#Chapter 23 - Shooting

Aldo My feet pounded soft earth, boots sinking into rain-softened dirt. Cool night whipped my face, cut the breath in my lungs into sharp bursts as I raced across the sprawling estate. Faster than I’d maybe ever sprinted before. I was running out of time. Ahead, a silver shimmer marked the lake that set the southern border of the Marcello estate. I’d never been so glad for such an inescapable natural boundary. And yet, my quarry was escaping. I lengthened my stride. I couldn’t fail again. Between a veil of maple trees, placid waters stretched in a smooth sheet beneath the full moon. I was so close. Through the screen of trunks and leaves, I caught sight of three figures on the beach. So very fucking close. Two of the figures on the shore were men. My boots thundered on the dirt, carrying me towards the trees. Closer. Closer. Between the two men, a smaller figure bobbed between them. A little boy. I pushed harder. Almost there. “We’ve got them cornered!” Carlo’s b