Two of Jose’s goons come back into the room. “You’re lucky. The boss wants to kill you himself. At least it’ll be quick.”
I let my head roll forward as though I were still dazed. My body is slack but ready. They bend down and cut free my hands. The one takes my left arm, and I slump forward. As his friend bends down to take my right arm, I throw a punch straight to his throat, causing him to choke.
The idiot holding my left keeps holding my arm but tries to get his gun with his free hand. I quickly lift the hem of my pants, grab the knife and heave several quick short stabs into his abdomen. He releases me and slumps to the ground, and I slit his throat.
I whip around to see the other idiot lumbering toward the door, still unable to call for help because I punched him so hard. Quick as a bullet, I cross the room and put an arm around his neck before drawing my blade across it. Blood spurts out and washes the walls as I stand beside him. I probably look like a madman.
I frisk both of them and take their guns and holsters. I check how many bullets are in each magazine before I attach them to me and keep my knife ready in my hand.
I sneak toward the door. I don’t know how many guards will be out there or where Sofia is, but two things will happen: I’m going to kill every motherfucker in this place, and I’m going to get Sofia back.
She may be a pain in the ass, but for now, she’s my pain in the ass. I never fail at a job.
I pull the door open confidently to find only one guard standing outside, so I stab him in the neck as quickly as possible. He gurgles some bloody words and slumps to the ground. I retrieve my blade and crouch, sneaking across the garden toward the main house. I keep to the boundary, in the brush and plants, hoping I won’t run into more guards. One comes out from a hidden spot in front of me, but he doesn’t notice me and keeps working his way across the garden. I cross quickly, trying not to draw his attention. There is another guard at the back entrance to the house. He’ll see me coming if I go for him and immediately alert the others. It would mean a firefight.
I look around for anything I can use. I need to keep moving because the patrolling guard could come my way at any moment. I find a pebble and move back behind a tree to throw it to the other side of the deck. The guard whips around and holds up his gun. He slowly stalks toward where the pebble landed, and I quickly and quietly sneak into the house. I want to let out a breath, but I’m too scared that someone will hear me at this point.
I crouch behind some furniture and peek over the top, scanning to see where I am and where I can go. I’m in what looks like a bedroom, behind some armchairs near the door. I crouch as I walk toward the door and slowly peek around both ways. There are no guards to be seen, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any in the house.
I don’t know which way to take to get to Sofia. I listen carefully, trying to see if I can hear her voice, but I don’t hear anything. The rooms must be soundproof.
A door opens to the right, and I hide behind the door of my room. A goon walks past the door saying, “Is it safe to leave her there with him?”
“He’ll kill her if she tries anything. It’s not like she can go anywhere,” a voice answers.
They walk past the room I’m hiding in, and I wait until they turn a corner and are gone. I slip into the hallway, and I draw a gun. I reach the door they came out of. Either this room is full of guards, like a break room, or this is where Sofia is being held. Either way, I have to find out.
I slam the door open and aim my gun at the only guy in the room. He’s in a loud Hawaiian shirt and slacks. He looks at me, surprised, and opens his mouth to call the guards, but I cock the gun. “I don’t think so.”
Sofia is sitting on the sofa, tears streaming down her face.
“You are going to die,” the man says. “No one leaves my house alive unless I instruct it.”
“I’m not just anyone,” I say. “I’m a Sorvino.”
I walk to him and grab him by the shirt, turning him around and pressing the gun to his head. “If I’m going to die, I’m going to take you with me, so let’s think carefully about that. Sofia, come. Stay behind me.”
Sofia gets up and holds the back of my shirt. I hold onto the rich guy's shirt and push him forward. “Off we go. We’re going to walk right out the front door.”
He growls, but he walks, his hands in the air. We walk down the hallway slowly, and when we finally bump into some guards, they raise their weapons, and I push mine hard against the back of his skull. “Try it. I’ll shoot him before you even pull the trigger.”
The man shouts in Spanish, and the guards lower their guns.
“Back up until you’re out front. Stay where I can see you. Sofia, keep a lookout behind us,” I say.
We walk slowly to the front door, and the guards reverse out, glaring at me. Some other guards shout, but the man calls out in Spanish again.
“What’s your name, friend?” I ask.
“It’s Amancio, and you’re a dead man, friend,” he says.
“Amancio, I don’t think so,” I say, leading him toward a car and casting my one good eye around the yard. “We’re going to borrow your car. Don’t worry. We’ll ditch it soon enough because I’m sure you’ll track it. But today we’re going for a drive. Sofia, can you drive?”
“Yes,” she says shakily. I can feel her hand trembling.
“Get into the car and start it,” I explain. “Amancio, get in the back before I shoot you.”
I open the door, and he climbs in. I get in straight after him. Sofia puts the car into gear and drives us onto the road. “Go a few blocks, then stop, count to ten, and drive as fast as you can again.”