☊ : paper soldier
brent faiyaz
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I DON'T WASTE ANY time; the second the door shuts softly behind me, I force the guilt down my throat and hurry down the hallway in the direction of the garage. I get to the foyer, quickening my step before I come to an immediate halt.
Ricky sits up, wide awake, watching me nonchalantly. Normally he would've been on the other end of the mansion, patrolling the east wing. Tension washes down my spine.
His glare doesn't shift from me.
"Is this about the knocking you unconscious thing?" I try joke, referring to when Aubrey and I went clubbing. He doesn't humour me, stalking me with his eyes.
"What's with the bag?" He queries, watching me watch as the suspicion builds inside him.
"I'm on my way to the gym." I lie smoothly.
Ricky looks doubtful as he glances at his wristwatch. "At 2 in the morning?" It's not a question, but rather a statement.
"I couldn't sleep," I shrug, "and you of all people should know that the grind never stops." To throw him off, I start walking in the direction of the gym, feeling his gaze as I round the corner but keep my calm.
Once I round the corner, with my heart thrumming, I listen closely for any following footsteps. Ricky didn't fully take the bait. I could still feel his suspicion from around the corner. He could be on his way to alert Alessandro right now.
The possibility spurs me on to get out as soon as possible.
I rush down the stairs that lead to the garage. My eyes immediately land on the motorcycles lined in rows nearest to the far end. My hands itch to touch them since I haven't in so long, but I know that that will raise too much curiosity from the guards.
Instead, I settle with the sleek matte black mustang at the far end. Alessandro has driven it multiple times on a casual basis, making it less suspicious if I were to drive it and possibly make him less angry if any damage were to come to it.
I waste no time sliding into the car, my hoodie already up. Usually, the alarm system would set off the second the garage doors opened, but I'd already disarmed them a couple of hours before.
My heart felt heavy in my chest. Blood runs thicker than water, right?
Pushing back my conscience, I silently start the car, making sure the lights aren't on as I wait for the garage doors to slide open. Once they have, I breeze past, leaving the mansion I've called 'home' for so long behind in the rear view mirror.
As I approach the gates, I watch the two guards perk up and their figures tense when they see me in the passenger seat.
"Saluti, Donna," one of them addresses me respectfully. He looked confused, glancing at the other guard. "What are you doing awake at this time?"
I flash him one of my irresistible smiles, the one I would catch Alessandro gazing at sometimes. "I'm just going on a drive, to clear my head. I've already let Alessandro know if that's what you're worried about."
They frown at each other. I pull out my phone and find our most recent messages. "Look."
Passing them my phone, the guard glances it over to read mine and Alessandro's messages. What he doesn't know is that I sent the messages on his phone to myself once Alessandro had fallen asleep. I knew that I didn't have long before Alessandro woke up and realised I was gone.
He always could sense when I wasn't lying next to him; I still couldn't figure out how, but it was almost like a sixth sense to him.
They speak to each other in Italian, assessing the messages where Alessandro gives me permission to go on this drive. It wasn't a solid reason, but all I needed was them to believe me enough to let me past the gates.
Finally, they nod to one another. "You wouldn't mind if we call Don Vitale, Donna? Not to insult you but we must make sure this has been authorised. Don Vitale does not usually allow you to travel with no protection, you see?"
"I'm not driving far, I promise. I know these roads well." I reassure him. He hesitates, glancing between the other guard. I exaggerate a sigh. "Fine, call him. But don't say I didn't warn you when he loses it that you're disturbing his sleep over something so small." I add, knowing it will cause them to worry.
Everyone in this Villa knew that Alessandro was not someone you could disturb when you felt like it. His wrath was a secret threat they all felt when in his presence.
The other guard, however, doesn't seem convinced. "With all due respect, Donna, I fear the Don more than I do you." He says, pulling out a walkie talkie which I'm guessing he plans to use to communicate with someone inside to make sure my story aligns.
Without second thought, I pull out the gun I brought in my bag and aim it at him. I won't use it unless necessary, but they don't need to know that. This time the guard freezes - not in fear, but shock.
"That was your first mistake." I reply with a sweet smile, lowering the gun to fire a bullet dangerously close to his crotch. Close enough for there to be a gaping hole and singed threads where the bullet narrowly missed his dick.
He cries out like I injured him, and I have to hold back from rolling roll my eyes. "Don't make me ask again." I say softly. He doesn't waste time in activating the gates to open.
I flash another warm smile at him, watching as the gates are thrust open. I know I don't have time to waste - the mustang surges forward, leaving behind a swarm of dust in its tracks.
The dock where I'm boarding the ferry isn't far from the villa - around an hour and a half - but it feels like days drive before I reach my destination. I have enough cash on me (which I'd kept in the duffel bag) from when I had been working as a solo agent.
The reality of what I've gotten myself into still hasn't hit me yet. I know I don't have much time since the guards had probably alerted everyone at the villa of what had happened. As I board the ferry, leaving behind the mustang that they could be tracking as I speak, my heart races at the thought of what I've done to Alessandro.
Betrayal was equal to death.
I'd known that rule since birth, specifically since it was associated with the Sicilian Mafia.
It would be a 6 hour ferry journey. I could feel my body shutting down as the ferry took off, but I knew I had to remain wide awake. As the wife of a Mob Boss, I couldn't afford the luxury of sleeping with no guards present.
Thankfully, I'd remembered to bring my shades, but eventually someone would recognise me. After all, our wedding had been on the news channels for weeks after.
When we pulled into the Stromboli dock, it was still dark out, meaning the sun hadn't risen yet.
I exited the ferry, immersed in the crowd. The paper I had written the map co-ordinates on was folded in my pocket, and I pulled it out to view it. I had already bought a map from a vending machine on the ferry. Finding my location on the map, it didn't take me long to locate where the co-ordinates pointed to.
About 9 miles from where I was, meaning my twin sister was only a 15 minute drive away.
Inhaling a deep breath, I use the map to find the nearest bus station and begin the walk there, mentally preparing myself for the journey ahead without looking back once.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN my wife is missing?" Alessandro's voice boomed in the meeting room he had gathered all his men in.
The security guards he'd placed by the gates glanced at each other. "Capo, we contacted you as fast as we could, but when she pulled a gun on us we knew we couldn't retaliate."
If looks could kill, Alessandro would've blown both their brains out around the room. "So? You guys can't handle a woman with a loaded gun? Then what am I paying you for? Vaffanculo!"
Running a hand down his face, Alessandro paced the room. In all honesty, if his men had put their hand on her, their heads would've been on stakes. But letting her leave just like that? Arya's life could be in danger.
"Has anyone else got a confession to make?" He scrutinised all his men closely. His gaze halted on Ricky. "You." It wasn't a question.
"She walked by me earlier around 2AM, Capo. She was carrying a duffel bag, but claimed she was going to the gym. From the looks of the size of the bag, it seemed like she wasn't packing for something long-term."
"Well there wouldn't be any long-term anything in the first place if you guys had done your job and reported back to me!" Alessandro slammed his fist down on the table.
"With all due respect, Capo," Marco began, watching as Alessandro's fists grew white from the pressure of him clenching them so hard. "The more time we spend here pointing fingers, the further away Mrs Vitale gets and the more in danger she is. May I suggest we begin tracking her location? It's only 4AM, so she can't be far now."
Alessandro pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew Marco was right. Times like these reminded him of why he was his Consigliere.
"What are you all doing standing here like bread? You heard Marco - find. My. Wife."
A/N: omds i love writing the whole cat-and-mouse trope but i can never make it last any longer than like two chapters LMFAO