27. Escape

Dante looked confused when his daughter suddenly asked him to run away. He was unprepared, plus his leg was still recovering. He would be happy if his daughter could get out of that place safely. However, if he came with such a condition, it would only be a burden for her. He did not want to trouble his daughter.

“It will be easier if you go alone. I'm fine being alone here.” Dante tried to be reassuring. He didn't want to make things difficult for his daughter. After what Caterina had been through, he didn't want to make her life more difficult.

“No, I'm not leaving you here.” Caterina emphasized. She stepped towards her father's closet. She opened the drawer inside the cupboard, then put her father's pile of money, cards, and valuables into a backpack. She carried the bag on her back, then turned toward her father. He helped Dante to his feet and stepped out of the room.

“The base is crowded right now because of the recent explosion. It'll be hard to get out of here without getting caught.” Dante warned.

Dante's words were true. The base was currently crowded, and everyone was very busy. If they were caught intending to escape, it was possible that they would get even worse punishment than this. It could be that not just one of Dante's legs was broken, but both.

However, Caterina didn't care what her father said. She walked confidently with her father in her arms.

“Kate!” Ben came over when he saw Caterina walking towards the exit with Dante.

Caterina quickened her pace. She wanted to carry her father to make their pace faster, but her strength had not fully recovered. She still often felt pain in several spots of her body.

“Kate!” Ben stopped them in their tracks. He stood in front of Caterina with his arms outstretched. He tried to block their steps.

“Ben, I don't want to make a scene right now. Just act like you didn't see anything; Leo won't blame you.” Caterina tried to negotiate.

“I don't want to take any chances. You know how scary Mr. Bianchi can be when he's angry.” Ben looked conflicted. He didn't want to side with Leonardo, but he had to because of the pressure of the job. Leonardo was his boss.

“You want me to die here?” Caterina stared in disbelief. La Vendetta was no longer safe for her and her father. Everyone knew how Leonardo treated her, but no one was on her side. Not a single person defended her.

“You just need to obey all of Mr. Bianchi's orders, and you'll be safe.” Ben tried to give advice.

Caterina had lived here for decades, and she could live in peace as long as she followed Leonardo's orders. All she had to do was work well and not anger her boss.

However, Caterina no longer wanted to be part of La Vendetta. With sure steps she carried her father's body past Ben.

“Kate, please don't make things difficult for me. Maybe you can get out of here safely, but it could cost me my life.” Ben seemed to be pleading desperately.

“Kate!” The call came from the other direction.

Caterina rolled her eyes with an annoyed sigh. She was particularly annoyed that her exit from the building had become more difficult after Alex's arrival. Alex was Leonardo's confidant; it was obvious that he would side with Leonardo.

“Please let me go. I don't want to mortgage my life in this place anymore. I have a long future ahead of me.” Caterina pleaded.

“You need a car to get out of here.” Alex said as he handed over the car keys.

Lately Caterina and Dante had not been given access to leave the headquarters building because Leonardo did not want them to escape, so he asked his men to hide the car keys and not give access to leave for any reason.

Dante used to always go out to buy stocks of drugs and drug-making materials; everything is now done with online purchases, and the goods are sent directly there. So they no longer had a reason to go out.

Seeing Alex holding out the car keys, Caterina felt very touched. She was so grateful that there were still friends who wanted to care about her. Her eyes glazed over, she smiled slightly at Alex as she reached for the keys. She would always remember his kindness.

“Thank you.” Caterina said with all her heart. Alex's sincere kindness touched her heart.

“Alex, you could get into big trouble for this.” Ben reminded.

“There won't be any trouble if you keep your mouth shut.” Alex said firmly.

Ben was silent after hearing that sentence.

“The explosion in the warehouse was done by you, right?” Alex guessed. Caterina was silent because she felt guilty for hurting one of her friends. Her plan didn't go according to plan. She only wanted to blow up the warehouse to create chaos without taking casualties, but it turned out that the explosion left one of the guards very badly injured.

“You know what?” Caterina said with a glum face.

“You left a trail there. But don't worry; I'll keep this a secret from everyone.” Alex said with a smile.

Caterina turned to look at Ben; she was afraid Ben would open his mouth to Leonardo. Because Ben is the kind of subordinate who likes to curry favor with the boss in order to get a big bonus.

Alex seemed to understand the meaning of Caterina's gaze. He sighed harshly, then looked at his friend.

“I'll make sure you don't see or hear anything about this matter. If I hear that you complained to Mr. Bianchi, I will never forgive you. Mr. Bianchi will favor me over you.” Alex threatened Ben.

“Alex, are you sure you'll be safe after doing this?” Caterina looked worried, because Leonardo never messed around.

“Don't mind me. Hurry up and leave before more people see you.” Alex asked them to hurry up.

Caterina hugged Alex tightly, thanking him again and again. Then she said goodbye and took her father to the garage. Caterina drove with trembling hands as the car pulled out of the garage and passed through the gate. She was afraid that she would be intercepted and taken to Leonardo. However, fortunately the gatekeepers didn't seem too focused when Caterina passed them. Her heart raced as the car sped through the streets at high speed.