Devil's Advocate: A Dark Mafia Romance (Devil's Playground Book 1) Vivi Paige (howl and other poems txt) 📖

The man was leaning casually on the hood of a gray Mercedes, one foot perched on the front bumper. As I got closer I could make out his face. No mask. In this crazy world I was mixed up in, I had no idea if I should take that as a good sign or a bad one. Either way, I was done running away from these assholes. Time to play some offense.

“See anything you like, handsome?” I asked as I approached my car, emphasizing the sway of my hips with each step I took. “Why don’t you come closer so I can get a good look at you?”

He stood up and started walking towards me.

Fuck, it’s working. Now what? I looked around me, hoping to see anyone else in the garage, but it was a ghost town. Did this guy have buddies around? Maybe blocking the exits? Goddamn Indro for getting me into this mess.

“Ah, the strong silent type?” I asked him, flashing a smile. I discreetly fished in my purse to find my keys and the pepper spray canister attached to them as he got closer. The man was a big guy. Maybe 6’11” and heavyset. If he got close enough to grab me there wouldn’t be any way of getting away from him.

“It looks like we’re alone,” I said, taking a step towards him and opening my coat to give him a glimpse of what was underneath. I even brought a hand up to my necklace and started playing with the chain, drawing his attention to my low-cut top. I saw a glint in his eye that told me this just might work.

In a flash, I brought the pepper spray up to his face and aimed directly into his eyes. He cried out in pain, and I took off, running behind the closest car and then down to the ground. I scampered underneath the car and heard a shot and the shattering of glass above me. My heart was racing as I continued to army crawl my way along the underside of cars, hoping the guy would be blinded long enough to lose me. Another shot rang out, but it was further away and a row over. It was clear he couldn’t see where I was.

I reached the end of the row and saw the ramp leading down to the next level of the garage. I sprinted down it, hoping to get distance from the gunman and confuse him further. I had abandoned my shoes in the scramble beneath the cars, so I was able to run silently without the echo of heels signaling my location. I ducked behind the closest car and ran along the wall, ducking behind and under cars until I was at the other end of Level 3. Another shot sounded from the floor above.

Good. A little distance. Thank God I had managed to hold onto my purse. With shaking hands, I found my phone and worked as fast as I could to send a text to Indro.

Parking garage. They’re trying to kill me.

Immediately he responded.

I’m coming. What level?

Level 3. He’s on 4.

I heard the shattering of glass at the other end of my floor. I was crouched in a corner, hiding between the wall and a red Toyota. The hitman was making his way along the row, dropping down to look under and between cars. He was smashing windows as he went, looking inside.

He’s here. Come NOW.

Fuck. I had cornered myself. I was at the end of the row with nowhere else to go. If I tried to run for the next aisle he would definitely see me. Even with eyes stinging with pepper spray he would have at least a few chances to shoot at me before I could duck beneath another car.

Come on, Indro. I need you.

Chapter Forty

Indro

I ran out of the deli, ignoring the surprised shouts of the other patrons as I plowed through their midst and plunged out into the chilly air.

Fuck ‘em. They can pick up my cannoli off the counter for all I care.

All I knew or cared about was Sophie’s danger. I ran down the sidewalk, bobbing and weaving when I could, plowing through people when I had to. The deli sat down the block from the courthouse and its adjacent parking garage.

The hitman was on the fourth floor, Sophie on the third. I did the calculations in my head, and it wasn’t good. The cleaner would only need a minute or two to complete his task. Panic drove me to run at top speed. My heart thudded in my chest; blood rushed through my ears.

I splashed through a puddle, spattering my tailored suit with mud, but I didn’t give two shits about that. All I could think of was how horrid it would be if Sophie died. Nothing else mattered.

I hit the parking garage ramp and ran past the empty security pod. No surprise there. The Loggias would have seen to it he took a smoke break at a most convenient time. As I tore up the ramp toward the fourth floor, flashing by parked cars, I realized I had no weapons on me. Not even a knife. Can’t be clipped walking into a courtroom. They kind of frown on that.

When I hit the third floor, I kicked my Bruno Maglis off. The concrete sucked the warmth from my socked feet like a greedy infant, but at least I moved silently. My only chance against the hitman was if I took him by surprise.

I burned around the last corner, a big painted number 3 marking my progress. I spotted a hulking form crouched down beside a pickup truck, peering intently underneath. Two car lengths away, Sophie cowered under a black Caddy.

No time to sneak up on him. I decided to rely on the one weapon I had left: my gift of gab.

“Louie? Louie Spicolli?”

The big man stood up—and I do mean