Page 87 of The Prices We Pay
The elevator stops, and the doors open to the parking garage. The three of us share a look of pure terror before springing into action.
“I’ll drive,” Enzo says, and the three of us take off in a spring toward his G-Wagon.
“Dante, get the guns out of the trunk; I’ll call Seb.”
“Luca, it’s broad daylight. People can’t see us running around the city with guns,” Enzo reminds him, throwing open the driver’s door and climbing in.
I don’t stop to wait for his answer because I already know what it’s going to be. I open the back of the wagon and unlock the compartment inside thefloorboard. “I don’t give a single fuck, Enzo. I will not lose them both. Do you understand me?” Luca roars.
Enzo starts the car, and I climb into the back seat. I quickly load each of the weapons I grabbed and hand each of them their own. Enz puts his car in drive and says, “Good. Just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.”
44
Sebastian
Shocker to literally no one, Joe and I got stuck in traffic fifteen minutes into our drive to the penthouse. We’ve now been sitting in the same spot for ten minutes, and it doesn’t look like we’ll be moving anytime soon. Leave it to New York City for it to take forty minutes just to drive four blocks. Not that I mind, though, because here we are in my Mercedes, with my hand wrapped around Joe’s thigh as I listen to her sing along to whatever song comes on the radio.
However, her singing is abruptly cut off by the sound of a phone call coming through. Luca’s name flashes on the car’s screen, and I press thebutton to answer it on my steering wheel. “Hey, Baby. What’s—”
“Where are you?” he bites out.
Instantly sensing the tension in his voice, I remove my hand from Joe’s thigh and grip the steering wheel.
“Stuck in traffic on the corner of Seventh and 44th. Looks like construction.”
“You need to move. Now.”
My grip tightens, and I watch Josephine’s posture tense in the passenger seat. “What’s going on?”
“They sent me pictures of the two of you leaving the building. They’re watching you. You have to get home.”
“Luca, I’m still two blocks away. I’m boxed in. There’s no way I can drive.”
“We can’t get to you. Traffic is backed up all the way down Seventh. Enzo’s trying to get to you, but it will take too long. You have to get out, Seb. Leave the car and run home.”
“Sebastian.” Joe’s voice is laced with panic, but she doesn’t look at me. Instead, her stare stayslocked on the street ahead of us. My stare follows hers, and it takes me all of one second to see it.
“Fuck.”
“What is it?” Dante’s deep voice booms through the car.
Like something out of a fucking movie, a dozen men dressed in all black weave through the stopped cars filling the street. Masks cover each of their faces, and guns sit in each of their hands. I can hear screams of panic echoing down the street, but the men don’t stop at any of the other vehicles. No. They’re headed straight for us.
Straight for Joe.
“Seb!” Luca snaps.
“Twelve men. All black clothes. Walking down the street toward our car.”
“Sebastian,” tears stream down Joe’s face as she calls my name again.
It’s silent for a moment before Luca speaks. The pain in his voice is as clear as day. “You know what you have to do?”
Quickly, I pull out my phone and double-check to make sure the program is running on my phone.Once I see the four dots flashing on the screen, I reach in front of Joe and throw my phone in the glove box. “My phone is in the glove box.” I look out the windshield to find the men getting closer. “I have two minutes left. I have to go.”
“We will find you. Both of you.”
“I know you will, Baby. I love you.”
