Chapter 16: Trust Exercise

Selena's POV

The black SUV smashed through the restaurant's front window like a monster breaking out of a cage.

Selena grabbed Rook and rolled behind the counter as glass exploded everywhere. Bullets flew over their heads, hitting bottles of soda and making them explode like tiny bombs.

"We have to get out of here!" Rook yelled over the noise.

"How? They're blocking the front door!"

"Back exit. Through the kitchen."

They crawled on their bellies toward the kitchen. Selena's father was still unconscious on the floor, but she couldn't carry him and fight at the same time.

"We can't leave him!"

"We can't save him if we're dead!"

More SUVs were pulling up outside. Men in black masks were jumping out, carrying big guns.

"Go!" Rook pushed Selena toward the kitchen. "I'll get your father!"

But when they reached the back door, more men were waiting. Six of them, all pointing weapons at the exit.

"Trap," Rook muttered. "Complete trap."

"What do we do?"

That's when Selena remembered something. When she was little, her father had shown her a secret. Tony's Pizza had been built over an old bootlegger tunnel from the 1920s. Gangsters used to hide illegal alcohol down there.

"The basement," she said. "There's another way out."

"What basement?"

"Trust me."

Selena led Rook to a door behind the pizza ovens. It was locked, but Rook shot the handle off.

Stairs led down into darkness.

"Selena!" Her father's voice was weak but awake. "Don't leave me!"

She looked back. Enzo was trying to sit up, blood running down his face.

The men in masks were almost inside the restaurant.

"I'm coming back for you, Dad. I promise."

"No! They'll kill you!"

"They'll kill all of us if we don't get help."

Selena and Rook ran down the stairs into the old tunnel. It was full of spider webs and smelled like mold, but it was better than bullets.

They followed the tunnel for five minutes until they found another set of stairs. These led up to the back of an old garage.

"There," Rook pointed at a beat-up car. "Keys are probably in it."

"How do you know?"

"Because criminals always keep getaway cars ready."

He was right. The keys were under the seat.

"I'll drive," Rook said.

"No. You're hurt. Your shoulder is still bleeding."

"I can drive with one arm."

"Not as well as I can drive with two arms."

Rook stared at her. "You want to drive?"

"I want us to live."

She got behind the wheel. Rook climbed into the passenger seat, still holding his gun.

"Do you even know how to drive in a chase?" he asked.

"We're about to find out."

Selena started the engine and backed out of the garage. The street looked empty, but she knew that wouldn't last long.

She was right. Two blocks later, a black SUV appeared in her mirror.

"Company," she said.

"I see them. Turn left at the next light."

"Why left?"

"Because right leads to a dead end."

Selena turned left. The SUV followed, getting closer.

"They're catching up."

"Then drive faster."

"I'm already going sixty in a thirty zone!"

"Speed limits don't matter when people are shooting at you."

As if to prove his point, the back window exploded. Someone in the SUV was firing at them.

"Okay, now I'm scared," Selena said.

"Good. Scared keeps you alive."

She pressed the gas pedal to the floor. The old car wasn't fast, but it was tough. It had probably been in lots of chases before.

Another SUV appeared ahead of them, trying to block the road.

"Ram them," Rook said.

"What?"

"Hit them with the car. It's the only way through."

"Are you insane?"

"Probably. But it'll work."

Selena aimed the car at the SUV's front corner and closed her eyes.

The crash was louder than thunder. Metal screamed against metal. Glass shattered. The SUV spun out of the way.

But their car kept going.

"Nice driving," Rook said.

"I can't believe that worked."

"Believe it. You just saved our lives."

Two more SUVs were chasing them now. And Selena could hear a helicopter somewhere above the clouds.

"Where do we go?" she asked.

"Somewhere they can't follow. Somewhere with lots of people."

"The mall?"

"Perfect."

Selena had been to Eastside Mall a million times. She knew every entrance, every exit, every shortcut through the parking lot.

She drove into the mall's underground garage and parked between two big trucks.

"They won't see us here," she said.

"Not for long. But long enough to make a plan."

They sat in the dark garage, listening to sirens in the distance.

