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Bullets instantly started flying, missing both Sam and I by mere inches. Sam gripped me by the arm and dragged me down toward the ground, and behind a pillar for cover. He held a pistol in his hand, occasionally leaning out of cover to shoot at Rafe's forces. I had no weapons other than my fists, which would do nothing for me at this moment. I watched Nate hop over a table and take out one of the men. More gunfire caused dust from the pillar to fall and cover me in a cloud of debris. I shielded my head, feeling helpless in the fray. I was still trying to wrap my head around why Sam had even saved me in the first place.

"Augh! Nathan!"

I glanced out from behind the pillar to find one of Rafe's goons trying to choke Sam from behind. I'm not sure if I felt indebted to this stranger, or what came over me, but I dashed over to them. I gave the man a low sidekick into his kneecap, feeling it bend backwards under the pressure of my foot. He immediately let go, letting out a sharp cry of pain. Sam gained his bearings, then knocked the man out with the brunt of his gun. Sam gave me a small smile, one that made my cheeks grow crimson (once again). I averted my eyes from him. Bullets were suddenly fired at my feet, jolting me back into reality again. Nate hollered something from across the room, but I couldn't make it out with all this background noise. My brain started reeling as I ducked behind cover. I debated whether I should make another attempt to make another swipe for the cross while Sam was distracted. I cursed myself for thinking of such a dirty stunt after this man saved my life, but I had a mission to complete.

"Hey, let's keep moving!" Nate called from up ahead. He waved Sam and I over, standing beside the exit.

I exhaled heavily, pushing away the idea of going for the cross right now. My main concern should be to get out of the Rossi Estate alive. I followed them, doing nothing really other than hiding behind cover as the guys took out anyone aiming a gun at them. I felt a little rattled, honestly. I hadn't been surrounded by this much death in a long time. Most of my missions didn't turn out to be a bloodbath. I preferred my jobs to be done a little cleaner.

Eventually we made it outside by a pretty pond with more pillars sticking out from the center. It was a shame that such a beautiful place was being turned into a warzone. One of the gunmen had targeted me, and was hot on my heels. I tried to make a run for one of the pillars by the pond, but I felt my dress catch on something. The man chasing me had caught the skirt of my dress, pulling me back violently, feeling some of the fabric rip as I struggled to keep moving forward. I tripped, falling into the water. The dress was now sopping wet and felt ten times heavier. I swore if I made it out of this I would never wear a damned dress again. As I tried to raise my head, I felt a hand roughly grip the back of my head and slam me down back into the water. It was in those agonizing few seconds that I realized he was trying to hold me under. Before I could start panicking, his grip loosened and the water turned from clear to red. I felt myself become hoisted up again, this time it was Nate who had rescued me. I felt embarrassed for a moment, being a damsel in distress was pathetic on my part. Great, now I had to feel indebted to him, too.

"We need to keep moving! We're almost there!" Sam called from ahead.

The three of us were on the move again. Maybe sticking around these guys wasn't such a bad idea. Well, I thought until Sullivan's white car came crashing through the garden, and up some steps. He laid his hand on the horn, trying to hustle the guys to move faster. Nate and Sam jumped in the car, and by instinct I was going to follow them, until Nate's hand gripped the handle on the door. I caught the door with my hand before it could slam shut.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? You don't think you're coming with us, do you?" Nate questioned.

Sullivan turned around, "what in all that is holy is goin' on back there? Don't you see the army comin' after us? We gotta move!"

"C'mon Nate, we can't just leave her out here to die," Sam pushed Nate's hand away from the handle.

I climbed in, and before I could even close the door Sullivan pressed his foot against the accelerator and sped off. Bullets riddled the car as he drove away, but we were all long gone before any real damage could be dealt. I turned around in my seat, watching the Rossi Estate grow smaller and smaller. I let out a sigh, placing a hand over my hammering heart. That was too damn close.

"I knew I recognized you," Sullivan interjected after a long silence.

"Huh?"

"You look just like your mother," he stated. I was clearly confused by what me meant so he went on. "I've done business with your grandfather before, and your father for that matter. You know your family has been in this type of lifestyle generations longer than I can remember."

I didn't reply. This reminder of my family just added to the complicated place I was in, and whether or not I could walk away with the cross. I clutched onto my handbag (still relieved I even still had it after what we went through), knowing that I would have to contact my father eventually. Sam and Nate stared at me, clearly intrigued by Sullivan's comment. Sam eyeing me made me suddenly feel very self-conscious of my disheveled appearance. I kept my eyes on the back of the passenger car seat.

