Page 72 of The Mafia's Surprise Gift

Could I really have this?

Could I have it and stay safe?

Suddenly, a sharp screech of tires filled the air, and a silver car previously parked across the street roared into life and took off down the road. Jian immediately dropped his bags and threw himself into his car.

“Rocco?” I asked as my heart leaped into my throat. Within seconds, Jian raced off after the stranger and their squealing tires could still be heard even as they raced away.

“Get him inside,” Rocco demanded suddenly, shoving Zack into my arms.

“Rocco, what’s going on?”

“Inside!” Rocco barked. “And lock the door!”

30

JIAN

The silver car drove without the practiced knowledge of how to navigate the narrow winding streets leading to town. For the first few minutes, I was able to follow them pretty closely until they took a veering turn through someone’s garden and hopped the middle segment of the road.

With them on the opposite side, driving recklessly the wrong way down the road, I maintained my distance on the right side. Putting myself in harm’s way wasn’t going to help anyone in this situation, but my suspicion was high.

Who the fuck was parking outside Mae’s house? I had a few ideas bouncing around my head, but none of them grew into much until I finally glimpsed the license plate. Storing it in my thoughts, I focused on not losing the vehicle. Whoever was at the wheel drove like a maniac, swerving around honking cars and screaming brakes. They clearly cared more about their escape than anything else.

“Fuck!” Suddenly, they took a sharp turn to the left, vanishing from sight. Much to the alarm of the cars behind me, I slammed on the brakes and wrenched the wheel around to drive over the grassy verge and through oncoming traffic. It was by some stroke of luck that I didn’t cause an accident. By the time I raced down the street where I last saw the car, the exit split into three separate directions, and the car was nowhere in sight.

“Fuck.” I slammed one hand on the steering wheel and slowed to a stop. Whoever the fuck they were, the next time I saw them, they definitely weren’t getting away.

“Any luck?” Rocco hurried down the path to me as I climbed out of the car. His face darkened as I shook my head, but before I could say anything, Mae trailed after Rocco.

“Jian! Are you alright?” She pushed past Rocco and grabbed at my arm, scanning me with her eyes. “What happened?”

A slight nod from Rocco was my permission to tell her the truth.

“I chased them a good few miles, but I lost them at the intersection. Crazy fuckers were driving in the wrong lane and gave me the slip a mile or so from town. I lost them. Sorry, Boss.”

Rocco’s face darkened further and a vein swelled slightly at his throat. I knew of the anger he was struggling to keep a lock on, and if Mae wasn’t here, he probably would have exploded into a furious rant about the audacity of those fuckers.

“I’m glad you’re alright,” Rocco replied finally, clasping my shoulder.

“I got their license plate and I called Dino on the way back. He’s already looking into it. Whoever that was, we’ll know by tomorrow for sure.”

“Is this a thing?” Mae asked, her voice soft despite the scowl of her brow. “Should I be worried about this? Someone parked outside my house, running away the second they saw you?”

Rocco turned to Mae and cupped her face. “I won’t lie to you. It’s strange, but I can’t answer that. Not until I know more.”

“I…” Her eyelashes fluttered, and Mae’s shoulders slumped as she glanced back at her mother’s house. “This had better not be something, Rocco. You hear me? You have to promise me that this is nothing. Just some weird coincidence or some Uber driver late for pick up.”

Rocco’s brow twitched. “I can’t promise you that, Mae. I’m sorry.”

Her face fell, and Rocco pulled her into a swift, tight hug that ended with a chaste kiss. After ensuring Mae would have round-the-clock protection, we said our goodbyes and slipped back into the car.

“The fuck is this?” Rocco muttered the moment we drove away from Mae’s place. “Who have I pissed off now?”

“No clue. I didn’t get a good look at anyone in the car, but maybe Mae was right. Maybe it really is nothing?”

“Always looking for the positives,” Rocco remarked dryly, glancing at me. “No one can outrun you. Not even a scared civilian.”

“True. Honestly, given how they used civilian cars to protect themselves and force me to choose between taking a risk or maintaining distance, they’re definitely professionals.”

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