"Rook?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for trusting me to drive."

"You did good. Really good."

"My hands are still shaking."

"That's normal. First car chase is always scary."

"How many car chases have you been in?"

"Stopped counting at twenty."

Selena looked at him. Really looked at him. His face was pale from losing blood. His shirt was torn. His hands had cuts from the broken glass.

But his eyes were calm. Like being chased by killers was just another day at work.

"How do you do it?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"Stay so calm when everything is falling apart."

Rook was quiet for a moment. "You want the truth?"

"Always."

"I'm not calm. I'm terrified. But being scared doesn't help anyone."

"So you just pretend you're not scared?"

"I use the fear. Fear makes you faster. Makes you think better. Makes you fight harder."

"And if the fear is too much?"

"Then you trust the person next to you. Like I trusted you to drive."

Selena felt something warm in her chest. When was the last time someone had trusted her with something important?

"We make a good team," she said.

"Yeah. We do."

That's when her phone rang.

Morrison's voice again: "Very impressive driving, Miss Rossi."

"How did you get this number?"

"I have all your numbers. I know where you are. I know what you're thinking."

"What do you want?"

"Your father is dying. The head wound is worse than it looks. He has maybe two hours before his brain starts shutting down."

Selena's heart stopped. "You're lying."

"Ask the man next to you. He knows what a serious head injury looks like."

She looked at Rook. He nodded grimly.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"The ghost bullet chip. Bring it to the old steel factory on River Street. You know the one."

She did know it. Her mother used to work there before she married Enzo.

"Just me?"

"You and your pet assassin. But no tricks this time."

"How do I know you won't kill us?"

"Because I need you alive. For now."

"Why?"

"Because you're going to help me destroy every crime family in this city. Starting with your own."

The phone went dead.

Selena stared at Rook. "He wants me to betray my father."

"Will you?"

"I don't know. Maybe my father deserves to be destroyed. Maybe they all do."

"And maybe that's exactly what Morrison is counting on."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. He could have killed us a dozen times already. But he hasn't. He wants something more than just the chip."

"What?"

"He wants you to choose. Between saving your father and doing what's right."

Selena felt tears starting. "How am I supposed to make that choice?"

"You're not. That's the point. It's an impossible choice."

"So what do we do?"

Rook checked his gun. "We do what we've been doing. We trust each other and we fight."

"Against the FBI?"

"Against whoever stands in our way."

They got out of the car and headed for the mall exit. The steel factory was twenty minutes away.

As they walked, Selena realized something had changed between them. They weren't enemies anymore. They weren't even just allies.

They were partners.

"Rook?"

"Yeah?"

"What's your real name?"

He stopped walking. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because if we're going to die together, I want to know who I'm dying with."

He was quiet for a long time. Then he said, "David. My name is David Chen."

"David Chen. That's a good name."

"It was my father's name. Before he was killed."

"Who killed him?"

"The same people who killed your mother. The same people who have been pulling strings in this city for twenty years."

They reached the mall exit. Outside, the city looked normal. People walking their dogs. Kids riding bikes. Nobody knew that a war was happening in the shadows.

"David?"

"Yeah?"

"When this is over, whatever happens, I want you to know something."

"What?"

"You're not just a weapon. You're a person. A good person."

He smiled for the first time since she'd known him. "Thanks, Selena."

They walked toward the steel factory where her mother used to work.

Where Morrison was waiting.

Where everything would finally end.

But as they reached the corner, Selena's phone buzzed with a text message that made her blood freeze:

"Your father is already dead. You're too late. But don't worry - you'll be joining him soon. P.S. - David Chen, tell her who really killed her mother. Tell her the truth about that night. Tell her why you were crying when you pulled the trigger."

Selena stared at the message. Then at David.

"Is it true?" she whispered. "Were you crying when you shot my mother?"

David's face went white.

"Selena, I can explain—"

"Were you crying?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because she reminded me of my sister."

"The sister who died?"

"The sister I couldn't save."

That's when Selena realized the most horrible truth of all.

David hadn't just killed her mother.

He had cared about her.

Which made everything so much worse.