Page 511 of One More Kiss
He pressed on the gas pedal and the jeep lurched into traffic. I was back into my seat. My head whirled with confusion and worry.
Had they finally realized how hard it was to get my father and now I was the main target?
I leaned forward to ask Paolo for more details.
A boom rocketed the air. The jeep shook. Smoke filtered through the air vents, and I release a strangled gasp.
Paolo’s gaze snapped to the rear view mirror. “Fuck!”
I twisted my body and glanced out the back. Smoke billowed from a SUV.
People ran down the streets shouting. Others laid on the ground, bleeding.
Terror raced through me.
“Avery,” Paolo said, his voice gentle. “Look at me, honey.”
I turned my gaze to him, my eyes filling with tears. “It was Leon, wasn’t it? He was in the SUV.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry, but, yes, it was.”
Leon wasn’t the target; I was. He’d lost his life because of me.
My heart broke and fear encased me like a shroud.
Paolo reached over and squeezed my knee. There was nothing he could say that would fix the situation.
The drive was quiet. I could feel each time Paolo glanced at me, but I didn’t turn to face him. My tears fell thick and fast.
If Paolo hadn’t been here, if he hadn’t followed us, I would have been in that SUV. I would be dead right now.
The moment Paolo put the car in park, I rushed into the house, up the stairs, and into my bedroom. Once I closed the door, I dropped onto my bed and cried.
In my twenty-three years, nobody had made an attempt on my life. The worry was always there, but this was the first time it came close. Dad and Frank had made an agreement years ago not to go after each other’s daughters. My father didn’t trust Frank, but I never thought he would kill me. Use me as leverage, but never blow me up. Planting a bomb in Leon’s SUV—that took guts.
Dad wouldn’t stop until he found the person.
My body shook hard with each sob that wracked through me. I cried myself to sleep.
A knock on the door woke me up. It took a few minutes for me to gain my senses, and I remembered what happened today.
The door opened and my father strode in.
“You’re awake,” he said softly as he came toward me. He sunk down onto the corner of the bed beside me and rested his hand on my arm. “Are you okay?”
I shook my head. No point in lying. “Leon?”
“I’m sorry, principessa. He didn’t make it.”
In the back of my head, I had known this, but hearing the words from my father made it even more real.
“This is my fault,” I whispered, pain lacing my words.
“No, this isn’t your fault at all, Avery. This is down to whoever the fuck is after me.” He gripped my arm. “They can come after me—I don’t give a fuck—but you? No one comes after my daughter.”
My bottom lip trembled as I stared at him. I knew this life. I knew the dangers that we all faced being a part of it. Today, however, was the first time that I’d ever faced those dangers head on.
I hated it.
