Page 83 of Reclaiming Adelaide

“We’re being followed.”

I pressed on the gas, darting in and out of traffic until I exited off the freeway and turned right towards Luca’s home.

“What does that mean?”

It meant they were coming for us, and I didn’t know why. We were out in the open without a place to hide yet, and if they caught up with us, we were screwed.

“Just hold tight.”

I turned left and blew through a stoplight, then right and through another, the car still trailing behind me, until I pressed on the gas and slid around the corner. The white car blew past us, missing his turn as I rushed towards the driveway.

“Why are we at Luca’s?”

Vito stood next to the door as I stopped the car, and hopped out, getting Adelaide out by the arm. I don’t know what happened in the six days since we talked, but clearly, they weren’t the patient kind.

“What’s going on?” Vito said, holding his hand out to stop me.

I looked over my shoulder at the empty street. “Things have changed. I need to speak to Luca.”

The front door opened, and Charity walked out, with Max in tow, her boisterous laugh claiming the scene around us.

“Jake? What are you doing here? I thought you were leaving today?” Charity said, tossing her keys into the air and catching them.

“Change of plans. I need a safe place to put her until I get some things cleared up.”

“Not a problem.” Charity smirked. “I have a safe room in the basement.”

“That’s not a safe room, Charity…” Max said, narrowing his eyes.

“It’smysafe room.”

She turned on her heel and walked back inside, motioning for us to follow.

“That’s not the same thing. No one else is safe in that room butyou.”

Charity chuckled, and I finally understood.

“Jake, let’s just take a commercial flight home.”

“We have an actual safe room. Do you want her in there?” Max asked, placing his hand on his hips as Luca and Nico stepped out of the office.

“Can she get into trouble in there?”

“If she’s anything like Charity, yeah.”

I shook my head. Adelaide wasn’t anything like Charity, not even close. Adelaide was innocent, to a degree, but the sins of life tainted Charity.

Car doors slammed outside, and Adelaide flinched. An abrupt commotion, followed by a litany of gunfire, erupted outside.

Charity and Max stepped towards the door, guns drawn, when Vito slipped through the front door and slammed it behind him, engaging the lock.

“Get to safety,” he said, his hand holding his arm as blood oozed from between the creases of his fingers.

“What’s happened?” Luca marched towards him.

“Five cars, all armed men in tactical gear.”

The thick wooden door shuddered at his back as something hard and heavy collided with it.

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