Tiptoe Kisses

Chapter 38

Hi everyone,  I just want to say thank you to all of my readers for your support through this story.  It is coming up on it's last chapters.  I still haven't decided yet how many it will be.   I hope you all are continuing to enjoy the journey of Taylor and Santo.  When I first started writing about Taylor I knew she would be a strong woman but I surprised myself with writing about Santo.  The more I got into his character the more I wanted to reveal and build on his personality.  I wanted him to be a strong man but complex and flawed.  I hope I've achieved that.  I wanted Nathan to be hated and I see that mark was reached by the comments about him.

I have another story that I've started.  The first couple of chapters are posted.  I hope if you really like Tiptoe Kisses, you'll stick around and read  Destiny is Served. 

http://www.wattpad.com/story/17513354-destiny-is-served

I like to think I've gotten better as a writer and I'm learning more each week.  I hope I've gotten better at not putting comma's everywhere as I tend to do when I'm thinking and writing but enough rambling.  Chapter 38 is ahead.  Enjoy.

Chapter 38

Santo checks the time after he finishes his call with Kyle and he’s late.  He rushes through the hotel lobby to meet Alina in her suite when he recognizes a man getting off one of the elevators.  Ducking behind a decorative pillar he looks at the man’s hand for confirmation of who he thinks he is.  As expected the man’s knuckles are tattooed with the symbols he remembers seeing on them when he and his pinkie ringed partner robbed La Croix’s the night Taylor got stuck in the elevator.  As the man walks ahead of him Santo can see the back of his neck also has a tattoo which confirms it’s definitely the other thief.

While Santo is trying to decide whether to follow the man another elevator door opens and Alina steps off the elevator.  The man is walking ahead of her, he takes a seat in the lobby area as Alina walks past him without acknowledging his presence going to the front desk.  Santo is unable to leave his hiding spot.  The man is sitting out in an open area, he will see Santo if he comes any closer.  He can see that Alina is writing something on a card and she hands it back to the hotel representative.

The man stands up, he waits while Alina walks toward the hotel exit.  She looks behind her when she reaches the door and the man nods his head in her direction then starts walking.  They know each other Santo realizes as he walks out from his hiding spot to follow them.  Both have left the hotel and Santo rushes to catch up to see where they are going. 

When he gets out on the street he looks both ways.  Alina is walking ahead of the man by a couple of feet.  The man looks nervous, he keeps one hand in his jacket pocket as he follows behind her. Santo suspects his hand is on the holstered gun he remembers seeing him wear during the robbery and he quickens his pace now concerned.

Alina makes a sudden turn off the main street disappearing into an alleyway.  The man is looking around nervously, he must have missed where she went because now Santo also doesn’t see her.  He watches as the man wonders nervously into the alleyway.  Santo runs across the street to catch up with him.  Just as Santo makes it to the other side of the street shots ring out and Santo ducks near some steps along with several other people hearing the shots.  When the shooting ends, someone screams and Santo runs toward the screaming.