Someone Else

Chapter 20

Matteo takes me to dinner at a way too fancy restaurant three hours away from campus. He is such a drama queen, I swear.

"We'll have the chef's choice." Matt said to the waiter.

"-please, thank you." I said pointedly.

"Do you have any allergies?" The waiter asked.

"No allergies, but I personally hate the taste of nuts." I told him. The waiter keep a straight face though I see the twinkle of humor in his eyes before he leaves.

Matt rolls his eyes and I kick him under the table. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Attitude." I said, leaning my head on my hand. "Did we really have to go so far? I have class tomorrow."

"You have a 4.0, you can afford to skip once."

I sit up straighter. "So you're kidnapping me until tomorrow morning?"

"Seems that way." He said, smirking. "After dinner we can go on an adventure."

He sure does know how to get me going. "Adventure? Where? Can we go camping or something?"

"Camping? Why would you want to sleep in a tent in a forest infested with mosquitos, bugs, bears and drunken teenagers?"

"Camping is fun and I love it and you're too old to understand." I said, pointing my finger at him.

He chuckles. "All right, we can go camping." He takes out his phone and texts someone. "Everything is being set up right now."

I look at him suspiciously. "What did you arrange?" I asked, peeking at his phone screen.

He clicks his tongue and puts his phone back in his pocket. "You'll see tonight, Princess."

"So, why aren't you busy today?" I asked curiously. He hasn't spent any time with me in months and suddenly today he's taking me on a getaway in the wilderness.

"Can't a gangster get a day off?"

I giggle. "I didn't think it worked like that. Is it a once every four months kind of thing?"

"Something like that."

The waiter comes back with white wine and our first course. White asparagus risotto with a tropical fusion? Don't mind if I do.

I eat slowly, savoring the flavor. It's very light but a slightly sweet and umami aftertaste. "Oh, this is good. I have to get the recipe for this."

Matt grins but doesn't say anything about it.

The next course comes out, this time a soup? I wonder why it didn't come out first.

"This is Chef Donovan's newest creation. He declined to say what's in it." The waiter said.

It smells like saffron but looks like clam chowder, I'm nervous to eat it.

My spoon lifts up something soft that keeps it's shape, kind of like tofu. Here goes nothing.

An explosion of flavor fills my mouth and I smile. It's...minced pork, chives and shrimp in tofu, the sauce on top is thick and creamy but it has a kick. I see, this is inspired by Chinese cuisine.

"That was... different..." Matt said, eating another spoonful. "What's the white stuff around the meat?"

"It's tofu." I said, grinning. "You've never had tofu before?"

"No. It's good."

An idea pops into my mind and I mentally make a shopping list. I'm going to make him a three course meal starring tofu!

But wait... didn't I make his family mapo tofu before? He must have assumed it was something else... Well, I'll cross mapo out then.

"What are you scheming?"

"I don't know what you mean." I said indignantly.

He smiles. "Okay then."

Yes, it is okay, the okayest. "But Toothless will be lonely without me." I realized.

"It's a toy dragon!"

"He is my dragon and I love him!" I fired back. "I don't think I can go camping tonight..."

He sighs and closes his eyes, probably praying for some patience. "We're going camping and you can see your beloved dragon tomorrow."

I huff and finish my glass of wine. "Toothless doesn't like you anyways." I mutter.

He chuckles. "I don't like him either. I always have to fight with him for your attention."

I blush and kick him under the table again.

+ + +

"A camper van, Matt?!"

"See, camp is in the name!" He said, smirking.

The inside is large, luxurious. There's a bathroom, running water and air conditioning.

Where the he did even get this? How did he get it here? So many questions are racing in my mind, I'm getting a headache. Jesus and Mary, this is fancier than my f*****g dorm.

"Well, I can't stay in this dress." I said.

He points to a little dresser and I open it up. Clothes and they're all in my size? What the actual f**k? Does being a gang leader mean he can make miracles happen?

"Realistically, we can live here forever." He said, taking off his suit jacket.

I'm sure we can, I saw the solar panels on the roof. "Help me with the zipper."

He slowly pulled down the zipper in the back of the dress, his fingers brushing my back. Goosebumps erupt all over my skin and I shiver as the fabric pools around my feet. He pulls the tie out of my hair and it falls around me like a dark curtain.

I turn around and look at him expectantly. It's no secret that I'm attracted to him and I know he's attracted to me. The most we've ever done is when I drunkenly kissed him at my twentieth birthday party this year.

He averts his eyes and I sigh. I put on a tank top and a pair of black shorts before jumping onto the queen sized bed.

