Page 102 of Secrets of the Brother
I took the back stairs two at a time. I then shoved at the heavy metal door which led to the alley.
She had a lead on me, but she probably went out through the front office.
This back way shaved off several minutes.
Getting behind the wheel of Cesare’s Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, I threw it into gear and pulled out into the lane.
I only caught a glimpse of the Ferrari as it made a right several streets up.
By the time I made my way through the winding, congested street, she was nowhere to be found. I went up a street, reversed and tried another, reversed again, and tried a third before I caught a glimpse of her.
She was headed out of town, curiously, toward the villa.
Soon she would be on one of the more open roads where there would be less traffic and I would be able to gain ground.
The Ferrari swerved, barely missing a roasted chestnut cart before swerving back in the other direction, clipping the right fender on an old metal horse post.
I hissed air through my teeth and gripped the steering wheel harder as Bianca had another near miss with the corner of a building as she navigated a tight turn.
I wasn’t worried so much about my car as I was about her.
I loved the woman, but she had always been a terrible driver.
It was one of the reasons why I was relieved she had settled in New York when she left for school in America.
It was well known that very few people drove in New York. Even the wealthy chose to use public transportation or car services because of the insane traffic and limited space for vehicles. I had already been driven to distraction worried about her every minute of the day.
I didn't think I would have survived the ordeal if I'd had to worry about her behind the wheel of a car as well.
I lost sight of her around a corner as she turned down a narrow cobblestone street but picked up her trail again as the lane cleared. The Ferrari picked up speed.
We were on one of the roads which would lead to the northern portion of the Cavalieri lands.
The Ferrari passed one car, then another, picking up speed as it swerved in and out of the remaining traffic.
I shifted gears and pressed down the gas pedal as I followed suit.
She was driving dangerously fast. Too fast.
These roads were not well maintained. They were marred by loose gravel and holes, not to mention the occasional blind corner and slow-moving farm vehicle. Bianca knew better.
My mobile phone rang. Fortunately, I drove Cesare’s car enough that my phone immediately synced with his console. I answered. “Pull over,” I growled.
“Stop following me,” she fired back.
As we drove deeper into the Abruzzo countryside, we left the rest of the cars behind. I was now directly behind her. Despite the darkness, I could see she was holding the phone to her ear, which meant she didn’t have both hands safely on the wheel.
“Put the damn phone down and pull over.”
Her silhouette turned to look behind her. The moment she did, the Ferrari fishtailed. She turned back and got control of the vehicle.
“Stop the fucking car!”
She must have placed the phone on speaker and tossed it onto the passenger seat because I could hear her speak, but she sounded slightly far off. “Stop tailing me!”
“You stole my car!”
“I’ll give it back. I just want to be alone.”
