Page 52 of Poison and Wine

“Whatever,” she grumbled.

I turned in my seat and leaned against the door. After rolling down the window, I leaned out. I sent a hail of gunfire into the bottom of the SUV. While it appeared the outside was bulletproof, the tires weren’t. At the pop of the rubber, I shouted, “Got one!”

“Good. That will buy us some time,” Quinn replied, his head buried in our weapons bag.

“This shortcut better do the trick,” I replied, as I gave Caterina a pointed look.

“I’m sure it will,” she countered. Although she sounded convinced, I couldn’t help noticing how she wrung her hands in her lap and chewed at her bottom lip.

Since we’d been tearing down the tree-lined main road without any further instructions from Nera, I was growing wary. The two-lane country road with rolling grass and emerald fields to the sides reminded me of the ones back home outside of Belfast. It sure as hell didn’t look like we were anywhere near civilization, least of all the airport.

Leaning forward in my seat, I started bringing my gun up from my lap. Just as I was about to point it at Nera’s head, she waved her hand at the windshield and began furiously speaking to Caterina.

“Stop!” Caterina shouted.

“What the fuck is the problem?”

While Nera motioned out the window, Caterina replied, “She says to turn here.”

“Here?” Fionn and I questioned in disbelief.

“Yes.”

“There’s not even a fucking road here!” I protested, as I stared at the waist high grass to the right of us. Although it hadn’t rained since the first day we arrived, I had no idea if there was a muddy bog we might get stuck in or God knows what else we might encounter.

At Nera’s continued talking, Caterina replied, “She swears it reconnects with a road down the path.”

Fionn cocked his brows at me. “We doing this, boss?”

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath. I sure as hell didn’t like this. With a final glance at Nera’s imploring face, I ordered, “Take the path.”

After whipping the steering wheel around, Fionn lurched the SUV off the road and into the grass.

The SUV rocked and rolled over the uneven terrain. As Caterina tried repositioning herself on the floor, we lunged over a bump, which sent her body careening between my open legs. Her face landed right in my crotch.

Smirking down at her, I replied, “Now’s not the time, Kitten.”

She jerked away from me. “Bastard,” she hissed.

“Such language from a former novice,” I tsked.

She scowled at me, causing me to chuckle. Before she could go off on me again, Nera started speaking. Caterina rose up and leaned closer to Nera. Nodding her head, she said to Fionn, “Take a left past that apple tree. The road we need to take should come into view.”

Since it hadn’t been me who gave him the order, Fionn glanced at me in the rear-view mirror. “Do what the lass says,” I instructed.

Caterina scowled at Fionn before shooting me a look over her shoulder. “Does this mean your men will never listen to me?”

“Aye, it does.”

“That’s…bullshit!”

The amusement drained out of me. With the stress of the moment bearing down on me and one of my men hanging on to every word, I grabbed her by the arm and yanked her to me. “You need to remember who you’re talking to, Kitten. You also need to remember the world you grew up in for eighteen years. Just like with your father, my men answer only to me. Just as you do. The sooner you get that through your thick skull, the easier it will be for all of us.”

From her venomous expression, it appeared Caterina wanted to tear into me, but she bit her tongue. My attention was torn from Caterina at Nera’s screech of, “Vedere!”

Although it hadn’t been me who gave him the order, he obliged. Just like Nera had said, I saw the road. Even though I knew it would take some time to fix the tire, it didn’t stop me from constantly glancing over my shoulder to make sure Alessio wasn’t on our tail.

Once we were on the main road, Caterina translated for Nera that we were just a few minutes from the airfield. “Tell her once again how grateful we are and how we will show our gratitude,” I said to Caterina.

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