Savannah’s POV
The air in the narrow Italian alley felt like lead.
I pressed my back against the damp brick wall, squeezing into the tightest gap I could find.
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Heavy boots shattered the silence, accompanied by low, urgent voices.
“Bullshit! Find her! Check every single corner!”
The underboss’s gravelly voice sent a spike of pure adrenaline through my veins.
My knees buckled.
I dropped into a crouch, sinking into the shadow of a pile of rotting trash bags.
Clasping my hands over my mouth, I bit down on my own knuckles to stifle the sound of my ragged breathing.
I squeezed my eyes shut, praying the darkness would swallow me whole.
A shadow fell over my hiding spot.
Through the cracks of my fingers, I saw a polished black boot stop barely two inches from my knee.
Panic flared, hot and sharp.
I leaned further into the garbage, ignoring the stench as the plastic crinkled microscopically beneath my weight.
Don’t breathe.
Don’t blink.
The man shifted his weight.
The leather of his holster creaked.
Just as he leaned down to peer into the gap, a frantic shout echoed from the main street.
“Boss! We found torn pieces of her clothes near the intersection!”
The boot pivoted instantly.
The heavy footfalls receded, sprinting back toward the main road.
I waited three agonizing seconds before pushing a trash bag away from my face.
The alley was empty.
I scrambled to my feet and burst into the crowded piazza, immediately lowering my head.
I forced my pace into a casual walk, weaving through the tourists.
My eyes darted across the square, scanning for an exit, until a massive billboard for a luxury hotel caught my attention.
Recognition clicked.
Hope flared in my chest.
I know exactly where I am.
I adjusted my stride, trying to blend into the sea of unfamiliar faces.
A few onlookers stared at my disheveled appearance, their brows furrowing with worry.
I glanced back over my shoulder to check for tails—and slammed hard into a solid chest.
I recoiled, instantly ducking my head.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered, keeping my voice low.
“Ew! Watch where you’re going, will you?” a sharp, familiar voice snapped.
“Damn it… she stinks. Bello, let’s go.”
My brow creased.
I risked a glance upward.
I knew it.
But before the thought could fully form, my eyes locked onto a man standing fifty yards behind them.
Dark suit.
Earpiece.
One of Inferno’s scouts.
I spun on my heel, my heart jumping into my throat, and accelerated.
Up ahead, the glass facade of the hotel loomed—the exact place I had checked into days before Inferno’s men tracked me down and snatched me from that cafe.
I pushed through the revolving doors and walked straight to the marble front desk, my palms sweating.
The receptionist looked up.
Her eyes widened, scanning my torn clothes and pale face.
“Ma’am? Savannah?”
“Is my room still registered under my name?” I cut in, my voice a frantic whisper.
I glanced nervously at the glass doors behind me.
“I need a duplicate key. Right now.”
“Ma’am, where have you been? We were about to call the police. The housekeeping staff confirmed—”
“Don’t,” I ordered, leaning over the desk to grip the edge. Find the original chapter at g.com.
“Do not call anyone. Just give me the key. Please. Fast.”
Startled by my tone, she nodded quickly, swiped a spare key card, and handed it over.
I bypassed the elevators entirely, fearing a trap, and took the stairs two at a time up to the eighth floor.
My lungs burned.
My chest heaved.
I slapped the key against the electronic lock, heard the click, and threw myself inside, slamming the door shut behind me.
I didn’t stop to breathe.
I rushed to the desk where my hidden devices sat untouched.
“Thank God,” I breathed, flipping open the laptop.
I ran into the bathroom, quickly scrubbing the grime from my skin in a rush of warm water, then threw on a fresh change of clothes.
Every second was a ticking bomb.
Back at the desk, my fingers flew across the keyboard.
The encryption progress bar loaded with agonizing slowness.
45%…
60%…
My phone buzzed on the desk.
From: Unknown Number
“We will be there in an hour. Are you okay? Evacuate immediately after the transfer. You can’t stay there.”
I glanced at the monitor.
85%.
I grabbed the phone to type a rapid reply.
To: Unknown Number
“Almost done. I’ll meet you at the intersection.”
Success.
Transfer Complete.
The files—years of classified intel I’d extracted from Ciffarelli and the inner workings of our own corrupt organization—were safe.
Inferno was hunting me down because I had his entire empire sitting on a microchip.
I slammed the laptop shut, ripped it from the power source, and forcefully smashed the hard drive against the edge of the desk until the plastic shattered.
