Chapter 41

FORTY-ONE

Laura

T he dingy motel down the street from the industrial estrange reeked of decades old cigarette smoke and body odour.

I sat gingerly on the end of the bed, clinging to the attackers phone, glad to have managed to change the password so we didn't need to carry a rotting thumb all the way down to Birmingham with us.

Phoenix stood by the window, peering through a crack in the curtains. He'd already cased out the warehouse ahead of the meeting. From what he could see, there were four men posted on the outside, two at each entrance. Massimo clearly had believed the ruse, to have so few men guarding the place.

Albeit, he would have his personal henchmen with him when he arrived, no doubt.

The phone buzzed in my lap, making my fingers light up where they clenched the screen.

Hope you had fun last night breaking her in. Get her cleaned up. I want her to look fit for being my fiancée.

The previous night, when we'd awaited more instructions, Massimo had informed the remaining bounty hunter he could use me as a reward. It made me sick to my stomach. Phoenix had pretended to be the man, mimicking his voice while also crackling a packet near the receiver to make the signal appear disjointed. The veins in his neck had protruded as he fought to stay calm, fighting the urge to tear Massimo a new one over the phone.

It was all becoming very real.

Less than one hour until show time.

‘There's his car,' Phoenix said, holding the binoculars up to his eyes and moving them faintly in line with what must have been the car.

My stomach knotted. In just over an hour I could be free.

Or dead.

‘He's only brought two guys. They're big, and armed. With pistols at least.'

I gulped down the lump in my throat, the phone trembling in my hands.

Phoenix watched them for a few more minutes, until they walked into the warehouse.

‘They used the south entrance, I imagine they'll have us use the same one.'

‘What if he recognises you?' I asked.

‘He's bound to see the differences between the dead guy and I, we won't have much time. You have the syringes?' He asked, trying to focus me back onto the task.

I nodded. Three syringes were fixed into the belt of my dress, hopefully small enough that I'd get past a brief pat down if they inflicted one.

‘Just stick one in anyone who grabs you if things take a turn. I have the gun and ammo, I'll deal with the others.'

The plan was as simple as it was risky. Take out the four outside, the second two only after they'd given a call through to Massimo, assuming they had one at all. Then as soon as we got close enough, let Massimo grab me. While he was tied up with me, Phoenix would kill the other two. We needed to catch them by surprise for any chance at not having our brains blown out.

Minutes ticked by, my palms growing sweatier by the second.

Phoenix came and sat beside me, slipping one scarred hand into my palm. A gentle squeeze made me smile.

‘Remember what I told you?' He asked.

‘Bite off more than you can chew, and then chew like fuck?' The saying was stupid, but I could see what he meant. It was all or nothing. We went down guns blazing, or we won. No in between.

‘Don't forget for a moment that I adore you,' Phoenix whispered, his mouth closing the gap between us and tracing his words against my neck.

The phone buzzed again, Massimo's words flashing up on the screen. ‘Time to hand over the goods.'

I chewed on my bottom lip before looking up at Phoenix. He reached over to the table and grabbed the stolen mask.

‘I could still go on my own…' he said, nerves evident in the timber of his voice now that the time to put our plan into action was upon us.

‘No.' I pushed a steel I didn't fully believe into my voice. ‘Time to chew like fuck, Phoenix.'

Feeling like we were walking toward our own execution, I pulled my shoulders back and smoothed my hair over my shoulder. The dress was new, cinching me in at the waist which only made my ass and bust seem even larger. Phoenix had assured me it would leave mouths hanging. I'd spent so many weeks in nothing but shorts and T-shirts that I felt like I was reviving some long dead version of me.

Every step made my knees wobble, whether from my stilettos or the fear, I didn't know.

I looked the part. Every bit a potential mafia wife.

I was hoping Massimo underestimated the true part of it that he'd overlooked.

Those women were fucking deadly.