The Mafia Assassin

Chapter Twenty-Four

The moment the door closed, Alison felt a strange weight in her chest. The rain had lessened to a light drizzle outside, but the silence within the house was deafening. She wrapped the doorknob with her fingers. How did the man know her name? She tried recalling their conversation in her mind. She never informed him her name —she was certain.

Something dawned on her, a chill went down her spine. Who could he possibly be? She began to find breathing a bit difficult. Did Nicholas know this man? Was he dangerous? Her intuition told her that he was. Her hands trembled a little as she took a step back from the door. She turned and hurried to the kitchen after that. She had seen the guns Nicholas had left behind.

But when she opened the drawers and cupboards and found that he had locked them before he left, she shuddered a little.

Nicholas, screw you. Her thoughts were racing as she paced the room. Where would she go now? Is she supposed to remain here?

The electricity flickered. The lights dimmed for a moment, then returned to full brightness. Could this be a coincidence? Or something else? Alison wishes she had her phone with her right now. She had no idea where Nicholas stored it. No messages. No method to make a call. She exhaled sharply, trying to calm herself. Maybe she was overthinking it. Maybe she was letting her paranoia rule her, and he was just a traveler.

She took a quick look at the chair he had been using. The cup of tea. She had poured him a scorching hot cup. It was almost full, though. He drank very little of it. The man was soaked by the rain. A hot drink should have been welcomed by a wet man who was looking for warmth. But he hadn't. Alison's stomach tightened. He wasn't looking for safety. He was here for her. She turned to the window and gazed into the rain. But all she saw were trees blowing in the wind. She could not, however, shake the feeling that he was still watching.

She was also all by herself.

Nicholas' plan was simple: he needed to meet Luke. He needed to know if Luke betrayed him to know his next move. There's no way he was missing and he needed to know the reason why Adrian called off the bounty. There was a place that came to mind.

The rain had made the road slippery, and Nicholas's car's headlights were piercing the night as he drove. Although he disliked leaving Alison alone, he knew it would be more dangerous to take her along with him but he really needed an answer.

First, he had to move. He was going to a safe house, a place where they had worked extensively with Adrian's team before he betrayed Adrian. It was Luke's special hideout and only he knew of this. After parking a few blocks away, Nicholas moved into the darkness.

Walking through the familiar neighborhood, the house looked a bit abandoned. He approached the house silently, with his rifle at his side.

For some reason, he felt something was wrong.

The door was slightly open, and the silence was broken by a little creak. Slowly, Nicholas pushed it open and carefully stepped inside. He was struck initially by the smell of blood. He held his gun tighter. Nicholas took a step forward, looking around for something that would serve as an answer.

“ Luke,” He called out, still walking deeper into the house. His eyes spotted a white piece of paper floating in a pool of blood.

Nicholas walked up to it picking the note.

“You're too late,” the note said.

Nicholas's hold on the paper became more firm. He tightened his jaw. Adrian had been here first. He noticed the house unusually quiet. There was one thing certain Adrian wanted him to find it.

Nicholas heard a sound outside, he tightened his hold on his gun. He knew he was being watched. He realized his mission was futile; he needed to get back to Alison fast before Adrian found her.

As he stared at the blood once more, he knew one thing for sure.

Adrian had gotten hold of Luke and the bad thing was he could be punished for betraying him.

Or worse, Dead.