Chapter 2 - The Crossfire
Blood spattered against the dirty snow. It was not Vincent’s blood. The man holding my arm collapsed silently to the ground. He took the bullet meant for his boss. Chaos erupted instantly in the parking lot. "Gunman on the roof!" someone yelled loudly. Vincent did not hesitate for a microsecond. He threw Noah into the armored SUV and spun toward me. He grabbed my coat collar and shoved me violently into the backseat right beside his son. I hit the leather seats hard, gasping for air. Vincent dove in right behind us. "Drive!" Vincent roared. The massive engine roared to life. Tires squealed against the icy asphalt as the vehicle lurched forward. A barrage of bullets rained down on the roof of the SUV. The deafening pings of metal striking armored glass made me scream. Noah clamped his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut. I instinctively pulled the shivering boy into my arms and covered his body with mine. Vincent watched me do this. His intense gaze burned into my skull even in the terrifying darkness of the escaping vehicle. The SUV swerved violently to avoid a civilian car. My head slammed against the door handle. Pain flared through my skull, but I kept my grip on Noah. The driver, a heavily tattooed man bleeding from a shattered window, cursed loudly. "We have a tail, Boss," the driver shouted. I peeked over the dashboard. Two unmarked black sedans were relentlessly pursuing us through the red lights of the city. Vincent pulled a heavy black handgun from his shoulder holster. He calmly checked the magazine. "Call the estate and tell them to lock down the perimeter," Vincent ordered smoothly. The driver grabbed a radio mic, speaking rapidly in Italian. Suddenly, the radio crackled back. A distorted, unrecognizable voice laughed over the speaker. "The estate is already ours, Vincent," the chilling voice echoed through the cabin. Vincent’s face drained of all color. He looked down at his phone and saw his security feed had been entirely wiped out. The only person who had the access codes to bypass that system was his most trusted right-hand man. Vincent realized he had just been betrayed by his own brother.
