“You fucking bitch,” he gurgles the words as he drops to his knees.
He collapses onto the ground, his body twitching as he continues to bleed out. He’s dying quickly, but I can’t let him go until I have the answer I need.
“Who asked you to do this?” I force the words from deep within as I stare down at the face I’ll never forget.
He digs his fingers into his flesh, his last words so faint, they barely register. “You know who.”
“Natalia, are you okay?” Mrs. Hudson stares at me, wide-eyed with concern as she examines the wound on the side of my face. It’s swollen and bruised, so there’s no hiding it, but I can’t think about that right now.
I play the message from my phone, hoping she can’t see the tremor in my arm.
Everything is okay. I just fell, and Damien had an emergency arise, so I need to take Nino now.
She seems uncertain, glancing over my shoulder. When she notices Alessio’s car in the driveway and not the Rolls Royce, she looks even more doubtful. But I don’t have time to waste convincing her. I move around her just as Nino comes into the entryway.
“Mom?”
We have to go. I sign to him. Come here, darling. Quick, quick.
He doesn’t hesitate, scurrying over to join me. Mrs. Hudson eyes my Burberry coat curiously. It wasn’t what I was wearing when I dropped him off, and she knows it. But I don’t have time to care. I just need to go.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” She calls after us as I take Nino to the car. “I could have the Society doctor come here. It’s no trouble.”
I wave at her and shake my head, helping Nino into the backseat. Once he’s secured, he starts asking questions the minute I’ve got the car started. I turn back to him long enough to tell him that I’ll explain everything as soon as I can, but right now, I have to drive.
It would be tempting to tell him that everything will be okay, but I don’t know that. What I do know is I’m more prepared this time. When I turn onto the main road, I only drive a few blocks before I stop to park Alessio’s car on the street. I help Nino out, and we walk two blocks to the grocery store where the taxi I ordered is waiting. We get inside, and the driver gives me a bored expression, asking where I want to go. I check my phone to make sure the GPS is disabled and it’s in airplane mode and then write out a message for him.
The ferry terminal.
He nods and pulls out into traffic, leaving me to check on Nino. He seems to understand that something’s not right, and he looks scared, and I wish more than anything I could give him my assurances.
Guess what? I sign to him.
What? he asks.
We’re going on a really big boat.
He leans up, peering out the window as if we might be there already. “Where to?”
You’ll see, I tell him. It’s a surprise.
It will be a surprise for both of us.
I have more than enough cash on me to hold us over for a while. I’ve been pulling it out of my account every week when I meet Abella, just in case. I have no idea how long it will take Alessio to track his car to where I left it, but I’m hoping it will take him longer to track down the taxi.
The ride to the ferry terminal seems to go on forever, and I find myself glancing over my shoulder every few minutes, expecting Alessio to appear behind us, but he hasn’t yet. I won’t be relieved until we’re on the ferry, and even then, I have to consider that he might figure out what I’m doing. In the meantime, I plan my next steps, writing two notes in advance.
The taxi driver drops us off, and I pay him in cash, scrambling out onto the pavement with Nino in tow. We head for the terminal and go straight to the passenger-only line, purchasing two tickets for Bainbridge Island. Then, we head for the bathroom, and I pull out a different set of clothes and tell Nino he needs to change before we get on the ferry. An older woman comes out of the stall, offering me a sympathetic glance before she heads to the sink. Once Nino is in the stall, I approach her apologetically and use my app to ask her for a favor.
I’m so sorry to bother you, but my son is feeling unwell, and we really need to catch the ferry to Bremerton. I’m worried we won’t make it in time to purchase the tickets, and I can’t leave him in here alone. Would it be a huge imposition to ask if you could buy us two tickets if I give you the cash?