Chapter 5 Crash

Alessia's POV

The ride was smooth, but the weight pressing down on my chest was anything but, In just a few nights, I had been disgraced and tortured by the Sirranos. And now, caught by their arch nemesis, Alex Ferrini. He sat across from me, staring at the moving scenery. I gazed at him.

Alex Ferrini.

His name sent shivers down the hearts of every male or female living in Santa Monica. He is that powerful but he always kept to the shadows. You would have to be living under a rock not to know the powerful mafia family called the Ferrinis and their heir, Alex. No one ever spoke about how drop-dead gorgeous he is, though, like the devil.He owned more than half of the businesses in the area ranging from strip malls , nightclubs, brothels and an arms and drug syndicate .

My heart raced as I looked at his picture perfect jawline and full captivating plump lips. I swallowed; my throat suddenly feeling dry. Who would have thought I would be fired by one mafia family only to end up the captive of another?

Life is truly ironic…

As if he was listening to my racing thoughts, he turned his gaze to mine, and I took a deep breath. His dark-as-night eyes were staring at me unblinkingly, as if he expected me to break. Suddenly I felt claustrophobic, the air was too stifling and then he moved his knees casually brushing on mine. I knew it was not an accident. I felt my body tremble ,breaking eye contact quickly I shift my attention to the passing scenery .

We moved through the city, the night getting darker, neon lights casting shadows against the windows. I kept my arms folded against my chest, using my rosary.

"You don’t look happy that I saved you, cara mia..." he said, his voice smooth as silk.

I snapped my head toward him. "Why should I be? What is the difference between you and them? You have also taken the one thing I craved for since I turned eighteen, my freedom."

"You should be happy because you are still alive. If I had arrived at the scene ten minutes later, I don’t know what would have happened."

I shivered; his words casting a gory image of me lying in a pool of my own blood in the alley in my brain. Before I could answer him , the driver interrupted us.

"Signore Ferrini, we seem to have picked up a tail. Black SUV, tinted. I will try to lose them."

I felt a cold chill wrack through my body…It must be The Sirranos. Thomas... They wouldn’t give up that easily. I turned to the back, and sure enough, two headlights were steadily following us. Alex didn’t even blink. He leaned back, relaxed and calm.

"It’s the Sirranos. No one else has the guts to attempt this ."

His words made my breath hitch in my throat. I was right then… "Why are they following us?" I asked softly, knowing the answer but needing to hear him say it all the same.

His gaze flickered at mine. " They think you have La Rosa De la Vita , and they don’t want you to hand it over to me."

I sank in a deep breath and faced him my eyes pleading. "Alex, please believe me I don’t have it…"

He stares at me eyebrows furrowed as if he was deep in thoughts . "But you-" Before he could finish talking , the driver stepped on the accelerator very fast, furious. I suddenly fell into Alex’s arms, my stomach lurching as if I were about to lose the sandwich I had eaten earlier. I righted myself immediately heart hammering in my chest. I checked the tail again…The tail still stayed on us…!

Fear clawed at my insides. “Alex, please do something!"

Alex tilted his head, studying me . "That is what I am doing. I am trying to keep you Alive ."

The city soon became a blur everything moving so fast: traffic lights, buildings, people, the tires squealing as we entered corners. I held on to my rosary. The driver's panicking voice wafts to us again “Signor Ferrini ! I can’t shake them; they are closing in on us !"

"Alessia, hold on. It’s going to get rocky," his voice remained calm, his face stoic.

Then the unthinkable happened: a hard jolt from the back slammed me into Alex’s hard chest again as they hit the limo’s bumper. Metal screeched. My scream tore out of my chest, and the limo swerved from left to right, dangling for moment then, as if in slow motion, skidding fast across wet asphalt. My body slammed back into my seat with Alex laying on top of me as the car started spinning out of control. Broken Glass shards flew everywhere.

We crashed hard into a cement barricade. The air was filled with the smell of smoke and burning tyres. Alex’s body was still protecting mine, his hand covering my shoulder, keeping all the fragments of glass at bay. His eyes found mine, still calm even in the midst of chaos. His breath brushed against my lips as he whispered, "Do not move, cara mia…"

Next, I heard gunshots. My body jolted with every loud sound. Bang! Bang!  The tail wasn’t just trying to catch up; now they wanted to kill.

His voice was tight against my ear. "Please stay down, cara mia…"

The driver’s voice came, this filled with fear. "Signore Ferrini they are armed, and we are surrounded!"

"Just hold on," he replied, his voice muffled through my hair. I clutched my rosary tight.

"Dios mío… what have I gotten myself into?"

We were in the middle of nowhere, and if the Sirranos wanted me dead, they were not going to stop shooting until their mission was accomplished with or without casualties.