I pried the microchip out of the drive, ran into the bathroom, tossed it into the toilet, and flushed.
No loose ends.
No room for errors.
I pulled a blonde wig over my hair, donned a pair of dark sunglasses, and grabbed my jacket and bag.
Pushing the door open, I scanned the empty hallway before slipping out.
When I exited the hotel lobby, my stomach dropped.
Three sleek, black SUVs pulled up to the curb, blocking the entrance.
Through my sunglasses, I watched the doors fly open.
They had figured out where I was staying before the kidnapping.
“Scan the perimeter!” a voice barked.
It was Drakon, Inferno’s ruthless underboss.
“Check everyone coming in and out!”
I kept my head down, turning left to walk away from the vehicles.
I raised my phone, pretending to check a map while using the front-facing camera as a rear-view mirror.
Drakon was scanning the crowd.
His eyes paused on my silhouette.
Did he recognize me?
I broke into a fast walk, following the coordinates the Donna had left me before she died.
Yannah had given me this emergency contact number with a strict warning: Only use it if you are completely compromised.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
A tall, broad shadow was gaining ground behind me.
Up ahead, a group of laughing teenagers in university gear approached.
I forced a bright, relieved smile onto my face and stepped directly into their path.
“Hey! Oh my god, it’s been so long!” I exclaimed, grabbing the arm of the girl closest to me.
The teenagers stopped, looking at me with utter confusion.
“Uh… hi? Do we know you?” the girl asked.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the shadow behind me pause, hesitate, and then turn down a side street to avoid drawing attention.
The breath rushed out of me.
“I am so sorry,” I whispered to the teenagers, dropping my hand.
Without waiting for their reply, I adjusted my bag and bolted toward the intersection.
Reaching the crossroad, I dove into a thick patch of ornamental hedges, crouching low to scan the area.
My breath hitched.
A silver sedan rolled past the intersection.
Inside, two familiar faces caught my eye.
Isn’t that Riego’s sister?
And she’s with Keegan?
I narrowed my eyes.
Pathetic.
They really deserve each other.
My phone vibrated violently against my thigh.
From: Unknown Number
“En route. Are you at the intersection?”
Before I could type a reply, a sharp, terrifying sound cut through the air.
A deep, aggressive bark.
I peeked through the leaves.
My blood turned to ice.
Inferno’s men were already at the intersection.
And they hadn’t come alone.
One of the scouts was holding the leash of a massive, muscular Belgian Malinois.
The handler held out a torn piece of cloth—the t-shirt I’d left in my hotel room.
The dog took a deep sniff, its ears pinning back as it locked onto the scent.
“Fuck,” I hissed under my breath.
They had searched my room within minutes of me leaving.
The dog let out a vicious, bloodcurdling howl and tore forward, dragging its handler toward the hedges.
I couldn’t stay here.
A trained military dog would tear me to pieces.
I abandoned the bushes, sprinting across the pavement toward a glass-fronted bank.
No pets allowed.
It was my only shot.
I pushed through the heavy doors, trying to look casual, and sank into an empty chair at the very back of the queue.
My hands shook as I opened my bag.
I pulled out a bottle of cheap, heavy perfume I never used and aggressively sprayed it all over my jacket and wrists, desperate to mask my scent.
“Miss! Please!” an elderly woman next to me coughed, waving her hands in front of her face.
“That is completely obnoxious. It stinks!”
The security guard at the door immediately turned his attention to me.
Seeing my frantic eyes and smelling the overwhelming chemical cloud, he walked over.
“Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to step outside.”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” I stammered.
He gripped my elbow firmly and escorted me back out onto the sidewalk.
The street looked clear, but the relief lasted for less than a second.
As an ex-agent, I knew involving the local police would only flash a beacon to Inferno’s moles inside the government.
I was entirely on my own.
I stepped into an alleyway to double back to the extraction point when a deep, guttural snarl vibrated behind me.
I froze.
I turned my head by millimeters.
Thirty feet away, the Belgian Malinois stood unleashed.
Its eyes were locked onto mine, its lips pulled back to reveal sharp, gleaming teeth dripping with saliva.
The dog launched itself forward, a bullet of pure muscle.
“She’s here! At the intersection!” the handler screamed into his radio, drawing his weapon as he sprinted after the beast.
I turned and ran faster than I ever had in my life, the pavement blurring beneath my boots.
Of all the things to hunt me down, why did it have to be a Malinois?
You might’ve been really stunning Savannah!
Even dog wants you!
ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)ʱªʱªʱª….
How many times have you been bitten by a dog?