Kidnapped a Don for Christmas

Running for My Life

Charlie’s POV

I can’t shake the people on my tail. No matter how fast I go, their headlights stay in my rearview mirror, shadows chasing me through the city streets.

I knew I shouldn’t have gone out alone tonight, but I didn’t have a choice. It was an emergency. Marinda called me, panicked. She said someone was following her and that she didn’t feel safe. My fiancée tends to dramatize things. She’s a model and an actress, after all, but she sounded frantic.

I should have sent one of my men instead. But no, I went myself, thinking it would be quick. I never expected it to turn into a trap.

Sometimes I wonder why I even got engaged to Marinda. Maybe it was to silence my parents, who keep reminding me that I’m the oldest of the quadruplets and it’s my duty to start a family. As if being born a few minutes earlier makes me more responsible for the Falco name. My grandfather, Antonio Pistone, is even worse. He keeps talking about the “legacy” and the “future generations.”

But the truth is, I’m not ready for any of that. Especially not with Marinda. She’s beautiful, yes, but she loves the spotlight more than anything else. I can’t imagine her trading red carpets for midnight feedings. Somehow, she’s the one I’m supposed to marry.

None of that matters right now. What matters is staying alive.

The men behind me are not allowing me to think about my life. I know exactly who they are. The cartel. They’ve been waiting for a chance like this. When my father and uncle crushed their leaders years ago, they swore vengeance. Now they’re coming for me, the heir of the Falco family, the next don.

I grip the steering wheel tighter. I don’t want to become the Godfather, not ever. But fate doesn’t care what I want. If my cousins do not want to take that responsibility, it will fall on my shoulders.

I take a sharp turn, tires screeching on the icy road. The city lights fade behind me as I head toward the outskirts. The snow is falling harder now, white flakes swirling in the headlights. My pulse pounds in my ears. I need to get out of the city, out to the smaller towns, where the roads twist through forests and no one can follow me. They do not have the cars to follow me on a country road.

A bullet shatters the silence. Then another. Pain explodes in my shoulder.

I was right, they’re trying to kill me.

I press my hand to the wound, warm blood seeping through my fingers. I can’t slow down. Not now. If I do, it’s over.

I slam my foot on the accelerator, my SUV roaring as it tears through the snow. Luckily, I chose this vehicle. It’s heavier, stronger, and built for rough terrain. The cars behind me are smaller, faster maybe, but useless on a gravel road.

The pain in my shoulder sharpens with every turn of the wheel. My vision blurs for a moment, but I force myself to focus.

I can’t die tonight, not like this.

I think of my father, of how disappointed he’d be if I let these men take me out so easily. I think of my brothers and sister, each one capable, but reckless in their own way. They’d avenge me, sure, but the family would never be the same. The Falco name would be stained with weakness. Not on my watch.

I swerve around a bend, nearly losing control as the back of the SUV slides. Snow sprays up in thick sheets. My heart hammers against my ribs. Every second feels longer than the last. The road stretches ahead, endless and empty, and I start to wonder if I’ll ever reach the little town I’m aiming for.

“Come on,” I whisper to myself, pressing harder on the gas. “Just a little further.”

I glance in the mirror. They’re still there.

My shoulder throbs. I can feel my pulse beating in the wound. I’m losing blood too fast. I need to get help soon, or at least find somewhere to hide.

Marinda flashes through my mind again. Was she really in danger tonight? Or was this whole thing a setup?

My gut twists. Marinda’s called me in “emergencies” before, times when she wanted attention, or when she’d fought with her agent. But this… this feels different. If they were waiting near her apartment, maybe they used her as bait. Maybe she didn’t even know. Or maybe she did.

I shake the thought away. I can’t think like that right now. I should call my father, tell him what’s happening, but I can’t drive, keep pressure on my shoulder, and hold a phone all at once. I’m good, but not that good.

Ten against one. That’s what I’m up against. Even though I am a great shot, the odds are impossible. I won’t go down easy. If they want to kill me, they’ll have to earn it.

Through the haze of falling snow, I spot a turnoff, a narrow gravel road leading into the woods. My only chance.

I take a deep breath and yank the wheel to the left. The tires slide, spinning for a moment before gripping again. The car fishtails, but I manage to straighten it out. Behind me, the headlights stop. They can’t follow me on this road, not with their low-riding cars.

A grim smile crosses my face. “Not this time, bastards.”

The road narrows as I push deeper into the woods. Branches scrape against the sides of the SUV. I keep one hand pressed against my shoulder, trying to slow the bleeding. The pain is almost unbearable now, but I can’t stop.

I can’t let them find me.

The headlights behind me have vanished completely now. I’m alone in the white silence. I exhale slowly, trying to calm my racing heart. I've lost them for now. They will only be able to come back tomorrow, and I am not planning on being here, but my head starts spinning, and for a second, everything is black in front of me. I blink hard, trying to clear it, but everything looks hazy. My hands feel heavy on the steering wheel. I can barely feel my fingers. The warmth from the heater isn’t reaching me anymore.

“Stay awake,” I say, forcing my eyes open. “Just a little further, Charlie. Don’t pass out now.”

My shoulder burns, and my arm is slick with blood. The SUV skids again, and this time I can’t correct it fast enough. The road curves sharply, and I’m too slow. I see the blur of a tree ahead. It is too close, too fast. For a second, time stops.

I think of my family, of my father, my brothers, my sister, and my mother’s face. I think of everything I still want to do.

Then the car hits. The impact is violent, a shudder that tears through metal and bone alike. The sound of crunching steel fills my ears, and then everything goes dark.

A stranger in need.