Chapter 3 - Blood on the Leather
The suppressed pistol coughed quietly in the confined space of the SUV.
Marco gasped as a bullet tore through his shoulder, throwing him backward against the leather seat.
Evelyn screamed and scrambled away from the blood spraying across the cabin.
The driver raised his weapon again to finish the job.
Marco kicked violently upward, striking the driver's wrist and sending the next shot shattering through the windshield.
Despite his bleeding shoulder, Marco lunged forward and wrapped his massive hands around the traitor's neck.
The two men struggled over the center console as the engine idled loudly.
Evelyn pressed herself against the door, completely paralyzed by panic.
Marco roared in pain but managed to twist the driver's arm until a sickening snap echoed through the car.
The weapon dropped onto the floor mat.
Marco did not hesitate.
He pulled his own gun and fired once into the driver's chest.
The man slumped forward against the steering wheel, his weight leaning heavily on the horn.
The blaring sound tore through the quiet Irish countryside like an alarm.
Marco slumped back into his seat, clutching his bleeding shoulder.
He looked at Evelyn, his face pale and covered in sweat.
He told her she needed to drive.
Evelyn shook her head, insisting she did not know how to handle a massive armored vehicle.
Marco pointed to the glowing headlights approaching rapidly in their rearview mirror.
He reminded her that if those men caught them, they would both be dead in minutes.
Evelyn crawled over the center console, pushing the dead driver into the passenger seat.
Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely grip the steering wheel.
She slammed the gearshift into drive and pressed the accelerator to the floor.
The heavy SUV roared to life and tore down the narrow road just as the pursuing car rounded the corner.
Marco leaned his head back against the seat, his breathing becoming shallow.
He gave Evelyn directions to an abandoned estate ten miles away.
Evelyn focused entirely on the treacherous, winding road, pushing the vehicle to its absolute limit.
She asked Marco why his own men were trying to kill him.
Marco managed a grim laugh and said loyalty in his world only lasted as long as the money did.
He explained that Antonio was not just a mafia boss.
Antonio was the gatekeeper to a multi-billion dollar shipping empire.
Whoever controlled Antonio's empire controlled the most lucrative smuggling routes in Europe.
Evelyn finally saw the rusted iron gates of the estate Marco had described.
She smashed the SUV through the chained gates, sending sparks flying into the night air.
She hid the vehicle behind a massive stone wall and cut the engine.
The pursuing car sped past the estate seconds later, completely missing their hiding spot.
Evelyn finally let out a breath she felt like she had been holding for an hour.
She turned to check on Marco, but he had passed out from blood loss.
In the terrifying silence of the dark car, Evelyn's cell phone suddenly began to vibrate in her pocket.
She pulled it out and saw an unknown international number flashing on the screen.
She answered it with trembling hands.
May you like
A man with a thick Italian accent spoke softly through the speaker.
He told Evelyn to look inside the dead driver's pockets if she wanted to know what would happen to her younger sister.
