Chapter 134: Like Terrified Rats
Diana’s POV
Out of nowhere, Olivia, Emily, and I suddenly see Viper, Red, Jinx, and Blade fall to the ground, each with a bullet wound to the head. Blood pools around them, dark and terrifying, staining the ground beneath them. The sight makes my heart race, and for a moment, I can’t believe what I’m seeing. My breath catches in my throat, and time seems to stand still.
I’m in shock, completely blindsided by the sudden violence. How could this have happened? One moment, we’re in control, and the next, everything’s gone to hell. But as I watch them fall, one after another, the horrifying reality hits me: we’re under attack. We’re not safe. We never were.
This can’t be anyone but the police. Who else would come at us like this, so precise, so deadly? And it’s my fault. My fault we didn’t get out sooner. My fault this mission is hanging by a thread. I should have listened to Viper when he told us to leave. We should have been long gone, but I hesitated. And now they’re dead—Viper, Red, Jinx, and Blade—all because we didn’t move fast enough.
“Run!” I scream, my voice breaking with the weight of desperation. It’s the only thing I can think to do, the only way to keep us alive.
We don’t know where the shots are coming from, but we can’t just stand here and wait for another one. We turn and bolt into the woods, our feet pounding against the ground, driven by sheer terror. The trees blur as we run, and the only sound in my ears is the frantic thudding of my heart.
As we’re running, something catches my eye. I glance back and spot a woman emerging from the shadows, her eyes locked on us. My blood runs cold. There’s something about her—something cold and deadly. She looks like she’s hunting us, and I know, with a sick certainty, that we’re in serious danger.
She’s dressed in tight black pants and a matching jacket, her hair pulled back into a severe ponytail. Her face is hard, expressionless, and in her hand, she’s holding a long gun, the kind you only see in action movies. “Who is she?” I wonder, the question bouncing around in my mind, but there’s no time to think. We just have to keep running. Run, or die.
“Run! Don’t stop! Run!” I shout at Olivia and Emily, who are sprinting ahead of me, their feet flying over the rough terrain. I push myself to keep up, but they’re faster and younger, and soon they’ve widened the gap between us. We finally reach the cover of the trees, each of us diving behind a large trunk, our hearts hammering in our chests.
We’re panting heavily, pressing ourselves against the trees, hoping that this woman hasn’t followed us into the woods. I can feel the rough bark digging into my back, grounding me in the present and forcing me to stay focused. I can’t let fear paralyze me. Not now. Not when we’re so close to losing everything.
After a moment, when I’m sure she hasn’t followed, my mind starts to clear, and the pieces of this nightmare begin to fall into place. It wasn’t the police who shot Viper, Red, Jinx, and Blade. It was someone else. “But who?” I think the question is gnawing at me like a dog with a bone. Who could be this skilled, this deadly?
Olivia and Emily are thinking the same thing—I can see it in their eyes, wide with fear and confusion. Olivia, breathless and pale, calls out, “Who the fk was that?”
I peek around the tree, trying to make sense of it all. The cars are still where we left them, but one is missing—the one where we left Alessandra. The realization hits me hard. This woman, this deadly force, must be one of Alessandra’s security details. She’s been tracking us, watching us, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And we never saw it coming.
“FK!” I scream, frustration and fear boiling over. We’re no longer in immediate danger, but we’re far from safe. This woman, whoever she is, has taken everything from us. She’s turned our plan upside down, and now we’re scrambling to pick up the pieces.
I step out from behind the tree, trying to steady my nerves, and Olivia and Emily follow, their faces pale and anxious. I can see the fear in their eyes, the uncertainty, and it cuts me to the core. They’re looking to me for answers, for guidance, but all I have are more questions.
“What the heck just happened, Mum?” Emily asks, her voice trembling. I wish I had a clear answer, but I don’t—not yet. All I know is that we’ve been outmaneuvered. The people Alessandra’s security killed were our best shot at taking her down, and now they’re gone. We’re left with nothing but a mission that’s hanging by a thread.
But this isn’t over—not by a long shot. We’ll find another way. We have to. I can’t let this be the end. I won’t let it be the end.
“We’ll get someone else to do the job,” I say, more to myself than to them. It’s a promise, a vow. We’ll find another way to take Alessandra down. We have to. For my son. For everything we’ve lost.
I pull Olivia and Emily into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to each of their foreheads. I want to comfort them, to let them know that we’re not giving up. We can’t give up. “This is the same wickedness your brother faced, and it cost him his life,” I say, my voice heavy with grief and determination. “We almost lost our lives too, but I promise you this: we’ll be the ones to see the end of her.”
I lift their chins, making sure they’re looking into my eyes. “Listen, this place is now a crime scene. The police will be here any moment. We need to move fast. Go to the bodies, and take everything they collected from Alessandra and her bodyguards. Then we’ll get out of here through the woods.”
Without hesitation, Olivia and Emily rush out from behind the trees and gather the cash and jewelry, leaving the cars behind. We then head north, deeper into the forest. The trees close in around us, their shadows long and foreboding in the dim light. I can feel the weight of the night pressing down on us, the cold seeping into my bones.
“We will be home before sunrise,” I say, urgency in my voice. The woods are dark, and every sound makes me jump, but we keep moving, one foot in front of the other. We don’t have a choice. As we walk, my mind races ahead, thinking about who we can hire next to finish this job. We won’t stop until we’ve succeeded. I won’t let this be the end.