Three

Isabella  

"What! Are you sure?" I inquire. 

"Yes, signora. There is a black Saab two cars behind us. It has been following us from Lorenzo De Luca's household," Diego responds. 

"It is still a probability. We are going to take a shortcut and see if they still follow us," Matteo says, his face fixed on the road. 

It is still a probability, which means we may not be followed. But it can't be a coincidence that I felt it at the party and now we might be followed. 

We drive into an alley. I try so hard to stay calm but it is not working. 

Through the alley, we make it to another road. 

"I think we have lost them," Matteo announces after some time. 

I also look behind and don't see the black Saab. I take in a deep breath. 

Matteo drives faster than before and I pray we reach home soon. 

When we branch off the main road, the black Saab is spotted again. 

Shit! Oh, shit! 

Diego makes a call to the other security personnel to report the situation. Hot Blood starts pounding in my ears, and I am afraid I may pass out. We are almost home. We are going to be alright. I keep assuring myself with this mantra to calm down so that I don't pass out. 

Matteo branches off to another alley and don't dare ask any questions because it won't be of any help to my apprehension. 

"I hope we lose them this time round," Matteo says. Diego keeps on the phone. He is talking to Uncle Lorenzo this time around. 

I keep regretting why I left early on my own, but regretting is not a reasonable thing to do at this time. 

The Saab follows us into the alley this time round. It's confirmed! 

Oh God! 

Matteo steps the wheel and the wheels screech, echoing loudly throughout the alley. I hold tightly onto my seat belt. At the same time, my phone rings. I try picking it up but my hands are shaking violently. 

When I pick it up from my purse, the Caller ID shows it's Mamma Rosa. We make a sharp corner into another dimly lit alley, making me lurch forward, the phone falling out of my hands onto the floor of the car. Before I can pick it up. I hear gunshots. 

No! No!!! 

Please no gunshots! I scream in my head and tears start flowing uncontrolled down my cheeks.

Memories of that night start flooding unfiltered into my mind. My father lying dead in a pool of his blood. 

Nooo!!! 

More gunshots. 

Diego pulls out two shotguns and shoots back through the window. 

This is a nightmare. The worst night nightmare. I cover my ears with my palms and pray for all this to end. 

All the windows of all the vehicles home are bulletproof, but that is not so comforting. 

Matteo drives at an even maddening speed, not giving a thought that we now entered traffic once again. The shooting stops for a moment. We drive in the traffic breaking all the speed limit rules of the city. The Saab is still on our tail. We branch into another Street alley and Diego answers a call. Another time security is coming to join us. The Saab is now following more closely but it is too dark to see who is inside. 

They want me. I am also sure of that. And they want me dead. I am the only one that is in the way of my papa's wealth. They are going to kill me. 

"They have shot our back wheels," Matteo announces. We can't go far with punctured back wheels. 

Diego shoots through the window but I am so worried for him because he is putting himself on the front line. 

My head starts spinning. I don't want to lose consciousness. I want to stay alert. 

Another vehicle closes in on us from the front. It is surely not our vehicle. One hand points out of the passenger window of that car with a gun.

Enemy! He shoots at Duego and he immediately puts his head back in the car. 

"We are surrounded!" Matteo announces on the phone.

I can't hold on any longer. 

Gunshots from in front and behind. Matteo lets go of the wheel gets two shotguns and begins shooting at the front. I feel so hopeless. 

Two goons come out of the front car and come toward us. Diego shoots off one and he falls dead. 

Three more come out of the car in front of us. Then the car drives closer to us, the aim clear that he wants to run into ours. 

We are overpowered. 

Where is the reinforcement we called for? 

Next thing I know there is a gun on Diego's head. How did that happen so fast? There is the blasting sound of a gun. I just close my screaming over my lungs. I don't even want to see Diego's remains spilt all over the car. 

There are numerous firing and screeching of car tyres. I open my eyes and see Diego's head still intact but the person who wanted to shoot him is not there anymore. Outside, there were two men dressed more casually than the goons that were attacking us. There is another car behind the Saab, a BMW. There is a man in a blue suit, shooting at the car in front of us. He has two more men behind him who have shot down the driver of their saab and the man who had put Dirgo at gunpoint. 

Is this man our saviour? 

"Don Dante?" Matteo says. 

The car in front of us smashes head-on into our car, breaking the windshield into pieces. We are now exposed. Guns point at each other and Gunshots follow from all directions. I bend behind the driver's seat to hide. But I can no longer hear anything in a few seconds. Have I been shot? I try to fight to stay alive but I feel numb. I can only see black.