Chapter 4 - The Bait
The interior of the speeding car smelled strongly of stale smoke and cheap cologne.
The man holding the gun to her neck introduced himself as Carmine.
He explained proudly that he worked for the Marcano family, Vincent's oldest and most ruthless rival.
Carmine bragged that Vincent had recently stolen a highly profitable shipping route from their boss.
They were going to use Harper's life to force Vincent to trade the territory back.
Harper gritted her teeth and told him they had made a terrible miscalculation.
She insisted desperately that Vincent Rossi did not care about a random diner waitress at all.
Carmine laughed a cruel, grating laugh that filled the small cabin.
He said a monster like Vincent never tipped two thousand dollars for a medium-rare steak unless the waitress meant something to him.
The sedan suddenly swerved violently, throwing Harper hard against the passenger door.
Tires screeched loudly as a massive black SUV rammed them from the side with devastating force.
The sedan spun entirely out of control and crashed headfirst into a brick retaining wall.
Airbags deployed instantly with a deafening pop, filling the cabin with thick white smoke.
Harper choked on the powder, struggling to unbuckle her seatbelt.
Carmine groaned in pain and weakly tried to raise his weapon toward the window.
The crushed car door was suddenly ripped completely off its hinges with terrifying strength.
Vincent Rossi stood in the pouring rain, holding a massive tactical shotgun.
He reached inside, grabbed Carmine by the throat, and threw him onto the wet pavement like a ragdoll.
Vincent looked at Harper with absolute fury burning in his gray eyes.
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He demanded to know why she was stupid enough to run from him.
Before Harper could form an answer, a bright red laser dot appeared directly over Vincent's heart.
