43
Sebastiano
The minutes drag on like hours since the first text hit my phone. After, there was just cold silence, like the calm before the storm. But I'm not sitting on my ass and waiting for those assholes to make their move. I've rallied my best men, the ones who'd walk through hell for me, to help me save my woman and baby.
I should've fucking seen it coming. All the signs were there, right in front of my face. But I was too wrapped up in my own bullshit, too blind to see the resentment brewing within him.
And now, it's too late.
The room is tense, every damn eye on me, waiting for my next move. I stand with the weight of their expectations, my heart pounding like a jackhammer. All I can think about is getting to Mia.
Nico, my own cousin, has been eyeing my seat at the top for as long as I can remember, waiting for his chance to strike like a snake in the grass. And who can blame him? If his old man hadn't been taken out, he'd be the one calling the shots right now. It all started with that Russian scum, Orlov Mogilevich. Uncle Gino bought into his bullshit about forging an alliance between the Italians and the Russians. But that slimy fucker double-crossed Gino and put a bullet right between his eyes the day they were supposed to seal the deal. It was a power play, one that set off a shitstorm of bloodshed and betrayal.
My phone vibrates, breaking my thoughts.
Unknown number:Old cargo warehouse. One hour. Come alone, or she dies.
That latter hits me like a freight train. Mia doesn't deserve any of this, and I'll be damned if I let those fuckers lay a finger on her.
I bark out my orders to my men, my voice laced with urgency. They nod in understanding, their eyes reflecting the same determination burning inside me.
I strap up and jump in the car with Dario and Enzo, the weight of this mission heavy on my heart.
I take the wheel, and Enzo rides shotgun with Dario in the back. Fuck going in alone, I'm not taking any chances with my ass being the target. We roll out in one SUV, but I've got five more loaded with soldiers, plus my old man and Alessio with their seconds in another SUV. Seven cars in total.
I white-knuckle the wheel as I drive to the warehouse. The radio's off, silence thick as tar between us. The only sound is the clinking of Dario loading his guns from the back seat.
The old cargo warehouse sits like a souvenir from the past, a reminder of the dark shit that went down here. It used to be a prison, a place where men were tortured and broken. But it's been abandoned for years now, left to rot in the shadows of the docks.
As we approach, the darkness seems to swallow us whole, the only light coming from the glow of the moon overhead.
We are the first to arrive, and I park and then jump out of the car while the others pull up shortly after. The wooden planks beneath us groan and creak with every step, a haunting melody that echoes through the night. Rusty chains hang like nooses from decaying posts, a grim welcome in this godforsaken place.
My men take their position, disappearing into the shadows and surrounding the building like a fucking fortress. Enzo and Dario flank my sides as we walk toward the door, ready for whatever goes down.
With every muscle tense and my senses on high alert, I step into the abandoned warehouse. The stench of decay hits my nose. My eyes lock onto Mia on the second story, a sight that makes my blood boil. Rinna and Roman stand beside her, Rinna holding a gun to Mia's head like it's some sick joke.
"Get the damn gun off my woman," I spit out.
Mia's eyes glisten with tears when she looks at me, silently pleading for me to make this nightmare end.
"Well, well, well, look who we have here," Roman sneers, his voice like nails on a chalkboard. "And, of course, the lazy bastard can't follow directions. I said, come alone.'"
"And I said get your damn gun off my woman," I bark back, my patience wearing thin.
"You're in no position to make demands, are you?" Roman retorts, his arrogance oozing from every pore. The fucker thinks he has the upper hand.
"No?" I scoff.
"No, but I am," Rinna interjects, her laughter sounds like a banshee's cry.
"Like hell you are," I snap back. "What the hell is this all about anyway? What the fuck do you want?"
"What I want is to have my old lifestyle back when Gino was in charge," Rinna claims, but her evil grin doesn't sit right with me. "What I want is for you to willingly step down and allow my son to take his rightful place and claim his birthright. And if you do, I'll let you walk out of here alive."
Is this woman kidding me right now? All this bullshit over money and a lifestyle she wants. Dad and I have always made sure she's taken care of. A big mansion, fancy cars, and everything she needed was provided. I bet she's had to make a few cutbacks since she doesn’t have Uncle Gino as her cash cow, but fuck, what else does she need?
"It doesn't work like that," I snarl back.
"Oh yeah, and why not?" Nico interjects, walking from behind me, until he’s standing directly in front of me.
"You think you can just waltz in here and take everything that's mine?" he snarls, his voice dripping with venom. "You think you're so damn entitled, don't you?"
We stand toe to toe, and I clench my fists tightly at my sides, my jaw grinding, barely containing my fury. "This isn't about entitlement, Nico," I growl. "This is about doing what's best for the family."
Nico scoffs at my words, his lips curling into a sinister sneer. "The family?" he scoffs. "You wouldn't know what's best for the family if it slapped you in the face."
