Chapter 5 - The River Escape
The shockwave threw me forcefully across the small room.
I landed hard on my shoulder, but my arms remained locked securely around Mia.
Thick smoke and plaster dust filled the air, choking my lungs.
Alessandro crawled through the debris and grabbed my hand, pulling me back to my feet.
Blood was pouring down the side of his face from a deep gash near his temple.
He did not waste time checking his own injuries.
He dragged us through the gaping hole in the wall and out into the flooded alley.
Men were shouting from the front of the safe house, their flashlights cutting through the thick smoke.
We ran blindly toward the dark, churning waters of the East River.
My lungs burned with exertion, and my legs felt like lead.
Alessandro leaned heavily against a brick wall, clutching his right side.
I noticed a dark, spreading bloodstain on his expensive white shirt.
A piece of metal shrapnel from the explosion had deeply pierced his abdomen.
I used my instinct as a mother and a maid to take immediate action.
I ripped the clean fabric of my uniform apron and wrapped it tightly around his waist to apply pressure.
Our eyes met in the darkness, and the raw admiration I saw in his gaze made my heart skip a beat.
He whispered that I was the bravest woman he had ever met.
I told him to save his breath because we needed to keep moving.
We spotted a small motorized boat tied to a dilapidated wooden dock.
Alessandro quickly hotwired the engine while I huddled in the bottom of the boat to shield Mia from the freezing wind.
The engine sputtered to life, and we sped out into the dark, choppy waters of the river.
The city lights faded behind us as we headed toward the open bay.
I finally allowed myself to believe that we had escaped the nightmare.
I tried to soothe Mia, noticing that she had dropped her favorite pacifier during the chaotic sprint.
I looked down at the wooden floorboards to find it.
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The pacifier rolled slowly toward a pair of heavy combat boots standing at the back of the boat.
Marcus stepped out from the shadows of the small cabin, holding a wicked hunting knife.