"Wait a minute, so you're a treasure hunter too?" Nate asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"I prefer the term collector, but yeah, I guess you could say that," I replied, evenly.

"You're not working for Rafe and Nadine are you?" Sam asked.

I made a face of disgust, which made him break out in another one of those charming smiles. "No, Rafe and my father don't get along. We had some bad business deals with him before. As for Nadine, we had some bad run-ins with her and Shoreline."

"So, let me guess, you're after the St. Dismas Cross?" Sullivan asked.

"I am."

Sullivan slammed his foot on the break, making all of us jerk forward.

"Jesus, Sully!" Nate exclaimed.

"Sorry to do this to you, missy, but you need to get out now." Sully sighed.

I didn't move a muscle. I stared at him through the rearview mirror, feeling anger starting to settle in my stomach. I didn't come this far just to walk away now. I balled my hands into fists. "I'm not leaving without that cross."

Sullivan turned off the car and stepped out. I watched him circle the car wearily until I opened the car door on my side. Still, I didn't move. Sam was sitting right beside me. I could nab the cross now, but with Sullivan and Sam both right next to me; my chances of getting away were slim.

"I'm sorry, but we can't let you have this cross," Sullivan glanced behind me and toward Sam, "there's a lot riding on this that you have no idea about."

"If you know my family so well, then you know what will happen if I come home empty handed!" I was seething now, feeling even more trapped then I had before back during the auction. All of this was so stupid!

Sullivan gently gripped my arm and led me out of the car. I decided not to struggle, knowing it would do nothing but make matters worse for me. Sam and Nate watched me, and once again I felt my eyes drift to the cross, which was now being held protectively in Sam's hands.

"I'm sorry. I respect your family, but we're not giving away that cross." Sullivan's tone was final.

I felt tears of frustration spring to my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away. I held up my fists and lowered my body weight into a sturdy fighting stance. If I had to throw a few more punches to try and get the cross, so be it. At this point, I honestly didn't care anymore.

Sullivan shook his head at me, as if he were pitying me. "There's no point in fighting for it, kiddo. We've got you outnumbered. I'm sorry things didn't work out." Sullivan pulled out his wallet then and started thumbing through its contents. "I'll tell you what, I'll give you some money so you can catch a ride back to wherever it is you are staying at. There's a bus stop right over there." He held out the money toward me. I wanted to slap it down, but I repressed my childish feelings of anger. I knew they had bested me, and he was trying very hard to deal with this civilly. I reluctantly took the money, my shoulders slumping in defeat.

Sullivan gave me a sad smile, "there you go." He patted me on the shoulder before walking back to his car. Sam and Nate were staring at me now, their expressions blank. Feeling utterly shamed, I walked toward the bus stop, listening to their car zoom off.

As I sat waiting for the bus, I pulled out my phone, shaking off the water that was still dripping from it. I had been dreading this conversation.

"I just had to get a waterproof phone, didn't I?"

Me: I didn't get the cross

Victor Sullivan has it

I'm sorry

I waited with mounting dread for the reply. It felt like an eternity before I felt my phone vibrate. I looked down at the screen.

Father: Are you positive?

Can you go after him?

Me: No. He had me outnumbered and did not want to fight

I'm so sorry I didn't have a choice

Father: You know Simmons won't take that as an excuse

Just reading Simmons' name made a chill run down my spine, like an icy fingertip brushing against my skin. Simmons was going to be furious knowing that I had failed to retrieve the cross.

Father: I will try to explain to him about the situation

Me: You know it won't help

The bus pulled up and the doors swung open. The driver gave me a look at my messy appearance, but said nothing. I climbed the steps, feeling as if I had fifty extra pounds weighing down on my shoulders. I choose a seat in the back, avoiding the other passenger's stares. I felt my phone vibrate again.

Father: I pray for you

Me: I've got a flight to catch

I ended the conversation there, trying to ignore the horrid feeling my father's messages gave me. He was now worried about what Simmons would do to me now, which only made me even uneasier. In the morning I would be heading to the airport with a heavy heart, tired and treasure-less. I thought that this was the end of my journey; that my failure to secure the cross would be the last I would ever hear of St. Dismas. I was wrong. Little did I know I would be crossing paths with the Drake brother's again.

This time it wouldn't be Italy, it would be in Scotland.