I find a TV remote on a pillow. A compartment in the wall across from the bed opens to reveal a fifty inch TV. Holy s**t on a cracker that was cool.

Matteo goes into the bathroom to change, making me roll my eyes. What? He didn't want me to be tempted?

I put on My Fair Lady and pull the blanket around me. It's freezing cold in here!

When Matt comes out in grey basketball shorts and a black shirt, he gets on the bed next to me and we cuddle.

With Matt, it's easy and familiar. I can touch him without feeling shy or nervous; it's the same for him too. For some reason, he still won't take it to the next level with me.

Maybe the only thing he feels for me is attraction and he doesn't want that to ruin our friendship. On my birthday, when he took me back to my dorm and I kissed him, I wasn't as drunk as he thought. I remember how amazing it was, the best kiss I've ever had. He kissed me back and held me like he never wanted to let me go. But then he reeled back as if I'd pushed him away and he stormed out without another word.

I understand that his life is dangerous, that's why he sees me as little as possible, but I want to be with him.

"Her voice is f*****g annoying." He said.

It's the scene in the market when the professor first meets Eliza and I giggle. "That's the point of the scene. Just wait."

He sighs and puts his nose in my hair. His chest rises and falls as he inhales deeply and I feel my face warm.

We sit in comfortable silence, watching the movie and I fall asleep around the horse race at Ascot.

The sound of his ringtone stirs me and I groan, pressing my face into his neck. Matteo rubs my back as he picks up the phone.

I hear the other person speaking hurriedly but only parts of it. Giovanni is dead? Someone's coming for us?

"f**k!" Matt yells.

My eyes spring open and I sit up. "Who's coming? Russians?"

"No, f*****g Americans." Matt said, getting out of bed.

He pulls open the bottom drawer of the dresser I see the familiar glint of metal. Guns.

"I trust you know how to use it." Matt said, handing me a hand gun. A baretta 92? How American of him.

I suppress the laugh bubbling in my chest and check the clip. "Give me two." I said, turning the safety off. He hands me another one and I check it too. All set. I look into the cabinet and attach a suppressor. He looks at me curiously but doesn't ask how I know.

"We need to get to the car, that's the only way out. Stay behind me and if I go down, do not hesitate to run. Okay?" He said.

And leave him? I'd rather shoot myself in the knee! I nod and put some shoes on. I can't believe he has a small armoury in there but didn't think to put vests.

A light comes in through the window and I feel adrenaline pump through my veins. This is not a game, this is real life or death.

I put a stool on the bed and climb up the window thing on the roof of the camper.

"Princess! What are you doing?" Matt whisper yells at me. Does he want to die in there or something? Oh, he's too big to fit...

I push the window open and quietly climb out to the roof, staying low. Three guys, all with automatic riffles with lights. No inferet?

They're circling the van, getting ready to bust in.

I fire at the guy closest to me and I'm glad it's dark so I don't have to see his blood. The other guys fire blindly around and I grin.

I jump off the roof of the camper and take down the other two before calling Matt out.

He opens the camper door and looks at the bodies. "How did you..."

I ignore the question and unstrap a vest from one of the bodies. He has a walkie talkie on him? How lame.

I listen in.

"-report your location, team 1! Do you have Luciano? We're sending more guys in."

"Try me, bitch." I said. I motioned for Matt to follow me and I jog behind the tree line, south of the parking lot. If we circle back like this, there's less a chance of dying.

Matt realizes what I'm doing and gets in front of me. I roll my eyes and silently let him take the lead.

It took us half an hour to get from the parking lot to the camper, it will take at least forty minutes for us to make it back this way.

"I see something!" I hear a man say. Gunshots erupt and bullets hit the trees a few feet away from us. f**k me, that was way too close for comfort.

"Matt, Matt I need you to trust me." I said. "Stay here, okay? Stay still."

He looks back at me like I'm insane. "Princess, don't-"

I don't know what he was going to say, I sprint to the direction of the gunshots and see another team.

Their flashlights give away their location and I hide behind a tree six feet away from them. I breathe in deeply before I lean out and fire.

1, 2, 3 go down.

Someone fires and I get back, feeling the tree rumble as wood splinters around me. f**k!

I dive out of the way and turn to shoot the last few. 4, 5; two more to go but my clips are empty. f**k me, this is the worst luck.

I land hard on my shoulder and lift up a dead body. The sound of metal slicing through skin is right in front of me and my stomach lurches as warm liquid wets my hands. A bullet grazes my thigh and I hiss. I take this corpse's gun to finish off the other two.

