Page 73 of The Don's Deadly Assassin

I was right. She’s here to harm Vincenzo. She’s an assassin. Giulia.

"Is there something you'd like to share with me?"

"Nothing that concerns you," she replies coolly, her eyes fixed on mine.

Taking a deep breath, I lunge forward and shove the guide with all my might, catching her off guard. She stumbles but quickly regains her balance, fury flashing in her eyes.

"Is that what you want?" I challenge her, my voice icy. "To see what I'm truly capable of?"

Her lips curl into a sinister smile as she takes a step toward me. "You have no idea who you're dealing with, Huntress."

So, she knows my name.

"Neither do you," I retort and spin in a quick circle before delivering a spinning hook kick to her head from the heel of my foot. The guide staggers back and falls to the ground, clutching her head and gasping for breath.

I take the opportunity to turn and run into a maze of small alleyways. My heart races as I dart through the narrow pathways, monstrous ruins of administrative buildings hovering over me.

I need her to follow me, to draw her away from Vincenzo. I think I’ve angered her enough to do that. I melt into the shadows and soon hear heels clicking against the ancient stones as she gives chase.

As I weave through crumbling archways and toppled columns, I can hear the anger in her footfall, her voice, and I know she’s here to kill. “I’ll find you, Huntress!” she hisses into the night.

I need her to follow my trail before Vincenzo finds her. I grab a small stone from the path and toss it against a marbled wall. It makes a brief, delicate sound before I turn another corner. I peek back to see her coming into the alley I just came through.

"Where are you leading me, Huntress?" Giulia calls out, her voice echoing off the ancient walls. "Do you really think you can outrun me?" Despite those heels, she’s fast.

I don't respond, just duck behind a massive stone pillar, pressing myself flat against its cool surface, my heart hammering in my ears.

"The Handler always said you were resourceful," Giulia taunts, her voice growing closer. "But I didn't expect you to be foolish enough to challenge me, ????."

Bitch. She called me Bitch, in Russian. Suddenly, I know who I’m dealing with. The Temptress.

She’s one of the most coveted Russian assassins. I’ve heard of her from the Handler. Her signature move? Slamming her stiletto into her victim’s throat.

I won't let her hurt him, I think fiercely to myself.

I weave through the tangled maze of ruins, using the monuments as cover. My feet are silent on the ancient stones. I can hear the click of the Temptress’s heels behind me, moving steadily closer.

She's trying to herd me into a corner. But this is my terrain now. At a fork, I feint left, then double back to the right. Her frustrated curse echoes through the empty forum as she loses my trail.

Giulia's voice suddenly rings out in the darkness, echoing off the cold stones.

"He will be back soon, you know."

I freeze, pressed against a pillar. She's trying to rattle me, throw me off my game. I force myself to breathe steadily, listening for any hint of Vincenzo's approach.

"What will you do when your lover finds you here, hands stained with blood?" Giulia taunts. Her accent curls around the words. "Will you kill him too?"

My heart pounds. I can't let her get in my head. But the thought of Vincenzo witnessing this sinister side of me fills me with dread.

No. Focus. I push away the distracting thoughts. This Giulia is the threat now. I’ll just dispose of her and tell Vincenzo she had a family emergency and left.

I slip from pillar to pillar, edging closer to the sound of her voice. In the distance, I spot a dark opening in the ruins, cordoned off by a construction barrier claiming “Do Not Enter.”

Perfect.

As Giulia's footsteps approach, I dart forward and whisk away the sign, then melt back into the shadows.

Giulia rounds the corner. I hold my breath, pressing myself flat against a column. She passes by my hiding spot, focused on the now unmarked and open passage before her. Her shiny heels click over the threshold into the darkness.

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