One: Five Months Later

BREAKING NEWS

“This just in ... Armand Lombardo, the sole heir of the Lombardo - Montenero dynasty, was reportedly awakened from a nearly 6-month coma.

He was found unconscious in his family villa in the suburb of Lancaster back in June and was rushed to the hospital, only days after he was discharged from the same hospital where he was treated for an overdose.

Doctors confirmed that the cause of his later admission was a lethal mixture of prescription drugs and alcohol, which were prescribed to treat his anxiety and depression after the loss of his entire family at the Lombardo - Montenero wedding massacre.

His wife, Ariana Montenero, was reported missing ... again after being kidnapped at their wedding and returned ten days later. She was accompanying her husband at the villa but was nowhere to be found when the staff was calling the couple for dinner; instead, the house staff found Armand unresponsive in the couple’s bedroom, and Ariana Montenero’s whereabouts are still unknown.

Authorities said that there is an ongoing investigation to locate the bride and the possibility that her previous abduction and current disappearance may have something to do with her husband’s lethal accident.

The family’s representative and the hospital officials are unable to comment on the details of this recent development, but are said to make an official announcement once the matter is confirmed. Stay tuned for more on the story.”

It felt like time stood still for a brief moment as he processed what he had just seen. He looked up at the TV from the counter as the cashier closed the register and handed him his money.

“Your change ... Sir,” the cashier’s voice interrupted his thoughts, and time moved again.

The news he’d dreaded hearing for the past five months was finally here. The beast had awakened. He had to go back and tell her. He gathered his thoughts and stepped out of the coffee shop. He was supposed to go somewhere else, but the news had changed everything.

He turned to the alleyway where he parked his motorbike. After a month of staying in this little town, he was starting to get familiar with the area. They’ve been moving from one city to another to avoid leaving too many traces for Armand’s men to find.

They haven’t encountered their pursuer, but that doesn’t mean they are safe. Especially now that the son of a bitch has come out of his coma.

He wondered if she’d seen the news, though he knew she had been avoiding it as much as she could. Being on the run was stressful enough; she didn’t want to suffer the anxiety of anticipating worrying news that could come at any time.

He pulled out his phone from his pocket. He wouldn’t risk calling her from a prepaid cellphone unless it was an emergency. She needed to be warned. This new revelation made their lives as fugitives that much harder.

On his own, it would’ve been so much easier. He could grab his things and fly to the subsequent unfamiliar territory, off the grid, in a jungle, or a farming village in Southeast Asia. But now ...

He had to ask her to start packing their essentials, and once he arrived at the apartment, they’d move to another random town across the ocean. He dialed the number out of memory.

“Stop what you’re doing! Put your hands up where I can see them!”

A voice startled him from behind. There was no one else in that alley. The voice from behind sounded like there was only one person. He scanned the area before him for a chance to flee the scene. Then he heard a gun being cocked.

“Don’t even think about it ... put your phone down slowly, don’t make any sudden movements, or I will shoot.”

He was experienced enough to know it was not Armand’s men, or otherwise, he would have already been shot. It wasn’t a robbery either; this guy sounded like a professional ... a cop.

“You’ve got the wrong person ... I haven’t done anything wrong,” he said.

“Really? Are you sure about that?” the man was approaching.

He wanted to turn and take a peek at who was pointing a gun at him.

“Don’t! Stay still!”

The man was finally right behind him. He pulled out a handcuff and swiftly put it around his wrists.

“I’ve got the right person, alright ... you have no idea how long we’ve been tracing you,” the man said.

Then he turned him around, and they looked at each other for the first time.

“Hello, Diego ... long time no see.”

It’s been over ten years; not much has changed except circumstances. Diego remembered Anthony Kibble; how could he forget? Tony was like an uncle he never had—the only person he could trust, way back when the whole world seemed to gang up on him.

When his parents died, Tony was the only person who cared enough to shelter him. He became a father figure to him when all hope was lost, but the truth hurt him too much to be able to trust the government and the institution that had eliminated his parents for the sake of the country.

Diego left Tony with a heavy heart and no intention of ever looking back. Yet, after all the running and hiding, there they were in the narrow alleyway of a tiny town in a strange country as fate reunited them.

For a moment, no words were exchanged, but memories flashed in their minds as their eyes locked with a hint of sorrow, the pain of what they reminded each other of, and a speck of longing. Something they both tried to bury deep down was the fact that they missed the relationship they once had.

Tony’s gun was pointed straight at Diego’s chest. It was a symbol of how much the situation had changed between them. They both knew how easily Diego could’ve escaped the encounter, and Tony could only hope Diego would give him a chance to explain why he was there.

“If you want to run ... now would be a good time as any,” Tony said without lowering his gun.

Diego watched him closely without saying a word. He was trying to connect this incident with the news he had just heard.

“But I doubt you’d try after you hear what I have to say,” he continued.

Diego’s eyes widened. Tony had caught his attention. The only thing he could think of was Ariana.

“We have her in custody ...”

Before he could finish the sentence, Diego had already unlocked the cuffs from his wrist and swiftly took over Tony’s gun and pointed it at him. But Tony knew better; he took another weapon from his back, and now they both pointed a gun at each other’s faces.

“Hear me out ... Diego ... I know everything,” he said.

Diego clenched his jaw; not sure what Tony meant by it, but he kept silent.

“You heard the news ... she’s safe with us.”

“You have no grounds to detain her. She’s safer with me,” Diego said.

“He’ll find her, you know he will ... I need you to come with me, and we can discuss this further at the headquarters.”

“We have nothing to discuss ... he’ll be dead before he can find her ... I’ll make sure of that.” Diego raised his gun higher. “I don’t want to shoot you ... if you don’t tell me where you’ve taken her, I’ll find her myself.”

Tony sighed and lowered his gun. “Alright ... alright ... I think we got off on the wrong foot here. Listen... you need to hear me out,” he said, strapping his gun around his waist.

“Armand Lombardo is the key to a 10-year investigation of the mob family’s underground network; we need him alive.”

“That’s not my problem,” Diego said, lowering his gun. After they both removed their guns, there was a sudden ease.

“No ... it’s not ... but he is also your ticket to absolute freedom, no more running, no more hiding, no more looking behind your back.”

Diego looked at him sharply, waiting for him to reach his point.

“We can’t talk here ...” Tony looked around the alleyway. They were still alone, but it was too open for what he wanted to discuss.

Tony walked closer. He leaned in to whisper something in Diego’s ear. “I’m sorry,” was the last thing Diego heard before he felt something cold prick on his neck.

He wasn’t sure what was going on. Before he could say anything, his vision blurred. Tony’s concerned face staring at him faded along with his consciousness.

Diego fell into Tony’s arms with the needle still stuck in his vein, and then everything went black.