ENROUTE TO MASSIMO'S ISLAND

En route to Massimo’s island 

Ariana’s pov~

“This is a bad idea” Julius declared as he took a left at the next intersection.

 “We need to think this through Mateo, saving Serena right now is not the priority, getting the both of you out of Italy is!” he stated.

“No Julius, Ariana is right, we got Serena into this mess, she doesn't deserve it” Mateo said tapping his shoulder lightly.

“She risked her freedom to find Ariana for us, we owe her this” he added.

I nodded my head but I stayed quiet.

All I could think about was Becky, what is going to happen now that Im in the picture! 

What happens to her or me when she finds out her fiance is already married?

I refuse to be responsible for another woman’s pain.

“What happens now, Mateo?” I finally asked, he looked over to me with a puzzled expression but I knew he was trying to play dumb.

“I don't understand?”

“What happens with Becky, she’s at home waiting for you to come back, waiting for her fiance to come back, now that I'm in the picture what happens, Mateo?” I repeated, but Mateo was silent, he looked away and faced the other side of the window.

His silence was loud and I understood he was conflicted.

She had been the love of his life and he had been excited to marry her.

But that has all changed, something has started to grow in his heart for me. I could feel it.

And now he is conflicted, whose heart would he break at the end of this?

Mine or Becky's?

I couldn't help but feel I was on the receiving end,

Julius didn't say a word either, it was tone-deaf inside the vehicle until a bullet whooshed past Mateo's ear.

“ What the hell was that!” I screamed, and fear ripped through my body like I had been put under the ice.

I started to shake anxiously, there could only be one person doing this and I was right.

The transmission device Julius had attached to the car started to screech.

He pressed the button and the next voice I heard was Silvio’s.

Julius and Mateo shared glares and then Mateo grinned.

“You didn't think I'd find your mole did you?” He announced, “She’s dead, and you will join her in a few minutes” The transmission line cut off and I was back to my panicking state.

“Well i'll be damned, he killed his mistress, all she did was close the door, I can't believe it!” Julius mentioned.

My mind flashed back to the beautiful woman who had interrupted my rehearsal dinner with accusations.

She had a daughter, oh my God another person dead because of me.

“Mateo I can't let anyone else get hurt or die for my course! I can't take this anymore! Hand me over to Silvio and end this!” I yelled in frustration.

I watched my husband’s eyes glow in untainted fury.

“I will do nothing of the sort! You are my wife! Mine! And I will kill anyone who dares to think they can take you away” he thundered, banging the roof of the car, he hit it so hard that it made a slight dent.

“I let Silvio go once for peace to reign, but never again, the next time I see him I will make sure I end him,” my husband declared.

Julius nodded and swerved the car again to avoid an incoming bullet.

But it went through the glass and it shattered on his knees.

“Argh” he screamed in pain, a big shard had pierced his thigh and he was losing blood fast.

“Mateo, I can't hold on much longer” he exclaimed, “any weapons?” Mateo inquired turning his back before ducking.

He safely pressed me down and instructed me not to get up.

“They are all in the back!” Juliius cried and winced in pain.

“Shit!” My husband cursed.

As he swerved again the transmission came back on, and Silvio laughed maniacally before speaking.

“Surrender now and I won't blow you off the fucking road! Hand her over now!”

“Eat shit! Silvio!” Mateo retorted before ripping out the transmission device and throwing it out.

“Julius, find a way to get us off the road, can you lose him?” Mateo asked.

I was too scared to look, I felt useless and I yearned for something to help with.

Julius was bleeding into the seats and in a few minutes he could be dead at the wheel.

I needed to stop it.

I glided my way through the space between the driver's seat.

“What the hell are you doing?” Mateo yelled, “Stay down!” He added.

“No! He is bleeding out! If I don't stop it he will be dead in a few minutes!” I yelled back.

The bullets kept raining on the car, thankfully the car could withhold the force of it and none of it had pierced through.

Only the glass had shattered around us.

“Careful!” He yelled, he grabbed the back seat and started to yank it.

“There!” Julius pointed at the glove compartment, 

“there’s alcohol in there!” 

I reached for it and took out the whisky bottle.

I ripped the cap open and poured it all over the stab wound.

“Arrrrrrrrrrggghhh” he screamed again.

With his road bump the force of it aided Mateo in his mission.

“Finally!” He grinned triumphantly. He reached into the car boot and took out a shotgun, a handgun and a rifle.

He passed the handgun to Julius.

“I'm going to take this out now” I informed, he looked at me for a brief second and nodded, “you are going to need this” I said, passing him the whiskey bottle.

He took a sip and returned it back to me, his hand quivering in pain as he did.

 I grabbed onto the huge splinter sticking out of his thigh.

In one move I ripped it out of his thigh, and he screamed again before banging the steering wheel in frustration.

“FUCK!” He screeched as I emptied the rest of the content in the bottle on his open wound.

I ripped the helm of my gown and wrapped it tightly around the bleeding part as a form of tourniquet.

A month of learning Emergency Response in Malta was finally starting to come in handy.

“We need to get him to a hospital! Fast!” I mentioned, but my husband wasn't listening.

He had positioned himself in the back seat, his assault rifle well positioned in the space the shattered glass used to be.

He started firing, nonstop until the car behind us swerved and tumbled, we heard it crash and soon it was fully engulfed in flames.

“I've still got it” Mateo grinned, repositioning himself and sitting down.

He cocked his gun and changed the magazine.

“Are you okay Julius?” He asked, tapping his shoulder again.

“I'll live, thanks to her” he smiled, I shook my head in protest, “We need to get him to a hospital Mateo, he has lost a lot of blood”

Mateo nodded in agreement, but our victory was short-lived when two bikers came out on each side and started to shoot at us.

“Fuck!” Mateo groaned as he hurriedly set up his gun again.

Julius shot at the one close to him but he missed, driving and shooting while being severely anemic was starting to weaken his aim.

“Give me the gun Julius!” I yelled, “No! I won't put you at risk! Get back and duck!” He pushed me aside with his elbow while Mateo pulled me from my waist.

I held on to his seat belt until I snatched the gun from him.

“Would you just Trust me!” I cried. I watched for the biker gunman to aim again, I bent my hand and aimed at his helmet, right between his eyes even though I couldn't see them.

I trusted my gut, I've got only one shot until he shoots back.

I steadied my hand amidst the jerking of the car and pulled the trigger, it pierced through.

 he swerved in response but it was too late, he crashed into another car coming from the opposite direction.

I heard another shot and soon it was over, Mateo had taken care of the other biker.

“Well shit! Fuck! where did you learn to shoot like that?” Mateo inquired, dropping the gun beside him before looking around for more assailants.

“Therapy Dancing was not the only thing I picked up in Malta” I replied, before resting back on the seat beside him.

“When I think I know you, you turn around and surprise the hell out of me,” he laughed.

“It seems Silvio survived that blast, he won't stop coming for us” Julius mentioned.

“That’s why I need to end this Julius, no more running, i'm not leaving Italy”

Julius was quiet for a while, before responding.

“You are right, you can't look weak in front of the other families. If you kill Silvio it will show them that you don't fear anyone and you are a true Boss”

I watched the two men talk about plans for a while before concluding.

Soon after we dropped Julius at a trusted hospital.

“Backup will meet you at the island as soon as possible, stay in the shadows, don't get seen, and get Serena out without being seen,” he cautioned.

Mateo and I continued, Soon after we ditched the bullet riddled car and boarded an allied plane heading for Massimo’s island.