Page 69 of Beautiful Devil

“Any word on the warehouse?”

“I thought you were with Ramirez?”

“Iwaswith him, but that fucker doesn’t know anything so I’m leaving,” I reply.

What is it with these incompetent fuckers today? I’m about to snap at him when he finally speaks up.

“We were able to get some of the CCTV coverage from the security camera across the street, but it’s dark and grainy. Luca’s working on it as we speak, trying to recover it. As soon as he finds something, I’ll let you know.”

I grunt my thanks before hanging up the phone. Placing it back into the inside pocket of my jacket, I lean my head back on my seat and close my eyes.

“Where to, boss?” Santino asks.

Keeping my eyes shut, I reply with a short, curt, “Home.”

Exhausted from the long day it's been already, I resist the urge to throw my phone out the window when I feel it buzz in my pocket. I open my eyes to read the text.

Luca:You’re gonna want to see this, boss. How far away are you?

Not keeping track of the journey, I ask Santino how much longer.

“About five minutes, sir.”

I’m about to reply to Luca, when I hear tires screeching. Turning my head to look out the back windshield, I see a blacked-out SUV with a matching push bar has pulled out onto the street, going top speed, and heading right for us.

“What the f—” I don’t get to finish my sentence before the sound of metal scraping is all I hear, along with the jolt of the car as it's being hit, repeatedly.

I don’t get another word out before we’re hit again. This time, the SUV successfully runs us off the road. Santino loses control of the steering wheel as we go over the embankment and into the forest. The car hits every divot and jostles us both around. We try to reach for anything to hold onto when we hit something, sending the car airborne and flipping us.

Seeing him struggle, I go to reach out when I’m thrown from my spot and land hard, hitting my head in the process. Blinding pain shoots through my entire body. I try to shake my head to clear my blurred vision, but the movement only causes more pain to radiate through me. My eyelids are heavy now; I have to fight to keep my eyes open.

All I see is red before I drift off.

CHAPTER25

FABRIZIO

I feela shooting pain behind my eyes when I try opening them, followed by a pounding headache. I try to open them again. This time, I manage to see a little bit of daylight around me, but I squeeze them shut when the pain becomes too much. Inhaling a couple of deep breaths to calm the adrenaline coursing through me, I remember we can’t be too far from the house.

Opening my eyes fully, I see Santino is upside-down and unconscious in the driver’s seat.

Shit.

I need to get us out of here, and fast, but no matter what, my door handle won’t budge.

Fuck.

I’m going to have to break the window and crawl out. I lift my elbow, and as hard as I can, force my arm against it, but nothing happens. I try again, harder this time, and the glass falls in around me. I take off my seatbelt before pushing my way out through, wincing as a piece of broken glass cuts me open at my side. I stand, brushing myself down. My head still pounding. Raising my hand, I feel a warm dampness, but before I even look, I already know what it is.Blood.

Alerted by a noise, I look around, and even though I don't see any movement, I know I need to get back home. Moving to the front of the car, I take my jacket off, wrap it around the same arm, and hit the glass with the back of my elbow, smashing through Santino’s window in one swift movement. I feel a pop when my elbow connects with the window, and pain shoots up my entire arm.

“Fuck!”

Leaning forward, I reach in and undo his seatbelt. I push through the pain while pulling him out. Once I have him safely out of the car, he thankfully regains consciousness. We both fall to the ground catching our breaths and sit for a moment. Turning to face him, I notice his coloring is starting to return.

“You good?”

He gives me a quick affirmative nod. “Si, capo.”

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