Chapter 6 - Blood on the Leather Seats
Adrian threw himself into the tilting cargo hold.
He grabbed Owen by the waistband of his jacket with one arm.
With his other hand, he hooked his fingers into the van’s welded tie-down ring.
The rear floor gave way.
The engine block dragged the front of the van off the edge.
“GRAB MY LEGS!” Adrian roared into the storm.
I hit the wet bridge deck on my stomach.
I reached over the sheared concrete edge and wrapped both arms around Adrian’s
combat boots.
My shoulders screamed as his full weight pulled against me.
Lucy was right beside me.
She threw her twelve-year-old body over Adrian’s thighs, anchoring her father
with everything she had.
SNAP.
The van tore free and tumbled into the black mist below.
Two seconds later, a distant explosion echoed from the river surface.
With a furious roar, Adrian pulled himself upward, tossing Owen onto the safety
of the bridge deck.
I hauled with all my might until Adrian scrambled back over the barrier.
Owen fell into his father’s chest, sobbing hysterically.
“Daddy! She told me you didn't want me anymore!”
Adrian buried his face in his son’s hair, tears streaming down his
blood-streaked cheeks.
“Never, Owen. Never in this life.”
Lucy crawled over on her hands and knees.
She wrapped her arms around her little brother, pulling him against her chest.
Her fingers flew across his face, checking his cheeks, his forehead, his eyes.
Then she looked up at Adrian.
She signed one word: Alive.
Adrian looked at me, lying exhausted on the wet asphalt.
He reached out his large, scarred hand and pulled me to my feet.
He didn't let go of my fingers.
His slate eyes were filled with an emotion that transcended words.
“You held the line, Rachel,” he whispered.
His voice was raw.
“You kept my children alive.”
“They're good kids, Mr. Marzano,” I breathed, wiping rain and tears from my
chin.
“Adrian,” he corrected gently.
“My name is Adrian.”
Sirens began wailing in the distance.
Six black limousines with the Marzano family crest turned onto the bridge, led
by Matteo in a reinforced truck.
The cavalry had arrived.
Matteo stepped out into the rain, his shotgun resting on his shoulder.
“Boss. Senator Ashton and Brielle have been intercepted at the private airfield.
They’re in custody at the safehouse.”
Adrian’s jaw hardened into cold steel.
“Take my children to the townhouse on Rittenhouse Square,” Adrian ordered
Matteo.
May you like
He looked at me.
“Rachel stays with them. She is the only voice they trust tonight.”
