Page 30 of Inescapable Ties
“What’s going on?!” she asked, her eyes growing wide with fear.
“I’m not sure.”
Bullets continued to echo through the large hall. They shattered the mirrors and bottles in the bar, sending shards of glass raining down on Liria and me as we crouched behind the bar.
It seemed never-ending. I crab walked backwards to get us to the center of the bar, and fell backwards over a soft object. The bartender hadn’t been so lucky. He had a gaping hole in the right side of his forehead.
Liria screamed at the gruesome sight.
We were about to be completely screwed. There were obvious bullet prints in the thin metal bar, and if we got another round or two, it would pierce it and hit Hilaria and I.
“We need to get out of here,” I said.
“Are you insane? We’ll get shot!”
I had a plan. It was a stupid plan that might not work, but it was something. I fumbled under the bar for spare materials. An open bottle of Jack, a rag to clean the top of the bar, and a lighter.
I poured the Jack on the rag and shoved half of it in the bottle.
“Oh my god,” she said.
“Get ready to run, Liria,” I said, pointing to the door leading to the kitchen.
If I was religious, I would have said a prayer as I popped up from the bar. I launched my Molotov cocktail towards a large table covered in beautiful - and extremely flammable - linens.
It landed with a resounding thud and immediately burst into a towering flame, casting an eerie glow over the surrounding area. Gunfire stopped, and the assailants froze in their tracks as they tried to make sense of the sudden explosion. The air was thick with the acrid smell of burning fuel and fear, adding to the tension and chaos of the situation. The flames danced and crackled, illuminating the bewildered expressions of the attackers as they scrambled to react to this unexpected turn of events. It was a chaotic scene, filled with noise and confusion, but amidst it all, the fire raged on with fierce intensity.
“Go, go, go!” I said.
Fueled by adrenaline and fear, we tore through the door and sprinted into the kitchen. Our frantic footsteps echoed off the tile floor as we darted past countertops and appliances. Dishes clattered and pots rattled in our wake as we sprinted to an unknown destination.
With a sharp turn, we burst into the laundry room, our hearts pounding in our chests. The scent of detergent and fabric softener filled the air as we scrambled to find an escape.
I yanked Liria into one of the oversized bins hotels use for the laundry. We landed on towels that had already been used and were now dirty from previous hotel guests.
“Let’s just,” I gasped, tired from running. “Wait here.”
Her chest was heaving as hard as mine, as exhausted as I was. She looked at me, and for the first time in a long time, she smiled at me.
“You really are mad, Luciana.”
“Ha,” I responded. “Probably.”
Chapter fifteen
Emilio
ManyItalianfamilies,prominentfigures, and right-wing politicians had organized this “Charity Event” to meet up with little suspicion.
Of course, people would donate to some charity for kids, but I didn’t remember which one and it didn’t really matter.
Leone Alto and I walked upstairs to a private meeting space where several men had already gathered. The right-wing candidate running for governor was giving us his pitch, and what he’d do for us if he was elected. If we liked it, we’d shovel money into his campaign fund.
I had no interest in politics. My party affiliation was whoever gave the Mafia the most benefits. This year, it was looking like the Republicans.
As we waited for the remaining men to arrive, the loud pops of gunfire tore through the air and reverberated off the walls of the great hall. My heart sank as I realized Luciana was still trapped inside. Every shot felt like a punch to my gut, a reminder of the danger that she was in. I had to get to her as soon as possible.
I rushed out of the meeting space back into the great hall. It was chaos. People were screaming, trying to get away from the shooters. But they couldn’t outrun gunshots. They’d get hit and crumple to the ground.
