When Stars Align

A shot from the past.

“Goodnight Phillipe,” Amanda bade farewell to the security guard of the theatre and he waved back enthusiastically. She chuckled and looped her arm through Gabriel’s. She liked the old man, he was very friendly plus he always had a warm smile and a cup of cappuccino for her whenever she showed up for rehearsals.

Despite the little glitch in tonight’s event, she had enjoyed herself. The night was still young and beautiful so they decided to take a stroll along the river Seine. They had just walked past a coffee shop, when four hefty men came onto them. They stared them down menacingly; scared, Amanda jumped and moved back instinctively pulling Gabriel with her.

One of the burly men gave her a nasty smirk, she looked behind her and realised her mistake, she had walked into a trap. They had cornered them into an alley with only one way out which was currently blocked. A sense of doom washed over her, this was how people were found dead in alleys, she had seen it in lots of movies.

“Please, whatever you want we’ll give it to you, just don’t harm us.” She pleaded.

As she spoke, a fifth man came out from between them. He was of medium build compared to the rest of the men, dressed in a fancy suit and a fedora hat.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” he clapped his hands together and stepped further into the alley. The lamppost opposite the street cast a golden glow, illuminating parts of the alley and casting the rest in shadows.

He came closer, the light caught his features and she gasped, a chill running down her spine. He had a nasty scar that started from his temples and ran down his left eye to his cheek, it looked like his face was cut with a jagged knife. He had a malicious glint in his eye and when he caught her hand and placed a kiss on it, she stood as still as a statue, fearful of breathing.

Upon noticing the man, Gabriel gasped in shock. His face paled, taking on an ashen pallor.

“L-Lorenzo... W-What are you doing here?” he stuttered.

“Why, I came to see the show. I enjoy a little bit of ballet once in a while. Now imagine my surprise when I find you dancing on stage. By the way, it was s beautiful performance.” Lorenzo said, his voice taking on a thick Italian accent.

Amanda stared at Gabriel in surprise. How was it he knew this man, he looked shady and seemed to be the sort of person you shouldn’t meet down a dark alley. Ironic that that was the situation they were currently stuck in. What kind of business could Gabriel have had with him?

“Well we tried our best.” Gabriel smiled and gave a nervous laugh, she kept silent.

“Yes, you did,” Lorenzo said, his upper lip lifting up in a sneer. “You know, I’ve been looking for you. You certainly are a hard man to find.”

He cast his cold gaze at her and she felt all the warmth leaking out of her body. “You’re such a beautiful dancer bella, with lovely legs. It would be a shame for something to happen to them, yes?” she gulped at his words, she had a feeling this guy didn’t make empty threats. He turned his gaze back to Gabriel and he stiffened his spine.

“ Now I’m only going to ask this once. Where’s my money, stronzo?”

“Well... You see... I’m... I promise I’ll pay you back.” Gabriel stammered, trembling like a leaf.

“Well... Well... Well,” Lorenzo mimicked and laughed, facing his companions, “look at how he’s shaking like a little puttana.” He said and they burst out laughing.

In a swift, he slipped his hand in his suit jacket, brought out a revolver and shot her in the knee. The pain reverberated through her whole body, she screamed and crumbled to the floor, grabbing her injured leg.

“Give him whatever he wants, Gabriel,” she yelled.

“You see, you made me do that.” Lorenzo shouted at Gabriel, muttering a string of words in Italian, he waved the gun around.

“I swear Lorenzo, I’ll pay you your money, just give me a little time.” Gabriel pleaded.

Blood oozed out of her injury in rivulets and Amanda pressed down on the bullet hole to stop the blood. The strong metallic smell of blood hung in the air and she held her breath to quell the nausea. She could feel the sticky liquid on her fingers and felt light headed. She hated the sight of blood.

“You’ve had enough time. Now when I say once, I mean once so you better give me another answer or the next bullet will be right between her eyes.” He pointed the gun to her forehead for emphasis and she froze, her blood turning cold.

She stared at the barrel of the gun, still warm from the last shot he fired; she could smell the remnant of gun powder from the gun and her stomach roiled. Was this how she was going to die, in a dark, smelly alley in a foreign country with no one to come to her aid?