Hidden Agenda (Work In Progress)

Hi Everyone,

Here is chapter two of Hidden Agenda.  I plan to write this one on the blog so I hope you enjoy following it.  Thanks for reading.  Enjoy. :)

Sara


Chapter Two

London, July, 1996


Alessandro aimed. It was stupid. The smog was growing dense and the lack of light was irritating. He'd be lucky if he hit anything. He moved back against the woman and into the shadows hearing his assailants run towards him. A quick glance at the girl told him she was still alert despite her injuries. He put his finger to his lips and motioned for her to be quiet as she pressed her back against the wall for support and stared at him in bemused alarm. He turned quickly hearing the first man approach and brought the butt of his Glock down hard on the back of the man's neck with deft force.

The man dropped to the ground hard and out cold. The second was on him before he could let out breath. Alessandro raised his leg in a perfect arc and executed a neat roundhouse kick, knocking the man's handgun from his hand. Startled, the man fought to recover quickly and launched himself at Alessandro, driving his head into his stomach and pushing him backwards against the girl.

She gave a squeal and moved out of the way. Alessandro struggled hard. The guy was big, built like a brick shit house. It was Gregorio, one of his grandfather's best men. He wound his hand around Alessandro's throat and gripped hard banging the younger man's head off the wall. Alessandro pushed back against the man's chest with his arm to gain his freedom trying to aim his Glock as his assailant tried to wrestle it from his grasp with his free hand.

If Gregorio succeeded in subduing him he'd drag Alessandro back to his grandfather like a trophy but the girl . . . He'd kill her without hesitation. The realisation renewed Alessandro's waning energy. He was her only hope for survival. Out the corner of her eye he could see her frantically looking for something to hit Gregorio with. He needed her to stay back she wouldn't be any good to him in that state and would just get herself killed.

He growled as he felt his throat constrict and fought to get his breath. If the bastard kept this up he'd be unconscious. He kicked out at the guy refusing to give in. But he felt his grip on the Glock slipping as his consciousness ebbed away. Gregorio banged Alessandro's arm against the wall in a constant brutal motion. Despite Alessandro's effort to retain his hold the handgun fell to the ground. Shit was he in trouble now.

Gregorio leaned down to pick it up. Alessandro struggled for all his life's worth, trying to kick the gun away with his feet as darkness began to creep into the sides of his vision. His blurring eyes frantically sought out the girl. He hoped she'd had the fucking sense to run. Gregorio picked up the gun and that's when Alessandro found out where the girl had gone. She stood behind his assailant whacking him on the head and back with what was left of a wooden chair as if there was no tomorrow.

The guy swore, stooping with each blow and let go of Alessandro's throat turning swiftly to swipe the back of his hand across her face. The blow was enough to knock her to the ground semi conscious. It was all Alessandro needed. He bent quickly to retrieve his handgun and took the safety off. As the man turned back to him he aimed it at him square.

'Tell my grandfather I will not be forced back into his stinking family,' he panted, his hand to his throat as he fought to catch his breath once more. 'Tell him I won't rest until he is a dead man. Got that?' Alessandro snapped.

The man shook his head and gave Alessandro a look of disgust. He spoke English with a heavy Venetian accent.

'I do not understand your disrespect to Signor Vadala. If you were my own I would have cut off your head for your dishonour to the family. I will deliver no such message.'

'Maybe this will change your mind,' Alessandro coldly redirected his aim towards the man's leg and discharged a bullet into the man's kneecap. Gregorio sank to the rubble strewn ground crying like a baby with pain. Alessandro leaned over him to pull him up by the shirt collar and got in his face.

'You tell that bullshitter that I'm coming for him. You come after me again or go after the girl and I'll kill you next time.'

Gregorio spat his response in Alessandro's face.

'You can't escape the family. Do your duty and come home. He wants you to take over the business when he's gone. Why he should still love you as one of his own . . .?'

'Shut your mouth and get up before I decide to take your other kneecap away.'

Alessandro pulled the man up by his collar and aimed the handgun at the back of his head fighting back the urge to blow his head off.

'He wants to give you everything,' the man panted. 'You are heir to the Vadala family and all that he owns,' there was incredulity in Gregorio's tone.

'I belong to my father's family. The Madernos.'

'When your grandfather finishes wiping out your family you will have to return and know your place. Your mother learnt the hard way what it meant to leave the family and bring it disgrace.'

