Chapter 2
2
In just three days, my old crew infiltrated Rome like ghosts.
They were my shadows, the elite killers I had personally trained.
Carlos's security details, Angelina's daily itinerary—every piece of their lives was stripped bare and laid on my table.
On the afternoon of the fourth day, I wore my hospital gown and went down to the gardens.
This was where Angelina sunbathed every single day without fail.
Just past the fountain, I heard her laugh.
"Oh, Charlie, slow down!"
She was dressed in haute couture, sitting in a wheelchair pushed by two bodyguards.
A pure white poodle was running happily across the grass.
I stopped on the path, staring at her coldly.
Angelina noticed me. She froze for a second, then a smug smirk crept onto her face.
She gestured for her guards to push her closer.
"Well, if it isn't Madam Isabella. I heard you just woke up. Why aren't you resting in bed?"
She deliberately puffed out her chest, her hand casually brushing over her heart.
"The air out here is wonderful. My heart is beating so happily today. Carlos says the sun helps me recover faster."
Looking at her gloating face, the urge to put a bullet between her eyes was nearly overwhelming.
But I held it back.
Killing her right now was too easy.
I was about to turn away when the poodle trotted back to her feet.
Hanging from the dog's collar was a silver cross necklace.
The edges of the cross were stained with dark, dried blood.
It was Mia's necklace!
The amulet I put around her neck on her fifth birthday! She had been clutching it the day of the explosion.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Angelina noticed my stare.
"Carlos gave it to me. Said it brings luck, that it would keep me safe during the surgery."
She leaned in, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
"After all, things soaked in dead blood make the best lucky charms."
The last thread of my sanity snapped.
I lunged forward, grabbed her by the throat, and hauled her straight out of the wheelchair.
"What are you doing?!" Angelina shrieked.
Her feet dangled in the air, her face instantly turning a violent shade of purple as she clawed frantically at my arm.
"Urgh—"
With my free hand, I grabbed the necklace and ripped it off the dog's collar.
Angelina thrashed wildly, her manicured nails leaving bloody scratches on the back of my hand.
"Kill her! Shoot her!"
The two bodyguards snapped out of their shock and drew their weapons.
My eyes darkened. I dropped Angelina.
I ducked under the left guard's grappling arm, sweeping my right leg out to shatter his knee.
Crack.
He screamed and dropped to the grass.
The right guard only got his gun halfway out of the holster.
I closed the distance, snatched the tactical knife from his belt, and slammed the heavy hilt directly into his temple.
A sickening thud. His eyes rolled back, and he hit the ground like a sack of bricks.
The whole thing took less than five seconds.
Angelina was sprawled on the grass, clutching her throat and coughing violently.
I gripped the bloodstained cross tightly in my palm.
The sharp edges dug into my skin, but the pain was nothing compared to the agony in my chest.
I looked down at her.
"Take good care of that heart in your chest. Soon, I'll carve it out with my own hands."
Angelina scrambled backward, coughing and gasping.
"You crazy bitch! You're dead! Carlos will kill you for this!"
I sneered.
"Is that so? Then I'll be waiting for him."