When there are no more sounds, I takes two riffles and remove the lights. Thankfully, Matteo is still behind the tree I told him to wait by.

"Are you hurt?" He asked in shock.

"No, give me your baretta and take this instead." I told him, handing him a rifle. "They will have heard the noise and run here from that direction. Now we need to run like hell to the car. Matt, I promise I'll survive this, but you need to let me take the lead."

"No, I'm more experienced, I take the lead."

This is no time for your testosterone induced dumbassery!

"Matt, you need to trust me! Stay behind me and we'll both get out of this!"

Lights shine this way and we're out of time. I take his hand and run. He can run faster, I know it, and these rifles can fire faster than I can count but I have a better aim and luck.

"There's someone with him!"

So they don't know who I am. That's good. It better stay that way.

A light shines at the ground in front of me. Christ.

I push Matt in front and he passes first and then shots begin to fire. A searing pain slices though my calf and I grit my teeth.

Behind me, the light is following and more people are coming. I fire blindly and am rewarded with a scream. That's for hitting me.

"Are you okay?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, I'm just a little slow from eating so much." I lied. It hurts so f*****g bad, worse than the impact with that stupid truck.

I push through the pain. Blood drips from the wound down to shoe and I start to feel heavy. I see them behind us and I hold on to Matt's hand and look behind us to shoot.

1, 2, 3...4. How many people have I killed tonight? A f*****g lot. A guy stops and raises his gun to shoot.

Bullets fly past me, one lands in my forearm before I manage to kill him. 5.

"Matt, did it hit you?" I asked.

"No, no I'm fine. We're almost there, Princess."

Tears well in my eyes and I wipe them away. I'm loosing too much blood...

How many men are in these woods trying to kill Matt? How many more?

The parking lot comes into view and I thank God. But there are SUVs here and about ten people surrounding Matt's Ferrari. We can't get out in that but I have a other idea.

We stop right behind a tree and he curses.

"Stay here."

"What? Are you mad?"

"I promise I'll get out of this, just please trust me this one time."

He nods slowly and I give him a small smile. I tuck my gun in my waistband and soundlessly near the parked SUVS. There are four, I only need one.

I go to the other side of the parking lot and mentally prepare myself.

"Help! Someone, help me, please!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I step out into the street light with my hands up. They look at me with curiosity. "Please! I was with my boyfriend and someone shot at us and he's dead!" I sobbed with a fake heavy southern accent.

"You're bleeding a lot there. Let's see."

One guy steps forward and I limp slowly to him. "My arm too, it's..." I put it behind my back before I collapse. My hand is firmly on the handle.

He gets close and when he's just one foot in front of me, I take my gun out and shoot him in the face. I get up and grab his body before he hits the ground just as the other guys start shooting.

I put the gun on his shoulder and shoot the other guys.

2, 3, 4, 5...click click. f*****g hell, again?! I throw the corpse away and dive behind the van. I open the door and hit the gun in the face with the butt of my gun before he knows what's going on.

I reach past him and open the door on that side, shoving him out.

The guys start shooting as soon as the door opens and one bullet hits my stomach. This time I scream.

I close the door and floor the gas, driving to where Matt is. How am I not dead?

Thump, thump, thump, thump. It's a big ass vehicle and you fuckers can only land a few shots? Pathetic.

Matt gets in and I drive us the f**k out of there. "Matt, I need you to take the wheel." I wheezed, taking off the useless vest.

I slam the brakes and slide out if the way so Matt can get in the driver's seat. I press down in my stomach to stop the blood. Pain...I press down harder.

"f**k! Why didn't you tell me?" He yelled, looking at me frantically.

"There's a hospital, fifteen minutes away... I'll make it." I said weakly.

I'm getting more tired the more I breathe. Dying feels like this. I'm dying again. And this time, I'm not even paralyzed, what sick joke the universe has played on me...

For Matt's sake, I force myself to stay awake, no matter how agonizing it gets. I have to stay awake at least until we get to the hospital, Matt won't be able to live with himself if I died in this vehicle riddled with bullets.

My consciousness is dripping out of me, just like my blood. Black holes start to fill my vision but I push it away. "Matteo, if I die, don't think it's your fault."

"f**k, you aren't going to die! You promised you wouldn't die!" He yelled like a little kid. "Princess. Amelia-"

"Don't call me Amelia, I'm- I'm not-"

My body goes limp before my mind does and I realize I almost told him the truth. Thankfully, I really go out not long after that.