CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED – A NEW HOME

There was no time to argue. Pietro lobbed the smoke grenades, and within seconds, the beach was shrouded in thick, acrid smoke. "Now!" Caporelli shouted. Joan burst from cover, her legs pumping as she sprinted towards the waiting boat. She could hear the thunderous report of Alessandro and Pietro's weapons, providing cover fire. Bullets whizzed past her, kicking up sand at her feet. Her lungs burned, but she pushed herself harder, focused solely on reaching the boat. Suddenly, a figure loomed out of the smoke in front of her. One of Scipione's men, his gun raised. Joan reacted on instinct, bringing up her own weapon and firing. The man fell, and she leapt over his body, her heart pounding. She reached the boat, scrambling aboard and fumbling with the keys Caporelli had given her. Her hands shook as she tried to start the engine. "Come on, come on," she muttered desperately. The engine roared to life just as Caporelli appeared out of the smoke, d]iving into the boat beside her. "