Taken By The Hitman IV by Amber Adams

Chapter 8: Jason

 

I drive down the highway, knowing that I have to get Bianca to her brother fast.

The look on her face when she took the call was something that I don’t ever want to see again. I know she cares for her brother and that he is the only family she has left.

If he dies before we can get there, I will never forgive myself.

I doubt Bianca will forgive me either. I am already on her shit list for bringing up wanting to leave her with her brother to go after Saccone. Clearly, she didn’t like that plan.

But her brother is already my backup plan, and as much as Bianca hates that I’m going to leave her there, his army is the force that will keep her safe. It’s the best thing to do now and it will allow me to deal with Saccone myself.

When it comes to one on one, I’ve got a damn good reputation, and with the fire burning in my belly, even injured I know he wouldn’t stand a chance so long as I get close enough to the snake.

“Take the next exit,” she says, breaking the heavy silence in the car.

We haven’t run into any trouble, and it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention. It can’t be this easy.

Someone is waiting for me to screw up.

I pull the car off the exit, and we fall into tense silence once more, the countryside slowly disappearing and large estates here and there coming into view.

I honestly don’t know what we are going to be facing when we arrive at our destination. I doubt that this is some sort of setup for Saccone.

This has to be the real deal.

We don’t make it too much farther. I slow the car as I see several big black Escalades with their heavily tinted windows on both sides of the road, the men climbing out of them with AK’s in their arms. I reach for my own gun tucked between the seats.

“Get down.”

“No,” she says, rolling down the window. “Those are my brother’s men.”

“Bianca,” I start, but she’s holding out her hands so they will see that she’s not a threat.

“It’s me, Bianca, I’m here to see my brother,” she states.

“Lucas is expecting me.”

“Who the fuck is that?” one of them asks, nodding to me.

“He’s been assigned to me,” she answers, her voice agitated and demanding.

“Move, you’re holding me up.”

The man clenches his jaw but he waves us through and I let out a slow breath.

“That was good. You were good.”

“It’s bad, then,” she says quietly, slumping against the seat.

“The heavily armed blockades only go up when it’s serious.”

I look in the rear-view mirror, noting the SUV that has joined behind us on the road. I don’t know if it’s for our protection or for something else, but I keep my eyes on it regardless.

Finally, after a few turns, I find myself at a massive iron gate with a curling M in the middle. There are other guards there, and one of the bigger ones comes up to the window, his hand on his gun, finger on the trigger. I roll down the window and he looks in.

“Miss Moretti,” he states.

“Lucas told us you were coming. Are you and your man armed?”

Bianca glares at him, “Of course we are armed,” she states with exasperation.

“He’s been assigned to me. What good would he be to me otherwise?”

She stares the big man down and he takes a step back giving a nod to the guy in the small guard hut.

Bianca inclines her head at the guard in silent approval and the gates swing inward, allowing us to drive through. The long driveway is lined with trees, but I note the guards that are patrolling the grounds, AK’s in their hands.

When we finally reach the house, it’s a fucking mansion.

“This is my childhood home,” Bianca offers up as I slow the car in front of the door. “Where Emil and I grew up.”

I hear the wistfulness in her voice and hate that she’s visiting under these conditions. Coming here should be a good moment for her, not filled with anxiety of what she might find.

Bianca opens the door the moment the car rolls to a stop, and I hurry to climb out, ignoring the pain in my side.

“Bianca,” a man calls out as he greets her on the stairs. The reflex to jump out and protect Bianca threads through me like lightning when his arms go around her, and I clench my fists to keep from doing something stupid that will likely get me shot.

“Johnny,” she answers, relief on her face. “You’re here.”

“Of course, I am,” he responds, pulling her back. “Why wouldn’t I be? I came as soon as I heard.”

I watch the exchange with a blank expression on my face. Whoever Johnny is, he will be in my sights so I can keep an eye on him.

Bianca’s face falls and I tamp down my surge of overprotective concern. Now’s not the time.

“Where is he?” she asks, her voice full of emotion.

“Upstairs,” Johnny answers, linking their arms together. “He will be glad to know you are here.”

They walk away and I’m forced to follow behind them, stepping into the opulent foyer.

Twin winding staircases greet us, along with shiny granite floors and old chandeliers hanging from the vaulted ceiling. It’s clearly old money I’m looking at, and though I have a pretty nice setup myself, this is on a different level.

This isn’t just rich.

This is true mafia.

Finally, Bianca remembers I’m here, and she pauses on the bottom stair.

“Oh, Johnny, this is Jason. He’s my, um...”

“Boyfriend,” I interject and extend my hand to him.

Johnny shakes it and arches a brow, looking back at Bianca.

“Boyfriend, Bee? I didn’t know you had it in you. Come on, Bee,” Johnny continues, winking at me. “We can discuss this later.”

