His hold on me was possessive, and I clung to his side with each step we took, still not feeling at one hundred percent. Somehow as soon as Antonio left, Ralph was next to me, his face pale and eyes panicked as he looked at me on my knees struggling to breathe.
He knew Antonio was here. And he did not expect it just like me. He quickly gathered my shattering self in his arms, licking me up bridal style as people around us gossiped. I couldn't care at that moment, all my thoughts were jumbled and so was my heart.
I didn't know what Antonio was doing here, or why was he even here, but one thing was sure, something violent was going to happen, so damaging that made my soul shiver with fear.
His words rang in my ears loudly. He'd hurt Ralph. He would hurt his son.
And that's when I realized, Ralph's childhood was not as pleasant as I imagined. There was something that made Antonio hate him, and by the way, Ralph was cursing, I knew he hated him too.
My head was so dizzy that I didn't even realize when we exited the venue, and when I was seated in the car, and this time, Ralph was in the backseat with me. His hold was relentless yet protective.
"Look at me, little mouse, tell me did he hurt you? Touch you?" His voice filled with concern. I never saw him this agitated and bothered. Taking both my cheeks in his palms, he looked into my eyes. "Tell me you're okay. Tell me you're fine."
I nodded. "I...I am fine." Ralph didn't look convinced. His eyes moved to my trembling hands and he took them between his warm palms rubbing them. Suddenly I was cold. Chills running down my spine.
His phone started to ring as soon as the driver started the car. He looked down at the screen of the sleek device and muttered a string of curses. "What's wrong?" I asked, panic filling my belly.
"We are being followed." I turned my head with the speed of light looking through the window as two black SUVs followed us. My eyes went wide, and dread clung to my insides. A scream lodged in my throat and the need to run overwhelmed me, but I couldn't.
Where would we run to on this narrow road? Ralph looked strangely calm as he looked at the front. "Destra e poi voltage a sinistra." He said something to the driver in Italian as the driver took a sharp right turn moving into a narrower alley and then after two hundred meters, he took a left turn before the tires of the car screeched as he pressed the brakes.
What was he doing?! "Ralph!"
"Shh...calm down, baby. Calm down, I won't let anything happen to you, okay?" I swallowed hard as tears stung my eyes. Opening the door, Ralph quickly pulled me out with him, his hold on my wrist was tight as he sprinted to the end of the alley before I heard two other cars screeching a few meters away. My eyes went wide so my breathing shallowed.
He pulled me with him down behind the trash can as the men shouted in the distance.
"Find that fucker!" I heard one of them yell as Ralph pulled me to his chest, his heart pounding loudly against my ear.
"Okay, listen to me carefully, I need you to run to the car and not look back, no matter what happens, got it?!" My head was spinning, and bile rose into my throat. My stomach churned and I pressed a hand to it to get the damn thing to relax. The last thing I needed was to be vomiting.
As he shook me once more, I nodded.
"In three..." he pulled out a gun from his waistband, his hold on me loosening.
I held my breath. Ralph had one gun, which meant six bullets, even if he managed to shoot six of them, what about the other five? He possibly couldn't take five men down by himself, even if he somehow did, what were the odds he was going to dodge thirsty bullets?
The thought of him getting hurt scared me. I might be scared of them, but I'd come to care for them, and they must care for me in some way. My heart hammered inside my chest so hard it felt like it was trying to break free from my body. Sweat ran down my back and forehead and the clothes I wore were too tight suddenly.
The chaos of the moment enveloped us, a maelstrom of violence and desperation. I clung to Ralph, my heart pounding like a jackhammer, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My voice was barely a whisper as I confessed my fear, the admission heavy with the weight of the situation.
"I'm scared," I finally admitted, looking up at Ralph. His eyes bore into mine, and he gave me an indecipherable look. I had expected a harsh response, a cold rebuke, something like, 'You should be scared.' But instead, he said nothing at all, and the silence was almost worse. It hung in the air like a heavy, suffocating blanket.
Ralph pulled me into his side, his embrace firm and warm. The warmth of his body pressed against mine was a lifeline amid my boiling panic. The simmering fear threatening to consume me began to decrease, replaced by a sense of security.
"Do you trust me?" Ralph's asked the same question that Alexei posed the night before, but this time, I nodded without hesitation. He swallowed hard, his eyes holding a depth of emotion that was as clear as day. "Then do as I say. I promise I won't let them touch you."
As an SUV pulled up at the far end of the alley, Ralph nudged me toward the car with a rough push. Panic welled up within me, and I stammered, "You... You can't..."
"I'll follow you, I promise. Now run!" This time, Ralph pushed me harder, and I stumbled toward the SUV, dread gnawing at my insides. The sound of gunfire erupted in the alley as I hastily opened the door of the car, my sweat-slicked hands fumbling in my haste.
I counted six shots, each echoing like a thunderclap in my ears. My breathing was ragged, and my heart pounded as I tried to comprehend the violence that surrounded us. The driver pulled out two handguns from beneath the seat, tossing one in my direction with a nod.
