Page 11 of King of Obsession

Chapter 3

ALESSIO

‘Are you sure you don’t want backup?’ Mauri murmured to me, exchanging glances with my brother.

The three of us stood under the shadowed arch of Lorenzo’s expansive front door, surrounded by an inky night and the silver fall of moonlight.

I caught the concern in our consigliere’s eyes.

My seldom-seen weakness was always at the top of the pair’s minds.

I’d stopped seeing it as pity but as a sign of their heartfelt care.

I shook my head. ‘I need to do this alone. Less chance of drawing attention that way.’

Mauri nodded, yet a muscle ticked in his jaw. ‘Be careful and call us if itall goes tits up.’

‘Just get back in one piece,’ Lorenzo rumbled raw and timbred.

I clapped them on their shoulders with a tight smile before climbing into the driver’s seat.

‘Si riguardi,’ Lorenzo murmured through the window I was rolling down. ‘Stay well and be safe.’

I raised a chin in acknowledgment.

‘Bene,’ I growled, unable to shake the shiver of foreboding that flew through me.

Tilting my head to the moonless shadowed sky, I inhaled the clean air, touched the Defender’s ignition button, and the engine roared to life.

Mauri and I had packed all the off-roading gear I needed inside its generous storage cabin, from high-powered torches to an additional spare tire, petrol, camp swag, rations, weapons, and surveillance equipment.

I glanced at the pair backlit by the front porch light, ignoring the worry in their expressions, and rolled out of the driveway and into the dead of the night.

With a two-fingered Omertà salute aimed at both men, I lit out.

I navigated the empty streets of Sydney at 1 a.m., heading towards the Southern Tablelands.

The city’s lights faded behind me, replaced by an eerie glow in the sky against the roaming clouds, casting shadows across the desolate landscape. I cruised for hours, serenaded by the engine’s rumble.

The map directed me to turn off somewhere ahead of the sprawling regional city of Goulburn.

Deeper into the night and further from urban sprawl, I drove.

Soon, the bitumen thoroughfare gave way to dirt roads.

The outback terrain grew rougher, challenging my driving skills as I maneuvered through rugged trails and dense scrub.

As the first light of dawn began to creep over the horizon, I parked the SUV in a secluded spot and paused for a break.

Easing out of the car, I glanced up at a beaten trail that led deeper into the bush, twisting into darkness.

The air was crisp and fresh, with the scent of pine and earth. Birds chirped overhead, and a fresh breeze fluttered.

I chose a shrub close by for my release.

Midstream, I thought I detected a faint noise, but I wasn’t too sure.

All of a sudden, the hairs on the back of my neck stood.

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