Screams in New York - Book Three

~Chapter Twenty~

Chapter Song

Natural – Imagine Dragons

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Adriana's black leather encased fingers gently tapped the steering wheel in front of her. She had gone to Patrizio for what hopefully would be a final favour, one which he insisted was free of charge, he had loaned her a vehicle to do with as she pleased.
It had certainly come in handy the last few days, it was much easier to stake out Elena's home and whereabouts this way. But today she was ready for confrontation, she couldn't wait any longer, it had been far too long ditching Stefano now and she was certain her luck with that would be running out soon.

She had felt horrible the last couple of days thinking back on everything, the way she had fled and the trouble she had most likely dragged Stefano into. She hadn't meant any harm and only hoped he had been able to come up with something for her fiancé.
But this was personal, something she felt she had to do. She had been imprisoned for a crime she very well knew she committed under circumstances where she felt she had no other options. And Salvatore was there for her, every single day, fighting each waking moment to get her out and home to him. He had made the ultimate sacrifice, his very own freedom for hers, so fighting for him was a no brainer in her opinion.
She knew she could have shared her newly discovered information, left it in the hands of the family. But she felt compelled to see it through and she knew Stefano and the others would never agree to her tagging along for the journey. So, to avoid any disappointment she had done what she felt she needed to do.

As her fingertips traced the outer edge of the wheel, she raised a curious brow noticing the steel door opening of the apartment complex she was scoping out. She watched as a man casually exited, his hands buried deep within his pockets, his pants seeming possibly a size too big for his slender body.
Adriana recognized him instantly as Elena's latest conquest as she tensed within her seat, suddenly holding her breath as if he would even know who she was. Her eyes followed him cautiously as he made his way to a nearby vehicle, entered and drove away down the street.

"What the..." Adriana whispered to herself unsure what to make of his sudden exit. "Where's the baby?" She continued to speak out loud to herself knowing very well Elena hadn't left with a child earlier that morning.
Something was off. Patrizio had done a full background as well as tailed the couple prior to reporting back to her. They had no family who cared for them so she was certainly under the impression this boyfriend was responsible for the baby while Elena worked.
It was certainly possible trusted friends from the complex were assisting him with the baby, though she thought it was quite irresponsible given the lack of history Elena had in the country.

She drew in a breath, shook off the thoughts regarding Elena's parenting skills and reached for her small backpack before exiting the car and making her way towards the building as soon as she noticed another gentleman heading towards the green steel doors. This was it; she was going to get inside and surprise the couple on their return. It was now or never.

"Cazzo!" (Fück!) Adriana cursed loudly with her head buried into her backpack which she had swung forward pretending to rummage through the contents.

"Dimenticato le chiavi?" (Did you forget the keys?) The gentleman queried with a sympathetic smile while proceeding to unlock the doors. "Dai, entra signorina" (come on, enter miss)

She flashed him a smile while quickly scurrying inside, this was easier than she anticipated, clearly this neighbourhood was not big on safety.
"Grazie! Ho le chiavi di casa, ma non so come ho dimenticato le chiavi del portone!" (Thank you! I have the house keys, but I have no idea how I forgot the main door keys!)