Rocco
I had that bastard by his shoe, and he still got away.
As he hovers above, I grab my pistol and aim, wondering if it’s worth it to take the shot. I weigh my options and decide to pocket the weapon.
“Shit!” I scream, heading back to Madison. “We have to go. Quick.”
“What about everyone else?”
“Don’t worry about them. We’ll deal with that later. We can’t let him hide. He knows too many people in the city. He’ll be a ghost.”
We head toward the hangar. Dasha runs behind us.
“Where are we going?” she yells.
I bite my tongue. “Back home.”
When we board the plane, our hearts are beating wildly. There is just too much at stake now. If we don’t get to him soon, we’ll never find him.
When we take off, Madison freaks out. “We need to get the police. They can handle this. That’s what they’re there for.”
I shake my head. “Do you really think he’ll get a fair sentence with all the money he has surrounding him?”
“How do we find him?” she asks.
“Leave that to me. I think I know where he’ll be.”
The night is quiet, but our minds are racing. Dasha wants to go home to her daughter, and I don’t blame her.
I tell Madison to go with her.
Her eyes are full of fear, doubt, and regret. “No,” she says. “I want to be near you. I don’t want you out of my sight anymore.”
“I can’t afford to put you in harm’s way,” I mutter. “Everything will be fine. Do you trust me?”
“Hell no, I don’t,” she says, tears welling up in her eyes. “But the way you’re looking at me tells me I’m going to have to.”
I nod. “When all this is said and done, I’m going to ride you into that sunset, honey.”
She places her hands in mine. Our fingers lock, and a warm feeling shoots through my body. “Don’t joke around.”
Suddenly, I feel like I can do anything. She gives me all the goddamn strength in the world.
“I hope you know I wouldn’t do this for just any girl,” I say.
“Don’t say that,” she says. “I’m not worth it.”
“You have no idea how worth it you are, do you?” I ask.
She looks away, tears in her eyes. The sound of the plane’s engine is in the near distance.
“It’s all for you, Madison. Everything. I’d gladly lay my life down if it meant you being happy. When this is over with, I’m going to show you what I can give you.”
“I only want you,” she says. “That’s it. Just come back in one piece and I’ll be happy.”
We embrace passionately. As my hands hold the back of her head, our lips connect. We kiss for what feels like an incredible century. Our tongues slide, and we breathe as if this might be our last breath on this earth together.
All I can think about is our future.