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🕑 Added 2024-12-12 08:40:08 +0000 UTCWind in the Smoke
Chapter 47 - Why I Chose Dante
Dante turned his head and looked at her incredulously. "Are you serious? You can't drive?"
Julia shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "It's not that I can't. It's just that I haven't been behind the wheel much these past few years. Living underground, hidden from everyone, has its drawbacks."
Dante, driving calmly, asked in a friendly tone, "So, what are you going to do to stop me from killing you right here and now?"
"You can do it whenever you want, but even if you do, you'll still need me—just as I need you." Julia was prepared for this question; she knew Dante was the leader of the organization called Sons of Anarchy.
She first discovered this while searching for information about Felipe Lobos for the Jiménez cartel, one of his close enemies.
When she found connections between the Sons of Anarchy and Felipe Lobos’ cartel, and how some of its members—supposedly simple bikers—had military backgrounds, she unearthed information about Dante.
It took her a month. Even being the best at what she did, she would have been faster if her enemies, those who wanted her dead, hadn’t found her.
Dante nodded slightly and said, "Alright, now that you're here, tell me—how will you help me?"
"I'll work for you if you promise to protect me from those who want me dead." Julia glanced in the rearview mirror, searching for any pursuers.
"They’re dead. To be honest, I was surprised to find out that Continental assassins were after you. There's a bounty on your head, and the only way to identify you is through the tattoo on your tongue," Dante said. Unfortunately for her hunters, Julia was now under his control.
He drove the truck with one hand and handed her a folder with documents. "These are my businesses, both private and illegal. I want you to create a system that connects everything but is impossible to trace."
"I can do that," Julia said with a faint smile, rolling up her sleeves as if to refuse outright.
She still wasn’t quite used to being asked for things in exchange. She sought protection, so she'd work for Dante, who had the means to hide her in Montana.
Dante didn’t want to argue with her on the road, so he chose to remain silent for now.
Julia stopped talking and stared out the car window.
The traditional American-style architecture slowly gave way to plains and mountains, which eventually transformed into something entirely different.
Under the setting sun, the hills and green vegetation reflected the snow-covered mountains in the distance.
In the past, when she worked for the highest bidder, her dream had always been to retire on a farm where only sunlight could find her. Julia, despite her escape routes, had chosen the most dangerous one.
Leaning against the truck door, her previous dissatisfaction with life was entirely replaced by the overwhelming beauty of nature before her.
"It’s so beautiful. You're so lucky to see this every day, being a damn trafficker," Julia muttered to herself. "Is your ranch like this too?"
Dante glanced out the window, smiled, and said, "Yeah, you’ll see it when we get to the place where you'll be staying."
"We also have streams running through the land to provide fresh water for the livestock..." Suddenly, Dante had a flash of inspiration. "It also lets us fish and maybe invite some guests to play."
"There are still plenty of overpopulated wild animals. If we can manage it, maybe we can start a hunting project."
Dante kept his eyes on the road as he continued, "If you want to ride horses, there’s a lot of open land in the pastures. You’ll need a guide, though, or you'll get lost—it’s happened before."
"God, I’ve never ridden a horse. Are there any guests at the ranch now?"
Dante glanced at her before focusing back on the road. "I’m offering you a whole new life and protection, so I want to know—who are your enemies, and why do they want you dead?"
"Let’s just say I helped the wrong person. Maybe I was too arrogant, and it cost me my entire workspace," Julia admitted, revealing that an organization wanted her dead for aiding a man.
Dante understood enough to see that everything had worked out well for everyone—except those who wanted Julia dead.
"I’ll put on some music. Kill me or make a decision; I don’t care anymore," Julia said, closing her eyes after lighting a cigarette.
As the music flowed, Dante noticed she gradually grew silent, eventually falling asleep, leaning against the truck window.
Compassion welled up in him. He knew all too well what it was like to live on the run, so he decided to take her somewhere peaceful, turning off the main road onto a dirt path.
As the truck bounced along the rough mountain road, Julia remained asleep.
Dante sighed in relief.
But he became so focused on the road that he didn’t notice the unexpected obstacle ahead.
He slammed on the brakes, narrowly avoiding hitting a massive creature.
A huge American bison bull lay comfortably in the middle of the dirt road, stretching under the moonlight like a two-thousand-pound cat.
Dante’s eyes widened. Other than whales, this was the largest animal he had ever seen in real life.
"Well, I wanted to take a shortcut, and things got complicated," Dante said apologetically to his new worker, who had just woken up, as he shifted into reverse.
When he stopped, he was already very close to the bison. The beast lay there calmly, even raising its head to meet Dante’s eyes.
Its head was as big as a four-wheeler motorcycle, and its face reflected a pair of round, black eyes beneath curly black hair.
Julia blinked in slight panic. "Are we there yet?"
"Not yet," Dante explained as he reversed. He noticed the bison lowering its head and flicking its short brush-like tail in the dust. Trying to lighten the tension, he added, "Is there a way to protect my fortune?"
"What is that...?"
"A bison—the pride of Montana." Dante released the brakes as the bison stared at them.
"An incredible beast."
Dante felt as though the bison was sending him a message, but he didn’t understand it—and didn’t need to. He simply drove away as soon as he had the chance.
"Since you haven’t killed me, I’ll need a lot of resources to start working on what you need," Julia said as they continued their journey, regaining her sense of purpose.
Comments
Nato J
Did Julia help John Wick, if so, how far along is the John Wick Chapter in Dante world.
