Xavier~
What are we going to do now?
Her questioning gaze fixed on my face. Since I was also unsure of what we should do at this point, I looked at James' face to get a hint about our next course of action.
Jonathan and his shooters were staring at us with excitement, so I wanted to let him know that we were lawyers, not artists, and that I had no idea what I should perform when confronting them
James came up with the plan to alter our look to trick the gunmen, but Bella's obstinacy has caused us to follow Jonathan here instead. Jonathan's menacing grey eyes gleamed in the room's darkness, giving us the impression that we were standing in front of a ravenous lion within his den.
"What are you waiting for? My gunmen will shoot you if you don't perform soon."
Two large shadows caught my attention behind his chair. They loomed like silent sentinels, their sharp eyes never leaving us.
"Without music, I can't dance." I adjusted the tone of my voice and explained my incapacity to perform, hoping to buy us more time.
"It's quite unusual for a magician to engage in dance." Jonathan gave us a suspicious look.
"No, he won't be dancing; instead, he is requesting music for my performance." Bella tried to dispel Jonathan's doubt by lying to him.
Have you lost your mind? How will you dance with a broken leg?
I was silently interrogating her with my gaze, but she simply shrugged her shoulders as if to say she had no other choice.
"Oh, so your show begins with music—that's alright." He ordered his men to play music.
Bella started dancing to the music as James and I stood in the room's corner. Her dancing steps were so graceful that no one could tell she had a fractured leg, but I could feel the suffering she was trying to conceal behind her wide smile. The spotlight never left her face.
Bella looked like a plastic doll with so much makeup on her face that it was difficult to identify her. After dancing, she took a seat in the hall's corner. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she brushed them away quickly.
Why is she reopening Laila's case at such a high risk? I also want justice for Laila, but not at the cost of Bella.
I tightened my fists at the thought. Dwelling on the past would only bring misery into our lives. I wish she could see that.
"You are truly amazing; I am eager to see how he plans to entertain me." Jonathan gestured toward James.
James froze. Jonathan's calculating eyes were fixed on him like a hawk eyeing its prey. After making a terrified face at Jonathan, James raised his hands in the air and surrendered in front of him.
"I can't perform without my sword." James gulped down his saliva before reasoning to Johnathan.
"You're right, but I'd like to see how you perform." Jonathan placed his palm on his chin and pondered.
Seeing that Jonathan wasn't pressuring him to perform, James appeared at ease. I wanted to go near Bella to check on her, but because of the gunman's sharp eye fixed on our faces, I couldn't even move from my place.
Given my lack of familiarity with magic, I was contemplating my next move in front of Jonathan, who had identified me as his next target.
We couldn't conceal our true identities from him for long, so I scoured the dimly lit chamber for a way out of the building. The oppressive air pressed against my chest, making me feel trapped. If Jonathan continued to ask us to perform in this manner, he would quickly realize that we had lied to him.
Jonathan is skilled in destroying evidence after committing any crime. In the realm of crime, he is far more shrewd than Jordan. To exonerate himself of responsibility for Laila's murder, he destroyed all of the evidence in her case.
"Show me your acting prowess with this." Jonathan threw his loaded handgun in James' direction.
James grabbed the weapon and gave me a perplexed look. I wanted to laugh aloud at his bewildered look, but I couldn't even smirk in this dangerous situation.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to demonstrate my magic first." As a good buddy, I made an effort to assist James.
"That's a good idea; I've never seen magic in my life before." I could tell Jonathan was intentionally playing with us by the way he grinned evilly. Perhaps he recognized us.
I need to figure out how to get out of here before Jonathan kidnaps us. I once again searched for a way out of this building, but every corner of the room seemed to shrink with every passing second.
"What are you waiting for? Show your magic." Jonathan gave me a curious glance, his tone dripping with mockery.
"I can make a flower vase out of this pistol." I motioned for James to hurl the revolver at me.
After interpreting my signal, James approached Bella. He placed the pistol in my magician's coat as I gestured with my hands, performing an exaggerated magic trick to hold their attention.
Jonathan and his bodyguards stared at my face, their expressions a mixture of suspicion and amusement.
I gave James the signal to lead Bella to the room's entrance after realizing that I had successfully captured their entire attention. My heart pounded as I reached into my other pocket and discovered dust. Packing the dust into my fist, I hurled it into their eyes before aiming the pistol at Jonathan.
"Catch them!" Jonathan rubbed his eyes and gave me a furious look.
"Run!" I shouted to James, who was supporting Bella as they bolted toward the exit.
To shield them from Jonathan's attack, I stayed back long enough to fire at two of the gunmen who were running behind us.
This is not the first time I have dealt with such perilous circumstances. However, Bella's involvement in this matter made me feel even more anxious and afraid.
In a panic, I shot at the advancing gunmen, my hands steady despite the chaos around me.
"Xavier Thompson, I wasn't aware that you were in Italy; otherwise, I would have planned a grand welcome for you."
Jonathan's voice echoed from behind me, taunting and venomous.
"I just know that your ex-wife came here to look for me, but don't worry; I won't allow you to gripe now that I know you're here too. Run away as much as you can because no matter where you hide, I will find you."
Jonathan's words sent a chill through my spine. When he saw a police car driving in that direction, he pulled over on the side of the road, retreating like a predator pausing its hunt.
I was relieved that he was no longer following us, but his words lingered in my ears like a ticking clock, amplifying my anxiety with every passing moment.