Mafia Kings: Valentino: Dark Mafia Romance Series #6

Cat returned in record time with her suitcase – and my bundled-up clothes.

After she handed them to me, I said, “You gotta go now, babe. Please, just find the nearest taxi and get the hell out of Ortigia.”

“When am I going to see you again?!” Cat asked frantically.

“Alessandra will tell you. Now GO.”

I kissed her passionately –

Maybe for the last time ever –

And pushed her gently away.

Cat looked back over her shoulder as she walked down the street.

I stared after her, feeling like my entire life was slipping away…

Until she went around a corner and was gone.

“You didn’t mention she was so pretty,” Isabella said quietly.

“Not something I wanted to discuss with my fiancée,” I snarled.

Isabella rolled her eyes and pointed at the hotel side entrance. “Go get dressed in there.”

I glanced at the suitcase with Paolo’s corpse inside. “And leave that out here with you?”

“Just go!” Isabella snapped as she shoved me towards the door.

Huh.

She could be tough when she was mad.

Inside the stairwell, I stripped off the newly bought clothes and put on my old ones. Then I came out and handed the new clothes to Isabella.

“Lu will take care of these,” she said. “Now go.”

“What about the distraction?”

“I’m handling that,” Isabella said. “Now GO!”

Ludavica took the clothes and walked quickly in the opposite direction.

I crossed the street towards the Mediterranean, pulling the suitcase behind me.

A group of tourists were heading right for me – an older group in their 60s.

I was sweating bullets –

Until Isabella screamed in Italian, “HELP ME! PLEASE, HELP ME!”

The tourists all stared across the street. I could hear them muttering in German.

“Was ist los?”

“Warum schreit sie?”

I glanced over my shoulder –

And saw Isabella step out under a street lamp with blood smeared all over her face.

JESUS.

I knew it was a ploy –

And yet she looked so fucked-up, I almost ran to help her myself.

The tourists gasped. One of the women screamed.

Then they dashed across the street to help.

Good job, Isabella.

I kept going –

Until I reached steps that led down to the sea.

The waves were crashing on the rocks below as I scanned the water.

PLEASE God, don’t let anybody be swimming right now.

You’d have to be a fucking idiot to be down there in the darkness –

But the world was full of fucking idiots.

And I was about to become the poster boy for them.

Luckily, no one was in the water.

I started down the metal stairs.

The suitcase clacked loudly as the wheels hit each step.

I prayed no one would hear it over Isabella’s screaming.

I reached the bottom and stepped out onto the nearest rocks.

They were slick and slimy with algae, and I struggled to keep my balance as water crashed over my shoes and pants.

I glanced up above me.

There wasn’t anybody along the walkway.

It was now or never.

I grunted and dragged the suitcase –

And stepped off into the water.

Cool water soaked my pants.

I didn’t go deep – only up to my thighs before my shoes hit the rocky bottom.

Isabella had been right about the suitcase: the air trapped inside caused it to be a little buoyant.

It didn’t float, exactly, but it was easier to pull through the water.

I trudged across the seafloor until I was neck-deep –

Then started swimming.

It was a fucking struggle.

The suitcase was heavy enough that it kept me underwater.

I would drag the bag out as far as I could until my lungs were burning –

Then kick to the surface for a quick gasp of air before heading back down.

I’d flail around in the darkness until I found the suitcase handle, then start all over again.

Every time I went up to breathe, I would check to see if anyone on the street was watching.

I didn’t see anyone, so I kept going.

My tenth time underwater, I reached the boulders that formed the breakwater around the swimming area.

I knew the water was deeper because it took longer to find the bag. Plus, my ears hurt from the pressure.

I couldn’t leave Isabella alone much longer, so I shoved the suitcase underneath the edge of the largest boulder.

It was a lot harder than it sounds since I did it all blind.

I opened my eyes at the end. They stung in the saltwater –

But there wasn’t much point. All I could see were a bunch of blurry shapes in the semi-darkness.

At least I could tell the black suitcase blended in with the base of the boulder.

I felt for the zipper, found it, yanked it to the side –

And finally I saw something:

A stream of bubbles, silver in the moonlight.

As they rose past my face, the suitcase settled heavily on the seafloor.

My lungs were screaming. I couldn’t stay under much longer.

I found a couple of small rocks and shoved them through the gap –

Then hastily zipped the bag up again.

I kicked off the bottom and swam to the surface, at least ten feet up –

And got slammed against the side of the boulder by a wave.

FUCK.

I was exhausted, but I swam as fast as I could back to the stairs.

Once there, I dragged myself up the steps, water cascading off my soaked clothes.

Just before I reached street level, I peeked over the retaining wall to see if anyone was watching.noveldrama

No one was.

Everybody was gathered around Isabella, who was still crying loudly across the street.

Good girl.

I climbed up on the guard wall and stepped over the iron railing.

There was no longer anything keeping me from falling into the Mediterranean.

Ludavica stood back from the group around Isabella, her eyes roving the street.

She was looking for me.

As soon as she did, she screamed, “NO!”

That was my cue.

Before any of the bystanders could see where Ludavica was looking, I jumped off the wall into nothingness.

I aimed for the water beyond the rocks directly below.

I easily cleared them –

But I was still jumping 20 feet into waist-high water.

I tried to break my fall by buckling my legs, but it didn’t help much.

My feet screamed in agony as they slammed into the rocks on the bottom.

My upper body kept going, toppling over –

And when my head hit the seafloor, everything went black.