In great discomfort, I follow them the rest of the way. I’m not used to relationship stuff and am totally out of my comfort zone with this kind of exchange.

As we continue down the hallway, I note how the already heavy guard presence increases the closer we get to the door at the far end. They all respectfully nod to Bianca as we pass, but glare at me, and I just grin to irritate them. It’s a shitty move, but I want them to know I’m not afraid of them. Even if this is friendly and safe territory for Bianca, it’s not necessarily for me.

We arrive at a pair of double doors and Johnny finally lets go of Bianca, stepping aside.

“I think it’s best if you go in alone. Lucas, he can give you the specifics of what Emil is facing.”

Bianca looks back at me. “Will you come with me, Jason?”

Fuck yeah, I will. I step forward and take her hand, squeezing it lightly.

“You know I will.”

“Thank you,” she says softly, drawing in a breath. Johnny reaches over and opens the door, the cool air washing over us as we step in. It’s a huge bedroom, nearly the size of my apartment, which is pretty impressive by the way, and with a bed dominating the center.

A tall man with wild red hair approaches us, giving me the once-over. I see the gun in the holster under his arm, but his eyes soften as he sees Bianca.

“Lucas,” she says softly, her eyes flitting to the bed. “What… tell me what’s going on.”

“Broken femur,” Lucas starts, shoving a hand through his hair roughly.

“Three bullets to his body. One in the arm, flesh wound, one to the torso that just missed his liver, and the other to his upper thigh that only nicked his femoral artery. The surgeons say he is one lucky bastard and should buy a fucking lottery ticket.”

I clench Bianca’s hand just a little tighter, feeling worry in her grip. Her brother is lucky. Any one of those bullets could have killed him.

“He’s in and out,” Lucas continues, glancing at the bed.

“Mostly because of the pain meds he’s on. The doctor will be back shortly if you want to talk to him and he can fill you in on the medical side of things. We are to keep him calm and as still as possible while he heals, but I figure the moment his meds wear off and he’s lucid, I’m going to have to tie him to the bed.”

“I don’t want to wait for the doctor, I think I will try and talk with Emil now,” Bianca says, pulling away from my grasp.

I let her go, knowing it’s something she’s got to do, but if she needs me, I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.

“So, who the fuck are you?” Lucas growls at my side just low enough so that Bianca is out of range.

I don’t take my eyes off Bianca as she approaches the bed. “I’m your worst fucking nightmare if you try to remove me from this room right now.”

He chuckles. “So, you are him. You got some balls coming up in this territory, Corben.”

I roll my shoulders, my eyes still on Bianca.

“Well, I’m no one to fuck with either. Lucas Murphy, Emil’s number two”.

“Murphy,” I nod in reply, eyes still glued to Bianca.

“So, what happened?”

Lucas lets out a breath. “The SUV came out of nowhere. One minute we are talking about heading to the club for a nightcap, and the next, the SUV is on its side, and we are taking heavy fire.”

“How many did you lose?” I ask quietly.

“Four,” Lucas replies.

“I got the don out of there and to a hospital. He was bleeding all over the fucking place.”

His voice trails off and I don’t press him for any more answers. He’s said enough, probably reliving the horror of losing that many men and how he was unable to save his don from his injuries.

“Was it Saccone?” I continue.

“I’m sure it was,” Lucas states confidently.

“I’m waiting on the boss to give us direction. He won’t want us to be reckless, but I want to bury my knife in Saccone’s neck for what he’s done to him.”

The loyalty of the mafia.

Hit men don’t have any loyalty to anyone but themselves. They can’t. They have to stay neutral, with their only allegiance being to themselves and to their current contract.

Well, it’s not one hundred percent true, I guess. There’s my loyalty to Murdock and Mike. They know I will do anything for them and vice versa. We are blurring the lines of what a hit man is supposed to do. To follow the code, we aren’t technically supposed to have any sort of friendships with other hit men, or any sort of caring in our bones.

And then there’s Bianca and her damn contract. Caring for a target of all fucking things. I’ve gone against all I have been taught by refusing to complete the contract.

It’s not just Murdock and Mike.

Now, I’m loyal to her too.

That matters a hell of a lot to me now, being loyal to Bianca. If she hasn’t understood my motives by now, I don’t know how much more I can do to show her that she’s all I care about right now. Her safety, the ability to keep her alive is my top priority.

I’ve come to realize over the last few weeks that I care more about her safety than my own. Fuck, that’s a first.

So, taking out Saccone is the best way to make sure Bianca is safe. And, if I do it right, my own safety as well.

Getting rid of him. It’s the only way.

Before all this, there was just Jason and Bianca.

I want to have that again.

Dammit, we will have that again.

I’ll risk my life for it.