a GPS app that shows the ambulance rapidly weaving through the city.
"This is all kind of insane," I say as we finally start driving. "The fact that you can do all of this and there's no one to stop you."
"People could stop us," Cassian admits, his hand still in mine. "But there are some perks to being a criminal."
"What about the people here? In Italy? Do they follow the same rules as your Suit in New York?"
"Not exactly." Cassian leans across the seat and kisses my cheek. "You don't need to worry about it."
"If I don't, then all I'll do is think about Illyana, and that's scarier."
"Fair. Okay, think about it like this. The Italian government will be very happy when we get on that jet and leave their country behind."
"Oh. Okay." Makes sense. As we drive through the gorgeous city of Naples, I can't bring myself to enjoy the sights that flash past the window. My dream is back on the yacht and here, reality is much colder. Every dark alley we pass holds a threat we can't see, and every time the ambulance pauses on the GPS, my heart lurches that something might have happened.
Cassian's hand remains in mine for the majority of the drive, and I keep my attention on the GPS until I notice that our own blue dot has driven in a circle.
Twice.
"Cassian?" I lift my head.
Cassian's gaze is locked on the rearview mirror, and his other hand holds a black handgun that I didn't even see or hear him pull from somewhere. Our driver also seems to be focused on the rearview mirror, and the guard next to him has detached his assault rifle from his chest.
"Cassian, what's going on?"
"We have a tail," he says quietly. "It's nothing to worry about." I'm halfway through turning in my seat before he jerks me back around. "Don't look."
"Don't look?" I snap as pressure wells in my chest. "It's either nothing to worry about or I shouldn't look because we should worry. Cassian, what's going on?"
"Do you trust me?" Cassian pulls his hand from mine and adjusts his weapon.
"Yes, of course I do."
"Then don't worry."
"But you just—”
The rest of my words are stolen right out of me as our driver suddenly slams on the brakes and wrenches the car to one side. As we enter a spin, the tailing car racing behind us tries to slam on its brakes, but it isn't fast enough. In a squeal of metal against metal and tires against tarmac, the front of our car clips the corner of the front of their car and immediately sends them into a spin. As we continue around on a three-sixty spin, the guard next to the driver leans out of the window and takes aim with his rifle. Three shots follow as cracks of thunder, and the tires explode on the spinning car, sending it crashing up into the air.
I gasp, my heart in my throat as the vehicle crashes down onto the ground and then rolls over itself multiple times. We spin to a stop, and Cassian's already out of the car with the guard, stalking toward the crash like a harbinger of death. I stare after him, open-mouthed, and watch as he and the guard drag two men from the crumpled vehicle. Whatever words they spit out are silenced as Cassian shoots them both in the head, then he turns and walks back to our car.
I can't take my eyes off him as he slides back into the back seat with me, closes the door, and holsters his gun. Our driver immediately puts us back on course and we resume driving.
"Wow," I croak, struggling to fully process everything that happened. It was so fast and smooth, it's hard to believe it wasn't rehearsed. "That was…"
