King of Death

Twenty-Two

I finally managed to have some sleep after hours of vomiting and feeling uneasy. I felt the presence before feeling the hand on my mouth. It never came out. I thrashed, trying to free myself. I couldn't have attracted another man after I killed one. No, I had to escape this one.

"Stop fighting me, Giulia. It's Clara." I stopped breathing, my body tensing. Clara? What the hell was she doing here? "We don't have time for questions. We have to leave. I'm going to remove my hands slowly. Neither am I here to hurt you."

"Then why are you here?" My voice croaked. "Did he send you?"

"Send me? I know you're running from him, and I can tell you in the next—" She stopped, looking at the clock on the wall. The room was dark, and the hairs on my neck stood when she answered. "Thirty minutes or so, he will barge into here and drag you with him."

"How do you know all that?" I frowned, sitting against the headboard. "I'm not coming with you."

"I'm helping you leave Mexico, Giulia. You have no idea what you caused when you stepped foot in this country." Did she know I killed someone? Were the cops looking for me?

"Why should I trust you? How did you even know where I was?"

"I'm running, too." Her voice tensed as she sighed. "Please, they will drag us out of here, and I can tell you it won't be pretty for me."

"Are we talking about Adrik or someone else?"

"Giulia?" Clara groaned. "You're wasting time with those questions. I promise to answer all of them when we get in the air."

She sounded so desperate, and I decided to trust her. Clara has been friendly to me since Chicago and Russia, and if it meant getting away from a crime, I would gladly follow her. "Answer one question for me whilst I dress." I flew out of bed and turned the light on.

"Shit. He could have someone outside watching you." She peeked from the side of the curtain.

"Well, I can't dress in the dark," I state matter-of-factly. "I could be making something to eat or using the bathroom?"

"Making something to eat at midnight?" She turned to face me and staggered. "Shit. Fuck, fuck, fuck." Her eyes zeroed in on my swollen stomach. "This just got ten times worse."

"You're the one who barged in here demanding I follow you." I pulled a sweater over my head. "Wait. How did you even get here?"

She walked to the lamp and turned the lights off. "How far are you?"

"I asked a question first." I put my shoes on and grabbed my suitcase. "Fifteen weeks." Talk about cryptic pregnancy.

"You look bi—Fuck!" Clara hissed aggressively. "Twins?"

"How did you get in my room?" I groaned.

"This motel is shitty. Of course, the locks are easy to break into." She paced the room, and I cocked a brow.

"You look uneasy for someone trying to help me escape."

"I said we were escaping."

"Let me guess—Marco." She sucked in a sharp breath.

"Let's go." It was all the confirmation I needed.

"I wonder what you did to have him searching for you." I mocked.

"It's personal."

"You'd better not hurt me, Clara, or I'll kill you." I was serious about this, and she knew it.

"I don't want to hurt you or stress you. You're pregnant with the devil's children, and I won't be responsible for any complications." The devil? Is that what they call him now?