Chapter 110: 110 ~ Mira
I waited with bated breath for several minutes to be sure they had left and were not lurking around before I opened the back door and ran for it.
I didn’t stop running until my lungs burned.
Every step echoed like gunfire in my ears, the thud of my heart louder than the footsteps I was so sure were still chasing me. By the time I stumbled into the shadows of the alley behind Massimo’s building, sweat clung to my skin, and my hands shook so badly that I nearly dropped the gun.
The night air was sharp, cold against the heat rolling off me, but it did nothing to steady me. I crouched low behind a dumpster, clutching the metal until it rattled. My breaths came shallow, frantic. I counted to three, forced myself to peek past the edge.
Silence.
No more footsteps. No more voices.
They were gone. For now.
I pressed a hand to my chest, as if I could cage my heart that was beating frantically.
Massimo.
The thought hit me harder than the chase. The men in my apartment hadn’t been strangers, hadn’t been random enemies who’d somehow found me. No. They’d been his. I recognized the cut of their suits, the way they moved like they were disciplined, trained and like soldiers drilled under one man.
It was him. It had to be.
The bile rose hot in my throat. I pressed my back to the wall and let out a trembling laugh, more disbelief than humor.
Of course. Of course it had been him.
Massimo Ricciardi. Smooth-talking. Sharp-dressed. Whispering promises of revenge in one breath and curling his fingers around invisible puppet strings in the next. I had been so careful, so sure I was playing him, letting him believe I was his leverage when in reality, I was just buying myself time.
But I had been wrong. So wrong.
I couldn’t imagine what they would have done if they saw me. Was he planning to keep me hostage or was he going to silence me permanently?
He wasn’t the type of man you played. He was the type of man who reminded you, brutally, that you were only moving across the board because he allowed it. And tonight he had reminded me of that fact.
"Shit," I whispered again, pressing my palms into my eyes. I felt the tears prick my eyes.
What did I expect? That he’d actually care about me? That he wanted justice for what Don Vittorio had done? No. Massimo only cared about the document. About what I could take from Jace. To him, I wasn’t Mira. I was a pawn on his chessboard. And pawns were disposable.
I pushed myself up, legs shaking but determined. I couldn’t stand here. I couldn’t go back upstairs. The passage was compromised now. If they’d found that, then they would definitely find every hiding place in that apartment eventually.
The apartment wasn’t mine anymore. It never had been.
I shoved the gun into my bag, zipped it tight, and pulled my jacket close around me as I slipped further into the night. Every corner I turned, I expected to see shadows break off and follow me, but no one came. Not yet.
It was a temporary reprieve but I was anxious nonetheless.
The city looked different tonight. Harsher. Like every glowing skyscraper was a warning sign, every blinking streetlight a watchful eye. Los Angeles was supposed to be Jace’s playground, but now it felt like a trap closing in from every side.
I made it three blocks before I had to stop again. My legs wobbled beneath me, and I leaned against the brick wall of a closed store, trying to breathe. Trying to think.
Who could I call?
Not Massimo. Never again.
Not Jace. Not after what I’d just said to him. He was probably still standing in that penthouse, replaying my words like a curse: Your father killed mine. His silence had terrified me more than his rage ever could. And I wasn’t ready to face what came after that silence.
That left only one person.
My brother.
I slid down to the curb, pulling my phone from my bag with shaky hands. The screen lit up, and I stared at his number. My thumb hovered over it, trembling. For years, he had been the only person in the world I trusted, the only one who had seen what I had seen that night. He deserved to know. He deserved everything.
But what would I even say?
Hey, I’m caught between two men who want to own me, and oh, by the way, I just blurted out the truth I’m not sure you even know about because you were too young to fully understand?
I pressed the phone to my forehead, exhaling hard. I couldn’t. Not yet. Not when everything was still on fire around me. He’d worry. He’d come charging in, and then what? He’d paint a target on his own back, and I couldn’t and wouldn’t let myself lose him too.
So I put the phone away, forcing my hands to stop shaking long enough to lock the screen.
Instead, I sat there, staring at the street, until the world slowed. Until the tremors in my body began to ease, leaving only the ache.
Because that was what it always came down to, didn’t it? Ache. No matter where I went, no matter whose arms I tried to pretend I was safe in, the ache followed. The memories of blood. The weight of secrets. The sting of betrayal.
Massimo had betrayed me.
Jace’s father had destroyed me.
And Jace himself? He straddled the line between salvation and damnation so tightly that I didn’t know whether to love him or hate him, kiss him or kill him.
A bitter laugh slipped out of me. God, what was wrong with me? Why did I keep letting myself get caught in the crossfire of men who saw me as nothing but a piece in their wars?
I pushed myself to my feet again. My knees still wobbled, but my spine was straight. If there was one thing I knew now, it was this: I couldn’t trust anyone. Not Massimo. Not Jace. Not even the safety of these glittering city streets.
The only person I could rely on was myself.
And if that meant burning both of their empires to the ground just to breathe free air again, then maybe that was exactly what I’d do.
I walked. One step after the other. Away from the building, away from the shadows of men who thought they could control me. My feet carried me with no real direction, but I didn’t care. As long as it was forward, away, anywhere but back.
Because the moment I stepped back into either of their worlds, I knew I would lose myself all over again.
And tonight had reminded me I wasn’t ready to be lost. Not yet.
~
My phone rang as I was about to check into a hotel. I felt my heart stop in trepidation.
A slight sigh of relief escaped my throat when I checked the caller ID. Anyone was a better choice than Massimo at this point.
"Where are you?"
Straight to the point as always.
"What do you want, Jace?"
He sighed exasperatedly. "Don’t be difficult. Just tell me where you are."
I stood there and contemplated if compromising my location was going to cost me.
I weighed my options. Jace claimed to love me. At least he wouldn’t physically harm me.
There was no telling what extent Massimo’ would let his men go with me. But with Jace, though rough, he was a little bit softer.
Maybe I was being sentimental but for now I had to choose the lesser evil.
"Mira? Are you there?"
I blinked rapidly as I snapped out of my thoughts.
"Yeah."
I looked at the receptionist who was waiting for me to decide if I wanted to make the payment.
I gestured at her with my index finger as I mouthed. "One second."
"I’m checking into a hotel, why do you ask?"
"Your security was compromised."
I frowned. "How do you know that?"
"That doesn’t matter."
I gasped. "You have someone watching me."
It wasn’t a question.
"Force of habit."
"What if I had gotten killed? Why didn’t you send them in to save him?"
"Trust me I almost killed him just now. He’s fired." He growled angrily. "Just come out."
I turned towards the entrance and looked outside and sure enough he was parked right in front of the hotel.
"Oh my goodness this man is psychotic." I whispered before I could stop myself.
"I heard that." He said, stepping out of the vehicle.
I bit on my lower lip to hold back a laugh. I stood there and watched him for some seconds.
It was night time yet he was clad in a suit like he was going for a business meeting. Not a hair out of place. And not a single crease too.
In fact I was sure I would look like a scrawny hobo standing next to him.
"Come on Mira," he gestured for me to step out.
I went outside and walked down the steps to join him. He stared at me intently, unable to hide his worry in the way his eyes softened as he scanned me for any injuries.
Pulling me into his arms, he hugged me tight.
I stiffened but seconds in, I let myself feel safe in his arms.
Maybe he was after all, my safe place.