Page 58 of Omega's Vengeance

Chapter Thirteen

Dario

I see the SUV right before impact. I don’t have time to avoid the vehicle, but I have time to press the gas hard. That one action saves us from being T-boned by the SUV. The other car smashes the rear, right side of our SUV, causing us to spin wildly into the center of the intersection.

Panic strikes through me because Alessio’s side of the car took the hit. Thank god he had his seatbelt on, and the air bag deployed. But he didn’t make a sound when the vehicle slammed into us, and hasn’t made one since. I pray he’s okay.

On impact, I bang my head on the side of the car. Thankfully, the airbag deployed instantaneously with a sound similar to a gunshot. My vision is momentarily obscured as the airbag opens. There’s an acrid scent in the car, similar to the scent of fireworks. Crunching metal sounds, and glass shattering fills my ears.

The car comes to a stop, and there’s the sound of the radiator hissing, and people outside the car screaming. Alessio groans, which at least reassures me he’s alive. We need to get out of the carnow. I have no idea why that car hit us. Was this actually an accident, or were we rammed on purpose? I suspect that later simply because of the speed of the other vehicle. If that’s the case, we’re sitting ducks inside the car.

Dazed, I force myself to unhook my seatbelt and open my door. I slide out of the car and onto my knees. Feeling dizzy, I tug my Glock out of my suit jacket. I taste blood, and suspect I bit my tongue on impact. I inch around the car, moving to the front. The SUV hit the rear of our car, so heading around the front seems smarter. I need to get to Alessio’s door before anyone else does. In the distance I hear sirens, and as I round the front of our car, I see that Alessio is stumbling out of the vehicle.

Alarm jolts through me when I also see a big guy with blood on his face, climbing out of the other SUV. He immediately moves in Alessio’s direction, and I grit my teeth when he draws a weapon.

“Shit,”I say under my breath. I lift my gun and fire two rounds into the thugs chest, and he drop like a sack of potatoes. I didn’t have a lot of time to aim. But he was big which made him an easy target. I ignore the screams of the onlookers and turn my attention to Alessio.

Alessio flinched at the sound of my gun, but now he’s just staring at me blankly. There’s blood streaked down his cheek, and he’s obviously stunned. “We crashed?” he asks.

“In so many words. You okay?” I look past him at the white SUV. I don’t see anyone else in the car, but the guy I shot exited the passenger side. There has to be another guy. Did he take off, or is he lurking nearby? Maybe he’s pretending to be an onlooker. Maybe he’s taking aim at my head right this second.

“Let’s go,” I growl, grabbing Alessio’s arm. “We need to get out of here before the cops arrive.”

He nods. “Right.”

I tug him after me, heading toward the sidewalk. The sirens are getting closer. We need to hurry. The vehicle and registration won’t lead to me. As long as we get out of here before the cops arrive, we should be golden. Valentino has some cops in his pocket, but you never know who’s going to show up. It’s easier if we just bounce before anyone can stop us.

I lead the way down an alley on the side of a dress shop. I check behind us every few seconds. It doesn’t appear that anyone is following us. As we run, I pull my cell out of my back pocket, and call Valentino.

He picks up on the third ring. “Hello?”

“Somebody just tried to kill Alessio,” I growl into the phone.

There’s silence, and then, “Where are you?”

I glance around, but there are no street signs near us. “Don’t know our exact location. We crashed at the intersection of Hemmingway and Empire Avenue. We’re on foot now, probably about a mile south of that.”

“That’s near Luigi’s place. The Rattling Can. It’s on Princeton Street.”

“Right. I know it.”

“Head over there and I’m on my way.” He hangs up.

I pull up maps on my phone and locate Princeton Street. Then I tuck my phone away. “This way.”

“Coming.” Alessio drags his feet a bit. He’s out of breath, and really pale. He’s always pale, but at the moment he’s ashen. The blood smeared on his face stands out even more against his white skin.

“We have to go faster,” I say gruffly.

“I’m trying. I… I don’t feel so good,” he mumbles, staggering slightly. “My stomach hurts.”

Anxiety washes through me. It’s not smart to stop right now. We’re still too close to the crash. But when he stumbles and almost falls on his face, I take pity on him. “You said your stomach hurts?”

“Yeah.” He blows out a harsh breath.

I glance around uneasily. “Sit on the curb.”

He does as I ask, laying back on the cement. He holds his stomach, wincing. I kneel beside him and push up his shirt. There’s no visible wound, but his stomach does seem a bit distended. My uneasiness grows as I begin to check over his abdomen with my fingers. Usually, his stomach is flat and his abdominal muscles defined. At the moment, his stomach is definitely bloated.

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