"Use this, Signora!" The driver's voice was strained, his eyes resolute. I watched in trepidation as Ralph took swift, deadly aim, shooting down six men with a chilling precision leaving me both impressed and terrified at the same time.
"RALPH!" I shouted, my voice filled with desperation as I watched him being tackled by one of the men. I instinctively attempted to jump out of the car, but my feet were abruptly thwarted as the driver shielded me with his own body, his shots fired at the men in front.
His aim was less accurate than Ralph's. Instead of hitting the men, the bullet punctured a nearby pipeline, sending water splashing into the air. "Fuck!" The driver muttered, frustration evident in his voice.
In chaos, Ralph flipped off the burly man on top of him, landing punches not even giving him a chance to breathe. By the time he looked done, the man was unconscious. Then, four others, hidden behind trash cans, aimed their guns at the SUV and the driver.
My heart pounded loudly in my chest, and a sense of helplessness washed over me. "Hold the door open, Signora!" The driver's urgent words snapped me back to reality, and I quickly yielded, holding the door open with trembling hands.
Ralph, with the unconscious man's gun in hand, quickly shot the four black-masked men hidden behind the trash cans. In a matter of minutes, they lay there dead, their lifeless bodies filled me with ease.
Ralph sprinted toward the SUV, his face marred and bloodstains on his beige suit, and the scar on his cheek made him look terrifyingly fierce. His knuckles were bruised, but there wasn't a scratch on him. He swiftly settled into the back seat, his tone unyielding. "Drive!"
The driver, his eyes darting to the rearview mirror, grimly grumbled, "We're being followed again." With a sense of hurry, he swerved the SUV into another lane, the engine revving as he accelerated. "Buckle up, Signore."
The car's movements were unsteady, sending my body jerking and jolting with each turn. I held my breath, fearing that at any moment, the vehicle might roll over. The driver drove as if our lives depended on his driving—which unfortunately did. Ralph reloaded the gun and grabbed the one from underneath the seat. His breaths were calm and collected.
"Turn here!" Ralph's command cut through the chaos, and the driver executed a sharp turn, narrowly avoiding disaster. I clung to my seatbelt, feeling my body shift with the abrupt maneuver. We navigated the corner with trepidation, onlookers jumping out of the way.
The stores and signs became a blur as we sped down the road, our speed likely doubling the speed limit. My body tensed as I watched the world rush by in a blur of colors and shapes. The sense of impending danger never faded, and I couldn't help but worry about what awaited us.
I was so sure they were Antonio's men. And his threat still rang in my ears. He thought I was responsible for Stefan's death and now he wanted revenge by killing his son.
"HOLD ON!" the driver warned, and as the words left his mouth, he pulled into a side alley. The car scraped against the brick exterior, the sound of metal against brick jarring my senses. I looked back over my shoulder, but the pursuing vehicle was no longer in sight. Relief washed over me. Perhaps we had managed to elude them.
Thank God! THANK GOD! I promise I'll pray—
I turned my attention back to the front just in time to catch something out of the corner of my eye. A scream caught in my throat, but it never had a chance to escape. Another car, seemingly out of nowhere, slammed into the side of our SUV.
The deafening sound of metal crunching filled the air, and I felt my head banging against the window as our entire vehicle was jerked around like a ragdoll. The world outside had become a chaotic whirlwind of motion, and my body was tossed around like a plaything.
The car rolled three times as everything moved in slow motion around me. I could see Ralph's panicked face as his hand reached out to me.
For a brief, surreal moment, everything seemed to hang in suspended air. The pungent smell of burning tires and gasoline assaulted my senses, the acrid odor tickling my nostrils. A throbbing pain took root behind my eyes, and I groaned as I struggled to regain my senses.
My whole body felt like it was being pierced with a thousand needles at the same time and someone just poured salt water on my wounds.
"Run, Signore! I'll cover you!" The driver's voice broke through the disorientation, and I felt Ralph unbuckling my seatbelt, his movements swift and determined. He dragged me out of the car, pushing us both behind a large brick wall, seeking refuge from the hail of bullets that filled the air.
My gaze turned frantic when I saw blood oozing through his arm, a large shard of glass embedded in his skin. "Ralph!" I panicked momentarily but he just dragged me further, not even caring if his arm was bleeding.
Gunshots echoed around us, the deafening sound reverberating off the walls of the narrow alley. I twisted my body to catch a glimpse of Ralph, who pulled us behind the brick wall, pulled two handguns, and pointed them at the men. I glanced over his shoulder to see a dozen of them. His eyes were alight with a feral ferocity, his breathing calm as he pulled the trigger.
I held onto his torn shirt like a child. Scared and confused, I just couldn't do anything but weep.
******
My man! I just want to hug him.
YOU ARE READING
Their Wife
Romance"Shh...it's useless to cry over something that you have no control over. Give in before I bring your dear sister's cadaver as wedding gift." His words made her stiffen making her let out another wrecked sob. Ralph let out a amused chuckle at her dis...