His words ignite a wildfire of anger inside me, my temper flaring with each passing second. "And you would? The man who's been fucking around against the mafioso? The man who kidnapped my pregnant wife?" I snap in frustration.
"You're just upset because you can't handle the fact that I'm the one who's going to be the Don," he yells, his voice echoing in the empty space.
But Rinna raises the gun, her voice cold and calculating. "Walk away, Seb, or I'll shoot Mia."
“The fuck you will, I’m not leaving without my wife,” I snarl. I take a step back and raise my weapon, aiming it directly at Rinna. Rinna won't be walking out of here tonight. I'll make sure of that.
“Mia isn’t going anywhere with you,” Nico says. “After you’re gone, she will be my wife and have my baby,” he continues.
I shake my head in disbelief, listening to Nico’s words. “If you want to fight over the title, let's handle this like men. Leave Mia out of this and let her go. She doesn’t deserve this,” I offer. I’m willing to risk my life, my title, and anything in this world, if that means Mia can walk out of here safely.
Nico's eyes flash with fury, his fists clenching tightly at his sides. "You still don’t get it, do you, Seb? I never cared to be the don," he admits, his voice thick with bitterness. "I only wanted the position so I could get what was promised to me, what belongs to me. All I ever wanted was Mia. And I’ll do whatever it takes to get her, even if that means getting rid of you."
"This is about Mia? About you wanting my wife?" I ask in shock. My heart twists at his words, guilt gnawing at my insides. I had no clue Nico harbors such intense feelings for Mia––feelings that border on obsession. Before I can process his confession, Nico's following words cut through me. "Dad and Peter arranged our marriage when Mia was first born––even signed a contract to seal the deal," he says with resentment.
"I never wanted to be the don––I just wanted to be with her," he repeats, pulling out a weathered piece of paper. As he turns it over, a marriage contract that must be around twenty years old comes into my view, signed by both Peter and Uncle Gino.
My mind is spinning, trying to process this all.
I had no idea Nico resented me so much, seeing me as just an obstacle to his happiness. But as the truth dawns on me, a wave of regret washes over me.
"I'm sorry, Nico," I whisper, barely above a whisper. "I had no idea."
"Don't play stupid, you knew. I've been in love with her since sixth grade," he spits out. "You use to make fun of me because I went to her recitals. You told me to stop wasting time on one woman."
I never realized that the skinny little girl from grade school was Mia Russo. I do remember Nico having a crush on a girl when we were kids, but I didn't realize that his crush had been ongoing for so long.
“I’m giving you one last chance to walk away, Seb,” Nico says, but he doesn’t realize that I can’t walk away.
From the second la piccola ballerina walked into my life, everything changed. She started seeping into my mind, and then she began consuming my every waking thought and even my dreams. Mia has become a constant presence that I can’t ignore, breaking down walls that I didn’t know I built. And before I knew it, she made her way to my heart. This wasn’t something that we planned, but now that I have her, I’ll never let her go.
“I can’t walk away. I love her,” I finally confess the words that I never thought I was capable of saying or feeling.
“You don’t know what love is. I’ve loved her longer and will make her happy once you’re gone,” Nico barks.
"Love has to work both ways," Mia interjects, looking at Nico.
Rinna grips Mia’s arm, pulling her to her feet and starts walking down the stairs, her gun clutched tightly in her hand. Rinna stops in front of us, standing to Nico's left, with Mia to her left.
"You ruined everything, Mia!" she screams, her voice filled with rage as she digs the gun into Mia's head. "If Sebastiano hadn't fallen in love with you, none of this would have happened!"
Tears stream down Mia's cheeks as her eyes lock onto mine. "I love him too," she declares, her words piercing through my heart.
"What's there to love? We did everything to make him look bad," Nico says with a smirk, his words dripping with disgust.
He doesn’t realize that Mia doesn't care about any of that, she loves me for me, and nothing will change that. But before she can answer him, I ask, "What did you do?"
"Well, I originally messed up the shipments to show the commission you can't be trusted. I knew that if you kept messing up, Don Antonio wouldn't let you take over," Roman says from the top step, as calm as ever.
The pussy is afraid to say this to my face. He has to hide upstairs.
My fists clench with fury. "I trusted you. Why’d you kill Diego?" I demand.
"Wrong place, wrong time—he saw something he shouldn't have," Roman says, his words only add to me rage. "He had the chance to side with me, and he made his choice. But it played into our favor with the police disrupting the imports," he says, and I have to swallow the urge to lunge at the bastard. "But when the old fucker swore you would do well, I planted the marriage bullshit in his ear. I've been watching you for years. I didn't think you'd actually get married," Roman says with a sneer.
"And I never thought Antonio would actually honor Peter's agreement for Mia––my Mia," Nico interjects.
My eyes stay glued on Mia, who just stands there, listening to all of this with a gun to her head. I make a mental note to kill anyone who has ever wronged her, including the bitch who has a gun to her head right now and her pezzo di merda father.
