Chapter Six

The early sun made the sky look gold and amber, but Alison did not feel its warmth. Nicholas had taken them into the countryside, away from the city noise. It was quiet now, except for the sound of birds chirping.

And she watched, his profile sharp in the headlights through the windshield. Since last night he barely spoke, jaw set, hands clenching the steering wheel.

At long last the car halted by an ancient barn. It was an old and weathered building, slowly succumbing to the elements it had been doing its best to out last. 

“We’ll stay here for a while,” Nicholas said, breaking the quiet.

Alison hesitated a bit, looking at the barn. “What are we gonna do ?”

Nicholas did not reply. He got out of the car, pulling a gun from his holder while he scanned the area. Alison got out too, her legs feeling heavy.

“Is this how your life is?” she asked softly. “Always running and looking back?”

“This is what I chose.” He answered, not entirely honest.

Alison frowned. “That is not an answer.”

Nicholas shrugged and pointed to the barn. “Go inside. We need to talk”

His tone made it clear there was no room for debate. Alison entered the barn slowly, her eyes getting used to the low light coming through the cracks in the wooden walls. The air had the smell of hay and earth, none of it compared to the iron smell of blood that still hung in her memory.

Nicholas followed her in, shutting the door after him. He indicated an old bale of hay for her to sit on.

“We need to lay low for a while,” he started, his voice calm. “Adrian’s men are no joke. They will never give up looking for us.”

Alison wrapped her arms around herself. “So, what are we going to do? We can’t just keep doing a disappearing act forever.”

Nicholas leaned against a wooden beam, his gaze didn’t waver. “We can't do it. This is why I need you to tell me in detail what you know about what you saw that night.”

She tensed, recalling the crime scene. “I told you—I didn't see anything .”

His face narrowed “ You didn't see anything yet you're being chased, you better talk unless I'll consider giving you to Adrian myself” 

Alison was scared, she hadn't seen Adrian, but just the mention of his name scared her already. “Hmmm, I remember seeing a man pleading for his life, then you shot him.” She looked him dead in the eye as she said the ‘shot’ part.

She wanted to ask him so many questions. Why did he kill the man? Why was he helping her despite the fact he killed someone? What was Adrian's connection to this? From what she observed so far, Adrian seems to be the boss and he clearly ordered the hit using Nicholas. She was the most unfortunate to witness it, now he wants her dead.

“This is quite bad; you witnessed an attack on the Famiglia. Adrian probably wanted to protect his pride by killing you or prevent a clash, but I doubt it's about a clash; he doesn't care about such,” He said; even though Alison didn't understand a word he uttered, she nodded.

They heard a sound outside distracting them from their talk. They stopped talking and tried listening to the sound. Nicholas quickly pulled out his gun from his holster while Alison silently prayed for this to be over.

Nicholas crept to the door, the noise of his approach most insidious. Alison swallowed, her heart was hammering against her chest.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the barn door start to crack open, and Nicholas squeezed his weapon. And instead of someone attacking a familiar face showed up— sandy-blond, smirking, and cocky.

“Keep the gun down, Nick, ” the man said, putting his own hands up. “Hey, just me”.

Nicholas dropped his weapon but had to bite his bottom lip; even though he looked warily at her. “What the hell are you doing here, Luke?

“I thought you’d need my help, heard you are on the run”

Nicholas flexed his jaw. “I do not need your help”.

“I mean, ‘for sure’ as Luke said with a glance over to Alison. And who is this? Your damsel in distress?

His tone nettled Alison, but Nicholas threw the reply out. “She is none of your business–, and how did you find me here”

Luke arched an eyebrow. “Come on man, I know, well it isn't important Adrian ordered a bounty”

A chill ran down Alison’s spine. “A bounty?” She has only heard of such in movies; never would she expect a bounty to be actually after her.

Luke nodded. “You two are on his hit list”

He gripped his gun even tighter as Nicholas said. “Why are you here, Luke?

“To warn you,” Luke said, his face serious. “Adrian is sending more people. I know you are good, but you are outnumbered. If you think last night was bad, get ready for worse.”

Nicholas’s expression darkened. “Why warn me? What’s in it for you?”

Luke shrugged. “Call it a favor. You have to act smart unless you’re going to get yourself and her killed .”

Before Nicholas could say anything, Luke’s phone chimed. He glanced at the screen, his smirk fading. “

Too late,” he said, his voice grim. “They’re already here.”