Chapter 39

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Vincenzo

I couldn't run fast enough. I saw Fred standing by Aiden—who was dressed like a security officer—and just like that, he hit Fred, and Fred collapsed, Aiden holding his limp body close.

"We can't shoot in a parking lot—we might hit someone," I shouted. We all raced to the car. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Fred lying in Aiden's arms.

"I wouldn't do that," he growled as each of us lifted our weapons. He tipped his chin, and I looked over my shoulder, where several men flanked us from behind. I didn't recognize them.

"I'm leaving with Fred, or you all die right here. I don't want a war with Lex Talionis. This is a family matter, and you should never have been brought in."

Was he serious? "If you think I'm going to pack up and leave, you're mistaken, Aiden. See, Fred isn't yours, he's mine."

He cocked his head and took a few steps toward his car. "I really expected more from an elite assassin organization." The back door of a different car opened, and a large man got out. The new threat directed his gun at Fred's head.

"Shit," Zion whispered.

"I'm leaving now." He chuckled. "You have your hands full."

Then all hell broke out. A bullet grazed my arm, and we began maneuvering to defend and attack. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aiden drag Fred into the back of a car. A bullet whizzed by my head, and I focused on not dying.

"We'll find him. Just stay alive," Zion shouted as he pulled me behind a truck.

In the distance I could hear tires screech, and I knew Fred was gone. "That motherfucker."

"We'll find him. I got enough details on the car. You need to take these fuckers out first." He was right.

I stood and shot one, two men down. "Eden, get a ride."

She nodded from her spot next to another vehicle. I wanted to take each one of these guys out, but the further Fred got, the harder it would be to track them.

"I have drones on him," Zion said as he slipped his phone into his pocket and clutched his gun again.

It felt like forever before Eden drove up beside me. "Get in," she shouted while bullets rained around us from all directions.

"We'll hold them off." Axel was shooting with precision, and the enemies' numbers were dwindling.

I couldn't wait, and I trusted my exercitus. I jumped into the back seat with Zion, and Eden hit the gas.

"Aiden's going into the tunnels," Zion reported.

The tunnels went under the Westford Bridge and while they were in there, we couldn't track them. There was interference and those tunnels were so narrow, the drones would crash if they went inside.

"I'll get the visuals at the exit point."

I nodded at Zion while I pulled up a map. "Take the bridge, Eden."

"It won't bring us to the tunnel's exit." Zion was tapping away on his tablet. "When they built the tunnels, it was to eliminate traffic, so it goes in an eastern direction while the bridge goes west."

"Shit, so we have to take the tunnels?"

"Yes, but I have eyes on the exit. We can track him."

It was the most helpless feeling, sitting in a car, racing toward a man with a gun to his head. This whole day hadn't gone as planned, and I'd spend the rest of my life trying to figure out where it had gone wrong. I just hoped Fred would be at my side while I did it.

Zion had his eyes on the tablet, tracking the drone, which was stationary. We'd hit the tunnel in a minute, and he'd lose connection with the drone while we drove through. He had the drone programmed to follow the car Aiden was in, which was easy enough since we were able to get the make and model and have the drone connect with it.

"Going into the tunnel," Eden announced and ten seconds in, we lost connection.

"The drone will sync up with us once we're through, so as soon as Aiden hits the exit, it will follow the car."

"I know." I'd never been more on edge. I was a professional. I dealt with more dangerous situations, but this one…this was personal.

The tunnel was insanely long. Either that or it felt that way. There was no question Aiden had reached the end while we were still in it. I only hoped that by the time we reached the end, we'd have a location.

"We're out!" Eden announced, and Zion's and my attention went right to the tablet.

"Where is that?" I saw on the screen that the drone had stopped at a residential address.

"It's a mile east. Rosefield Street."

Eden plugged the address into the GPS, and we were off. "Who lives there?"

Zion started typing. "Louisa Amsterdam, age seventy, widow…she lives alone."

"Are we to assume she's been killed, and they took over the home?" Eden asked, and it was a logical assumption.

"No idea. He has some support, but we don't know from who."

"I didn't recognize any of them, but that means nothing." Zion was hacking into the security cameras from the train station. "I'll get these over to Aurora."

We pulled up to the house, and the car Aiden had driven was in the driveway, the drone hovering above it.

"Circle the property," I ordered and Zion and Eden broke off, one going left, the other right. I stayed at the front of the property.

The rest of my exercitus were at the train station or coming to me, but I didn't have time to wait. Aiden's end goal was to kill Fred. I don't know why he hadn't just done it at the station, but he had his reasons and I'd take them since it meant that Fred lived.

Eden and Zion returned, and they both reported that all was quiet.

"It seems to only be Aiden's car. No sign of Louisa?"

Eden shook her head. "No, we can ask a neighbor, perhaps?"

"Good idea. Eden, get the neighbor on the left; I got the right. Zion, watch our backs."

I approached the quaint cape and knocked on the yellow door. I heard rustling, and then a middle-aged man stood before me, his Jack Russell terrier at his feet.

"Can I help you?"

"Good afternoon, my name is Vinny. I was supposed to be meeting with Louisa Amsterdam about medical care. I see a car in the driveway but no one is answering, and I'm a little concerned."

He furrowed his brow and looked over. Zion rested against our car and waved when the man saw him.

"I'm surprised to see a car there at all. Louisa doesn't drive, but she left yesterday for a vacation with her son."

"Oh." I made a show of scrolling through my phone. "It must have been a scheduling mishap. Thank you."

He nodded. "No problem."

I walked over to Zion and Eden was coming over too. "So…that dude was sketchy."

"Really?"

She hummed. "I asked about Louisa and he said she went out, but when I asked what time she'd be home he said, ‘I don't know, she was on a trip.' Which was odd, because did she go out, or was she on a trip?" She shrugged. "I said I was there from the bank and asked if I could leave a message, and he said that he didn't live there and was only housesitting. He'd never met Louisa."

"Okay, that is odd." I hooked a finger toward the house I went to. "He said she went on vacation with her family yesterday. No hesitation. Your guy is suspicious."

I glanced at Louisa's house, then over to the sketchy guy's. "He's not in Louisa's house. He just wants us to think he is to buy time."

"Well, me showing up at his door gave us away."

I agreed with her. "We're out of time. Let Lex Talionis know we're going in, and they are to proceed upon arrival no hesitation."

"Yes, Praeses." Zion made the call, and the three of us carefully approached the house.

"I'm coming for you, Fred."