"Originally, it was my idea to add the baby stipulation on the contract," Nico continues. "And now that the commission has your ceremony in place, and you got my girl pregnant. Now I need to take back what belongs to me. And Mia is mine."
"No, she's not yours," I say, my voice seething with rage. "She's a fucking person. She doesn't belong to anyone, you stupido pezzo di merda," I snarl.
"I should have tried harder," Nico mumbles, more to himself. He takes a step back, running a hand through his hair. His pacing intensifies, circling like he's about to lose his mind. "Do you know how hard it is to befriend the son of your father's killer?" Nico yells, his voice filled with frustration and anger.
"Petra? That was you?" I ask, dumbfounded.
"I wanted it to look like you were doing business with them," Nico says, his tone dripping with malice. "He was dumb enough to agree. I don't even feel bad he's dead," he adds with an evil smile.
"Only Orlov didn't kill Gino," Roman interjects.
"What?" Nico yells, his voice rising in disbelief.
"It was me," Roman responds.
"Your father wanted to try to make a deal with the Russians. I told him it was a bad idea, but he never listened to me. He always wanted to do the right thing," Rinna says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I thought Orlov was setting him up, but they made the deal. Your dad came home early that night to celebrate and caught us. It was the perfect cover-up," she muses, a sadistic grin spreading across her face.
"Caught who?" Nico asks, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"I've been trying to make it right ever since," Roman interjects. "That's why I am willing to help your mom take down Sebastiano, so you can take your rightful position and get your girl."
"So, you killed my father because he caught you having an affair with mom?" Nico asks, his voice cold as he walks towards Roman, who is now coming down the stairs towards us.
Shit's about to hit the fan, and I shoot a glance back at Enzo and Dario, who are positioned by the door, ready for whatever's coming next. Rinna's still holding her gun to Mia's head. Still, her attention is on Roman and Nico, who are screaming at each other like rabid dogs.
While Rinna's distracted, Mia does something ballsy as hell. She pulls out a knife from her sleeve and lunges at Rinna's right shoulder, near her collarbone.
Where the fuck did that come from?
For a split second, the whole place goes quiet, and then chaos erupts as Rinna's eyes widen in shock, her mouth gaping like a fish out of water. My woman isn’t fucking around. Mia plunges the blade into Rinna's chest a second time, blood staining her shirt. With tears streaming down her face, Mia makes a run for it, heading straight for me. I reach out to her, my heart slamming against my ribcage.
But before I can get close enough to grab Mia, Rinna's voice slices through my ears, full of venom. "You're gonna pay for this, you little whore!" she screams, pointing her gun right at Mia, her finger twitching on the trigger.
My blood runs cold at Rinna's words, and in a split second, everything seems to slow down when Nico, that crazy motherfucker, jumps in front of the bullet, taking the hit for Mia. The sound of the gun rings in my ears, followed by a sickening thud as Nico falls to his knees, blood gushing out of him like a fountain.
Frozen in place, my mind struggles to process what just happened because this nightmare just went from bad to catastrophic, and I can't do a thing about it.
"I've always loved you, and I always will," Nico whispers to Mia before his eyes shut. And then Mia's there, cradling Nico's lifeless body, tears pouring down her face as she mourns the loss of the man, she once called a friend.
There’s more than just sorrow filling the room now––it's a cocktail of burning flesh, gunpowder, and blood.
"You ruined everything," Rinna spits manically as she raises the gun once more. Before I can even blink, Rinna's turning that gun on Mia again, her finger moving toward the trigger like it's got a mind of its own.
Instinct kicks in, and I'm moving before I even realize what I'm doing. I lunge forward, stepping in front of Mia, taking the bullet meant for her like it's a badge of honor. The pain in my shoulder is excruciating, white-hot pain screams through every nerve in my body, but I grit my teeth and stand my ground.
I raise my own weapon, aiming it straight at Rinna's sorry ass. And then, with a squeeze of the trigger, Rinna's on the ground, her body crumpling like a puppet with its strings cut.
“Bash, are you okay?” Mia asks between sobs, her eyes wide with fear.
“Never fucking better, Piccolina,” I say, pulling her close with my right arm.
The stench of gunfire and the deafening roar of bullets fills the room as Enzo, Dario, and all my soldiers unleash hell. My heart's hammering in my chest as I try to make sense of the chaos around me, soldiers flooding into the warehouse from every direction.
I can hear the screams of my men, and some of whom I assume are Roman and Rinna’s soldiers, flood into the warehouse—the sharp crack of gunfire ringing in my ears like a symphony of death. And then, in the middle of the madness, I see him—Roman, making a run for it like the coward he is.
Alessio catches up to him, his face twisted in a mask of fury as he delivers blow after blow until Roman stops moving. And then, without a thought, Alessio pulls out his gun and unloads round after round into Roman's lifeless body.