His Mafia Prince

(ARLO)

I pick my speed against the fierce wind and rain, trying to not falter and break a bone. They raced towards the main road, and that makes me wonder if maybe I should rethink my escape plan. It would make sense that I attempted to flee down the highway. Should I maybe double back instead? Maybe that would throw them off. I could always lunge deeper into the trees. I wonder what’s on the other side of this forest.

I only hold back because this forest could go for miles and miles. I know nothing of the perimeter that surrounds Sasha’s home.

The temperature drops as I trudge along. The rain gets worse and my attitude tanks along with the crappy weather. I’m drenched as fuck and pissed at my predicament. I don’t see the SUVs anymore, but I doubt they stopped looking for me. I worry perhaps Sasha’s men have sniffer dogs. They would use them as alternative means to track me down if I failed to appear on the highway as they expect.

The rain becomes a torrent and I now stop walking. My visibility is so poor and I worry that I may trip and fall on a ravine or a log. I’m cold to the bone. I huddle at the base of one of the aspen trees. The wind too has now picked up. I’m trembling as a leaf and cursing my bad luck.

I’m even beginning to regret making a move against Sasha. I’d be home in my warm bed if I hadn’t pulled that idiotic move. I felt obligated to avenge my father’s death. I now realize that I should have been more stealthy about my revenge. It dawns on me that I’ll never win this war with the Triple Triad syndicates. I’ll even be lucky if I survive this raging storm.

If I somehow make it home, I know Sasha won’t stop until he comes for me. He will never let me live. I will have to escape this city. The idea of leaving everything behind sinks my heart. I could even promise to stop seeking revenge. Sasha will never let me walk away scot-free. Miles can only do so much to protect me. After this escape stunt that I pulled, should they manage to catch me, Miles will just hand me over to Sasha. He is probably tired of me too.

"I’ve made a really huge mess, father," I whisper to myself. "I’m really sorry."

I shiver pull my knees to my chest and hug them. The extremely low temperatures are digging into my bones. I know I should keep moving, but my visibility is shit and the rain is pouring too hard. What’s the worst that could happen if I just returned to Sasha’s mansion, tail between my legs? I laugh humourlessly, picturing Miles’s bewildered expression. Would he be thrilled to see me or would he be mad that I came back?