Chapter 41 He Ran Without Me

The panicked crowd provided excellent cover for our frantic escape, but I had underestimated the ruthlessness of the hitmen. They started shooting directly into the crowd, and I felt a warm splatter of blood on the back of my hand. I froze in terror, but Antonio remained indifferent, not just to the innocent dying under the hitmen's guns but even if the bullets had pierced the ground beneath his feet, his gaze remained cold.

My heart had never trembled like this; the path ahead seemed engulfed in darkness, the surrounding panic, fear, and bewildered screams and cries impossible to ignore. They were killing without restraint. This was the world of the mafia, and Antonio was part of it. Violence and sin were his true colors; the tenderness, the consideration, the perfect lover—all were mere facades. Oh God, I had once been captivated by such a dangerous man!

We finally stopped in an alley. "What's wrong?" Antonio frowned at me. I was panting, "I'm scared." He lifted my chin, his look dark and sharp, "They're after me, you're in danger too. I don't want a mistress to be my downfall. If you want to live, follow me, or else I'll kill you." My face turned pale, "I know." It was the safest option—to abandon me, or kill me, and he would walk away unscathed.

Relieved by my assurance, Antonio let me go and started reloading his gun. His movements were calm, steady as if he had done this thousands of times, regardless of the urgent footsteps searching outside. I silently watched his handsome profile, my fingers unknowingly tightening on the camera strap. In this moment, I was just disposable bait to him; I didn't know why he still chose to run with me.

I wasn't ready to be dragged into this criminal conflict, to play their deadly game. I had to escape. This thought became more firm. Antonio led me into a deserted building. I heard police sirens not far away; this chaos would end soon. But until it truly ended, I couldn't afford to let my guard down. I tried to head for the back door, but Antonio stopped me, taking me to a supermarket on the ground floor instead.

"You should run faster, find some shoes that fit," he said. Was he thinking of leaving me behind because I was too slow? Terrified, I clutched at his sleeve, "No, I can run faster..." "Go!" Antonio cut off my plea harshly, looking ready to shoot me any moment. I timidly pulled back my hand, wondering if this was just an excuse to leave me.

Once I entered the supermarket, Antonio would leave without hesitation, and I wouldn't know which way he went. Even if his enemies caught me, I couldn't reveal his whereabouts. "I can only give you a minute," Antonio glanced at his watch. I rushed into the supermarket, quickly finding the shoes despite forgetting to look at the signs. Desperate, I grabbed a pair of sneakers and tried fitting them over my dirty, stone-bruised feet, the deepest wound red and painful. I didn't have time to choose carefully; I just needed shoes that wouldn't hinder my running. I remembered, I only had three minutes.

I put on the shoes and ran back to Antonio, relieved he was still there. "Quiet!" he warned me in a low voice, peeking out of the glass windows. "Damn, they've brought mercenaries!" The attackers were mercenaries? I clasped my mouth in shock, trying to suppress a scream. I had only seen such criminal groups on TV, but now they were all around me, trading gunfire, and I had even stepped over a mercenary's body while hiding with a mafia member.

I was sure, if I kept entangling with Antonio, I would face countless dangers like today in the future. Damn it, damn it! "Come with me," Antonio led me upstairs. "Why bring me here?" I stood on the second-floor corridor, unwilling to go further, a terrible premonition in my heart.

"You need to stay here, Sienna," Antonio delivered a dreadful command. "No! There's a safe exit on the first floor, we can go there," I pleaded. Was he really going to abandon me? Without Antonio's protection, the mercenaries could easily capture me. I clung to his arm in panic, "Please, take me with you!"

"Calm down, Sienna!" Antonio shouted, trying to calm me, "This is to protect you. You're too weak, you can't run fast or climb walls." "I'll try to keep up, Antonio, please take me with you," I begged. "You don't understand how dire our situation will be," Antonio said as he pried my fingers off one by one, each finger he released adding to my despair.

Antonio led me to a toy store on the second floor, filledwith cardboard boxes and various sizes of dolls. The store clerks must have just unloaded the goods and hadn't had time to organize before the chaos erupted, leaving the toy store in disarray.

Antonio pushed me into the store, using the cardboard boxes and dolls to hide my body. "Stay here and wait for me." "No!" "This is an order!" His gun pressed against my head, "Obey, or die here!" My heart sank completely.

The instinctive fear of guns and the panic of being abandoned made my body tremble. I wanted to say I didn't want this. But apart from obeying his orders, I had no other choice. I could only watch through gaps between the dolls as Antonio left; he didn't hesitate or look back. His departing steps were too firm, and I had no confidence that he would actually come back for me.