Property Of Vittore Martinelli ✓

49

I tightened the straps of the backpack on my back. This was the most important thing That I came with on this trip. It was the reason why Lily had to stay in the car and I felt giddy at the thought of using what was inside.

I was dressed head to toe in black, my hair having been plaited into two tight French braids. I flexed my fingers, loving the smooth black gloves that Lily had given me.

"You look badass," Lily commented coming out of the bathroom dressed in tiny cut off jeans and a tropical shirt that was unbuttoned, showing her lace bra and tied together just under the fabric.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

Peyton walked out of the bathroom next, dressed in a long white maxi skirt with a slit up each leg and a strapless black crop top.

"I'm so digging this whole operation," Peyton mumbled, a silly smile on her face.

"Well that's good and all. The two of you ready?" I asked and they nodded.

"Great. See you both in a few days," I told them and walked out of the door first. I went down to the parking lot, not many people were around, my eyes scanning for a vehicle.

I spotted a sleek black bike and whistled lowly. This definitely was my lucky day. I threw one leg over the powerful looking machine and after a little tweaking with the wires, I got it to start.

I smiled when the engine roared and pulled the bike out of the lot. I think I heard someone shouting after me as I drove off but I'd never know. The wind was in my face, blowing my braids back and this was the most relaxed I'd felt in a while.

My movements were smooth as I took sharp turns on different corners until I reached the road to turn off. I got down from the bike and looked around. I shrugged and put it into drive, watching it go on its own, getting further and further away until it collided into a bolder, going up into flames.

I winced and quickly walked away, jogging down the road. After a while, I veered off to the side that had random bushes and trees. I was used to jogging long distances so I wasn't that much out fo breath when I spotted the warehouse. I peeped at it from behind some long grass. The place was crawling with guards. There was no way I was getting through that.

I sat down and after a while, loud music blared in the empty space. I looked up to see a sleek red convertible filled with people dressed in swim wear with a large speaker, moving closer to the warehouse.

I noticed Peyton and Lily in the car and the unmistakeable shout of dozens of teenagers filled the air. I smiled when the place was crowded with half dressed teens, eager to party. Most of the guards went to the front to prevent people from going in and I made a dash for the building.

When I reached the chainlink fence, I pulled myself up and over, faster than the guards could track before running to the side of the building. I but my back to it, keeping with the shadows as someone passed by. I let out a breath when they were gone, looking up for the entrance to a vent.

When my eyes spotted it, it was higher up than I could reach so I back up before running at the wall, pushing myself up on the surface and grabbing the vent. My weight was too much and I fell with it in my hands.

Landing on my back, I groaned quietly at the pain that rippled up my spine. I sat up picking a random strong from the ground and typing it on one of the bars of the vent and around my waist.

I backed up again, running towards the wall and pulling myself up and into the vent. I crawled inside, the vents cover dragging behind me and I paused for a while to put it back into place and remove the string from around my waist.

I shimmied out of my bag and put it in front of me. The space in the vent was big enough for me to sit with my head bowed and I thanked whoever built this building. I pulled my phone out of the bag and used the picture I had taken of the blueprint to get to the main storage. I crawled in the vents, sometimes passing over other openings to see guards below.

I smiled, being invisible and after a while, made it to the main storage. I looked down through the opening and saw a whole conference table. I sighed and settled down. The air in the vents was cool and helped warm me up after all that crawling. I pulled the bag next to me and opened it, picking out one of the snacks Faye packed for me.

There was no way I would be in here without them. I was going to wait for Sante the whole day.

Guards passed through during the course of the night, probably looking for any lackers after the whole beach party thing. I needed a pat on the back for that idea and its all thanks to King.

When morning came, no one was in the warehouse. It was filled with pin drop silence and I lay down on my back, my bag acting as a pillow and closed my eyes for a while. I must have slept for two to three hours, spending the rest of my time looking at the table below and eating snacks.

Boredom was assured. I was so stuck with myself and my thoughts, I begged for Sante to arrive early. All I thought about was the worst parts of my life, the bittersweet moments from when I was younger and of course Vittore. He never seemed to stray from the forefront of my mind. I thought of the first time we met, when he called me an "it" and a whore.

Damn that seemed like so long ago. Now, we had some sort of partnership, I was thinking of signing a marriage contract with him and there was that weird feeling I got whenever our skin touched. I knew what the feeling was, I was attracted to the Italian and no matter how many unhealthy thoughts I filled in my head about him, I just couldn't shake the feeling off and I didn't mind. I sighed, completely conflicted.

A loud bang suddenly echoed through the warehouse and my body tensed, going into fight mode. I looked through the space where the vents opened and saw a man take a seat, followed by a number of others.

I noticed they all had the same snake tattoo one the side of their necks but there was one of them whose snake stood out. It was more detailed and he looked in charge. I noticed how most of the people around shrunk in his presence.

The meeting started and everyone was speaking in Italian but I waited for it. I waited for confirmation and once one of the men at the table called the man with a detailed tattoo Mr. Di Laura, I pulled my bag closer, finally taking out what I had been keeping.

It was a bomb, one I'd made myself. It was a simple C-4 plastic explosive and I'd put a timer in it to blow this place sky high. I only had four minutes to go through this cramped space again and get as far from here as I could.

I quickly started the timer, grabbing only the phone in the bag and quietly crawling back the route i came with help of the picture of the blueprint. My heart hammered in my chest as adrenaline run through my veins. It was like I could feel the timer in my chest, counting down the seconds to my death.

I finally reached the vent I came in, looking out. There was a guard there but I couldn't wait. He was looking out so I quietly pushed the vent open and held it in my hand as I dropped to the ground quietly, hiding behind a random crate when he looked back.

My heart was practically leaping at this point, knowing I didn't have much time. I saw him come closer and jumped him when he was close enough. I grabbed a rock from the ground and hit him the head, hard enough to knock him out.

Then, I run towards the fence, climbed out and over, sprinting as fast as I could towards the main road.

"Alexa, call Peyton!" I said into the phone, out of breath.

Calling Peyton....

"Hello?"

"Come pick me up! I'm at the-"

An earth shaking bang sounded behind me and heat passed over my skin. When I looked back, the whole area was lit by the orange flames of the warehouse. My feet stumbled as the earth shook and wind rushed past me, the gust powerful enough to finally throw me off my feet and rolling to the base of a tree. I hit my back and groaned as ringing sounded in my ears.

Everything blurred for a second and my head spun as things slowly went dark.