‘How do you think this is going to go, Sam?’ He shrugged. ‘Do you think we’ll just let you walk out of here and not hunt you down in the street? You know the deal. Wallace has already made the necessary calls to keep the heat off our backs tonight. So what’s the plan?’
‘Alex.’ Sam looked past Matt. ‘Let’s go.’
‘Look at me, you mother fucker,’ Matt barked, his New York accent taking over. ‘I don’t fail.’
Alex cautiously lifted herself from the chair, eyeing the rest of the team who snarled at her. Her hesitant steps quickened, and she marched past Matt, who smirked. Alex approached Sam, who uncomfortably shifted Luca’s deadweight once more. His back roared with pain under the pressure, but Sam set his bearded jaw. He gritted his teeth and maintained his aim.
‘Are you okay?’ Sam asked, not taking his eyes off the squadron of armed mercenaries before him.
‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ Alex spat some blood on the floor. ‘I’ve been hit harder by a lot smaller.’
‘Anytime,’ Matt offered.
‘Out front. Start the car.’
‘I don’t have the keys,’ Alex replied.
‘Improvise.’ Sam smiled, and Alex nodded, stepping out into the blusterous spring night and out of sight. Matt shook his head. A moment later, the sound of shattering glass drifted into the room and Matt sighed.
‘Look, Sam. I’m a reasonable man. Drop the gun and we’ll let her go.’ Matt took a step forward. ‘Sure, Wallace wanted us to put her in the ground but I’m willing to look the other way. Just lower that thing, come with us, and we’ll take you to Wallace. He just wants to talk.’
The sound of an engine roaring to life interrupted Matt. Sam smiled as Alex sounded the horn, hurrying him to make his escape. Sam dropped Luca, who flopped uselessly to the floor, his already shattered jaw crunching against the solid concrete with a sickening thud.
Sam clasped his other hand to the gun, steadying his aim and ensuring his shot.
‘Tell me, Matt. What’s the price on my head?’ Sam spoke with a calm that belied his circumstances.
‘Why? Are you going to offer to double it?’ Matt’s response was laced with venom.
‘No. I just wanted to know how much you were willing to die for.’
The colour fell from Matt’s face and Sam felt a smile flicker across his own. Despite all the bravado and a team backing him up, Matt was under no illusion of how dangerous Sam was.
And they both knew it.
As the rest of the Blackridge members slowly began to advance, Sam stepped backwards through the door, his gun trained directly at Matt’s forehead. Behind him, Alex sat behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, her hands clasped on the leather steering wheel. The rain splashed against the red bonnet, the droplets sliding down the sleek curves of the sportscar.
With one foot out of the workshop, Sam heard her unlock the passenger door and it swung open.
Sam dashed to the car.
As he jumped in and slammed the door shut, he could see the movement of Blackridge as they gave chase.
He turned to Alex, surprised by her expression.
Sheer focus.
As he saw Matt burst through the door, Sam tightened his grip on the handgun and said one word,
‘Drive.’
With an ear-piercing squeal, the wheels spun and in one fluid motion, Alex spun the car out of its tight parking space. As she neared the top of her turn, she slid the car into first and the car shot forward, straightening completely as she pulled her full force on the steering wheel.
Sam heard a shot fire.
A bullet shattered the rear window, but missed its target.
Through the broken glass and the roar of the engine, Sam could hear Matt barking directions and in the rear-view mirror, he could see them leaping into action.
As a few house lights flicked on, Sam could only imagine the fear of the local residents.
A gunshot is unmistakable.
Judging by Matt’s boastful notion that Wallace had called off the heat, Sam estimated they had five minutes before the Polizia di Stato would be flooding the streets, their blue cars converging on their location like a wave of justice.
Five minutes.
They didn’t have long.
As two motorbikes roared to life behind them, along with the headlights of the silver Mercedes A-Class, Alex took the corner at full speed, sliding through the gears and handling the car with precision. Despite the imminent threat behind them, Sam was impressed at her skills, understanding immediately how she garnered such a reputation.
One that had led her to being recruited for something other than street racing.
That had pulled her into his war and put her life at risk.
As their assailants rounded the corner, Alex pulled onto the clear main road, slamming her foot down and zipping through the empty street. As they shot past a taxi rank, the gentlemen working the night shift looked on in bemusement.
‘Where are we going?’ Alex asked, her eyes glued to the road.
Before Sam could respond, another gunshot echoed through the street, the bullet clipping the boot of the car. Alex startled, but kept the car steady as Sam flicked his eyes to the mirror.
The woman driving the motorbike had her arm outstretched, the handgun recklessly aimed in their direction. She was gaining on them.
And fast.
Behind her, the other motorcycle followed, along with the A-Class, with Matt sat angrily in the passenger seat.
They wouldn’t be able to outrun them all. Not in the middle of a gunfight in the centre of the city.
A few feet from the car, Sam could see the woman lining up another shot.
‘Brake now,’ Sam commanded and instinctively, like a young recruit obeying her commanding officer, Alex slammed her foot on the break. The wheels screeched across the wet tarmac and the car slowed instantly. The motorcycle slammed into the back of the car at full force, sending their pursuer hurtling over the top of them before clattering onto the bonnet and to the road in front. The momentum of the car took them forward, the
