64. Dante

Chapter 64

Dante

I turned to Giotto. “She’s heading to West 4 th and will be out of sight soon. Get an extra set of eyes on her quickly.”

“Yes, sir,” he said, and the men already in the vicinity were called.

“She's still walking?” I asked, and one of them confirmed it.

“Should we call the cops? Add to the confusion,” Giotto asked.

“No. To get to me he is willing to give up his own son. That tells me he has snapped. If they come, he will kill her. I'm sure he has her under some kind of clock, I just don't know what it is. Any interference to his plan will mean death for her.”

“One thing's for sure, though,” Giotto said.

“What?”

“Anyone who's going to shoot her is not on the rooftop. She's a moving target and she's left that street.”

I nodded. “Have the men search the people in the cars discreetly.”

I opened the glove compartment. “Don’t you have a hat or a cap in here?”

“Sorry, Boss.”

“Fuck this.” I stuck an earpiece in my ear and got out of the car and walked as inconspicuously as I could toward the street. It was a good thing I was dressed casually in a pair of dark jeans and a T-shirt.

In front of me, I saw a man walking with another. He was wearing a mustard baseball hat. I hurried up to him and pulled a hundred-dollar bill out of my pocket.

“Sell me your cap,” I said urgently.

He looked at me as though he couldn’t believe what was happening.

“Sir, she’s almost at the intersection,” I heard the update in my ear. Instantly, I stuffed the bill into the man’s hand, snatched the hat off his head, and hurried away. I took the shortcuts I knew in between the buildings and through alleys until I could glimpse the intersection.

“Is she here yet?”

“Almost,” came the response.

In no time, she arrived at the end of the street. To my relief, the traffic light turned yellow and the cars gradually came to a stop. Now she would be forced to stop, but what I could never have anticipated was that she wouldn't. She continued walking into the traffic.

I couldn't wait a second longer then. I began walking briskly toward her rather than running so that attention wouldn't be drawn to me. As she neared the intersection and stepped out on the road, I heard a screech. Then a loud horn pierced the air. Some cursed.

Regardless, she didn't stop. She crouched down for a moment in fear, then she quickly got up and began to walk. This was a major street, and a truck without the capacity to stop was coming along now. The entire street was in chaos as she kept walking, and the cars kept trying to avoid her.

She stumbled and fell.

I began to run as fast as I could. I no longer cared what happened anymore, just as long as I got to her fast enough and put my body over hers. Would I be a suitable enough shield?

I wasn’t certain, but I was damn well going to find out.