Rage boiled over in Alessandro's mind. He knew the bastard was trying to push his buttons but the memory of his mother being mowed down on the road by a hit and run driver all those years ago automatically began to replay in his mind. It never stopped. It was always there waiting for a bloody reason to come out and torment him. Remind him of his real duty, to exact revenge on her behalf.

'Your mother was a stupid, dumb bitch. Come back now or your father will pay for your mistake. Maybe this woman as well.'

Alessandro pushed him away and without hesitation shot his other leg in the thigh. He let him fall to the ground once again so that he might tower over Gregorio's panting, blabbering form.

'Move now. Crawl if you have to. If I catch you harming the woman or going anywhere near my father I'll come for you and then your own family. Do I make myself clear?'

There was a strangled mumble from the man. Alessandro repeated his question pressing the gun into his temple. His voice was deep with menace.

'I said, do I make myself clear?'

'Yes, yes,' the man blurted out in anger, a beaded sweat breaking out on his forehead as he fought to endure the agony of his injuries.

'Now move.'

It was a miracle the man could stand let alone move but he did back in the direction of the fire as Alessandro continued to aim at him. There was a loud bang from the restaurant and fire blew out of it making the man jump and see cover before picking up speed. He'd narrowly missed being burnt. The burst of flame lit up the street in the gloom revealing the gaping building fronts with paper and plaster raining down from the blown in offices.

The building in front of them was still intact but only just. The whole front of it seemed to be moving with fragments of brick escaping down onto the street. He had a bad feeling that they didn't have much time The woman gave an agitated gasp at the small explosion reminding Alessandro of her presence. He turned and put the safety back on his handgun before putting it back inside his jacket and hurried to take hold of her arm.

But when he approached her she took two steps back alarmed, clearly horror stricken by his treatment of the man. Any trust she had for him he'd just blown it out of the water. Damn it, he didn't have time for this.

'Stay away from me,' she screamed at him putting her blood stained hands to her head. Who the hell are you? You shot him. Who the hell goes chasing someone with a gun after an explosion? I'm getting out of here. . .'

She turned around and began to stumble away. She could hardly move. Blood was seeping from her arm and head.

'No, you need my help. You have to trust me. I won't hurt you.'

Without his assistance she would collapse and probably bleed to death.

'No I'll be fine. Leave me alone. I am going to tell the police . . .'

He strode towards her and caught hold of her wrist on her injured arm and pulled her back against his chest. She gave a anguished cry of pain.

'It won't do you any good.' He told her steadying her slumping form against him as he bent his head to take a closer look at the bullet hole in her arm. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as he had anticipated. It had simply cut through her flesh and nothing else He spoke softly, 'Now let me help you. I won't harm you. I promise.'

There was a noise. Low and grumbling, just like thunder. He felt the woman's body stiffen against his chest.

'What was that noise? No more bombs. I can't stand it,' she said angrily.

Alessandro looked back at the building that was a neighbour of the restaurant and stretched to where they stood in the narrow neck of the small street. The front of it was shaking for real now. Shit it was coming down.

Alessandro's movements were lightening quick. He wound his arm around the young woman's small waist as the ground started to shake underneath their feet and lifted her up against his side. He ran as best he could over the rubble acutely aware that the falling building appeared to be chasing them.

Bricks and mortar fell around them striking his back, choking his lungs with the dust. He couldn't help wondering if he and the girl were going to come out of this one alive. Then he saw it. A small hole, ground level. It led down to some cellar doors in the side of the building across the road. He hoped this office building was intact and had no plans to topple.

He lowered the girl to the floor and pushed her until she fell inside. He followed. It was just big enough for them both to fit and shelter from the falling office block. He pulled the coughing woman against him and curled over her, gallantly protecting her from the falling debris. His heart was thudding. There seemed to be no end to the collapse. There was a scraping noise and a creaking that accompanied it. He glanced back. The girl must have done as well because she gasped as the falling rubble pushed a parked car towards the hole in which they had taken refuge.

Shit, was this really it? Not now, not when he was so close to finishing his grandfather. Alessandro held the girl tighter feeling his body shake with her own as the car careered towards them. He couldn't breathe. They both instinctively jumped as the car slammed against the entrance to the small hole littering rubble all around it to block their safe exit. Everything went black.