Chapter 7 - The Streets of Fear
The sun hit the stone. It was noon in the city. The SUV was waiting. Lorenzo was in the back. He was armed and cold. I climbed in beside him. We drove into the heart. The city was a maze. The alleys were dark. The streets were all grey. We stopped at a port. It was Vane's home ground. Ships groaned in the wind. The air tasted of salt. And the scent of decay. "Stay near," Lorenzo said. "Watch every shadow." I nodded my head. I kept my hand close. Close to the blade. We walked to a shed. It was guarded by men. They stepped to block us. Lorenzo did not stop. He signaled the guards. They drew their own steel. A battle began fast. It was a dance of death. I moved with the flow. I blocked a hard punch. I struck at a throat. I moved like a ghost. I was a new woman. I was a lethal force. Lorenzo was fighting. He used his own chair. As a shield and a gun. He was a king in war. He was a beast in strife. We broke through the door. The shed was a trap. It was full of men. They were waiting for us. "Surround them!" they cried. We fought in the dark. The bullets flew fast. The blood painted walls. I felt the adrenaline. I felt the cold kill. I did not miss one. I did not feel fear. We reached the office. A man was in there. He was sitting in light. He had a calm face. "Welcome," he whispered. "I am Vane," he said. Lorenzo stepped forward. "Your time is over." Vane laughed at the threat. "Your time is just done." He pressed a red switch. The building began to shake. "It is rigged to fall." "We die in this cage." I looked at the walls. I saw the main line. I saw the gas pipe. I lunged for the valve. I turned it with force. The fire died out. The explosion was stopped. Vane looked at the pipe. His face went stone white. "How did you know?" "I look for the leaks." I said with a smile. A cold, deadly smile. Lorenzo moved forward. He stood over Vane. "Your debt is now paid." He pulled out a gun. The shot echoed loud. It finished the man. The shed went silent. The fighting had stopped. We turned to the door. We walked into the light. The city was waiting. The war was now ours. We drove back to home. The estate was a fort. We reached the front door. I looked at my hands. They were clean of the blood. But my heart was hard. I was a Spedaro now. The war was a life. And I was the queen. I went to my room. I looked in the glass. The woman was gone. A monster remained. A beautiful, sharp one. I held my head high. I was ready for more. The game was just born. And I was the player. I slept without dreams. The night was all mine. The city was quiet. The danger was gone. Or so I believed. But the shadows stayed. They waited for more. The next turn of fate.
