Page 5 of Promise Never

“Fine. His name is—”

“Scendere!”Runishouts as a vehicle pulls up.

Alessandro plunges with me behind the dumpster asgunshots spray from the end of the alley.

His guards take cover at large crates on the otherside, firing back at the unknown enemy.

“My gun!” I yell. “Give it to me!”

Alessandro pushes me away and shoots along withhis men.

Fuck it.

I attempt to reach for the door to escape into theclub. Bullets hit close to my hand, making me lower behind Alessandro again.

What the hell! Are they targeting me as well?

Zeno. I’ll kill him if I get out of this in onepiece.

“Fretta!”Runiyells into his phone, rattling off other Italianwords. I assume he’s calling for reinforcements.

The assailants keep firing.

“I can help!” I shout at Alessandro.

“Just stay down, woman!” he snaps at me amidshooting.

“Ugh…” His other guard, Tiernan, grunts painfullywhen a bullet hits his shoulder. He keeps firing until another splatters hisface.

Blood blasts into the air and on the crates.

He flattens on the ground. Dead.

“Shit,” I gripe from the gruesome sight. It’s notthe most sickening thing I’ve witnessed, though.

I’m about to make another try for the door whenmen rush into the alley, shooting at our attackers.

Alessandro and his brawny guard cease firing.

One stops to check onFattorewhile the others continue in the direction of the assailants.

The screeching of tires confirms their escape.

Regrouping afterward, Alessandro chats with hismen in Italian while two drag the lifeless guard down the alley.

I straighten from the dumpster and draw theirattention. “Look, now that the coast is clear, I’m taking off.”

Suspicion clots in the air as the men observe me.

Alessandro sniffs, his scrunched-up featuresvisible in the outdoor lights. “You’re not going anywhere, woman.”

I utter a short sarcastic laugh and rest my handson my hips. “Like hell I’m not. My time here is up. I’m heading back to theStates.”

I’m about to walk away, but he quickens over andgrips my arm. “The man that sent you just tried to kill us. He obviously hadyou followed, too. My guard is dead. You have some explaining to do.”

Something tells me there’s no arguing withAlessandroFattore. He won’t let me leave until Ispill every detail.

“All right. I’ll tell you what I know. It’s—”

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