Chapter 15
The Escape
The night was alive with gunfire as Matteo, Aldo, and Russo sprinted across the open field beyond the compound. The air was thick with smoke, the acrid stench of burnt metal and blood filling their lungs.
The first bomb had done its job, throwing the compound into chaos, but it hadn’t been enough to cover their escape entirely. The guards were relentless, their shouts growing louder, bullets kicking up dirt and debris around them. The roar of engines in the distance signaled reinforcements; time was running out.
Aldo’s grip on Russo’s arm was ironclad, dragging the injured man along despite his sluggish resistance. Russo groaned, the shrapnel wound in his side slowing him down, but Aldo didn’t care. If the bastard couldn’t keep up, he’d throw him over his shoulder or shoot him in the head.
Matteo was just ahead, his breath ragged but his movements precise. The adrenaline kept him going, but every fiber of his being screamed at him to stop. He turned just in time to see the glint of a sniper’s scope catching the moonlight.
"Down!" he shouted, lunging toward Aldo just as the rifle cracked through the air.
The bullet tore through Matteo’s side, searing pain radiating through his body as he hit the ground hard. The impact knocked the wind out of him, and for a moment, the world blurred around the edges. The sharp scent of blood flooded his senses, mixing with the dirt beneath him.
Aldo spun toward him; eyes wide with horror. "Matteo!"
Aldo didn’t hesitate. Still gripping Russo with one hand, he crouched beside Matteo, his free hand pressing against the wound. Blood seeped through his fingers, hot and unforgiving. Matteo gritted his teeth against the pain, his breath coming in sharp, shallow gasps.
Blood seeped through Matteo’s shirt, darkening the fabric as he gritted his teeth against the agony. "Keep going," he ground out, pressing a hand to his wound.
"Like hell I’m leaving you!" Aldo snapped, already firing in the direction of the sniper’s perch. The shot went wild, but it gave them a momentary reprieve.
Russo staggered forward; his face twisted in pain. "You’re both insane," he muttered, before collapsing onto his knees.
Aldo crouched beside Matteo, eyes scanning the darkened terrain. Their vehicle wasn’t far; if they could just reach it, they might still make it out alive.
"Get up," Aldo ordered, slipping Matteo’s arm around his shoulder.
Matteo let out a strained chuckle. "Is that concern I hear?"
"Shut up and move."
Aldo half-carried, half-dragged him forward while keeping his weapon trained on Russo. The weight of Matteo against him was staggering, but he refused to slow down. Behind them, the compound was still in chaos, more guards flooding out, barking orders into their radios.
"Keep moving," Aldo growled, his voice a lethal promise. "Unless you want a bullet in your skull."
Russo stumbled but obeyed, his breath ragged with pain from the shrapnel wound in his side. Aldo barely spared him a glance, his focus shifting to Matteo, whose weight against his side was growing heavier by the second. Blood seeped through Matteo’s shirt, darkening the fabric, and his breathing was uneven, shallow.
"Stay with me, damn it," Aldo muttered, his grip tightening around Matteo's waist as he dragged him forward. His partner let out a strained chuckle, but it was weak, lacking the usual fire Aldo had come to expect from him.
A sharp crack split the air; another gunshot. Aldo twisted, instincts kicking in as he fired back in rapid succession. The muzzle flash illuminated the darkness, revealing the shapes of armed guards closing in from behind. One fell, then another, but they just kept coming. Adrenaline surged through Aldo, fueling him forward.
"Almost there," he muttered through clenched teeth.
Matteo let out a weak breath. "You keep saying that."
The SUV came into view, a dark, hulking shape just beyond the tree line. Relief was a luxury Aldo couldn't afford yet.
A bullet whizzed past his ear, close enough that he felt the heat of it.
"Fuck!" Aldo snarled, shifting his weight to haul Matteo up more forcefully. The bastard was losing too much blood.
Russo hesitated for a fraction of a second, his gaze flickering toward the trees as if weighing the risk of making a break for it. Aldo didn’t hesitate. He pressed the gun harder against Russo’s ribs.
"Try it," he warned, voice like gravel. "I dare you."
With a muttered curse, Russo climbed into the SUV first, collapsing into the backseat. Aldo shoved Matteo into the car next, hands slick with blood as he maneuvered him carefully. Matteo groaned but didn’t fight him. That scared Aldo more than anything.
"Fuck!" Aldo cursed, slamming the door shut behind them, before turning the car on.
The tires screeched against the dirt, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris as the SUV lurched forward. Gunfire chased them into the night, bullets ricocheting off the frame, but he didn’t slow.
Then, the second explosion came.
The compound behind them erupted, flames clawing at the sky as the final explosives Matteo had planted detonated in full force. The shockwave rattled the SUV, momentarily stealing the breath from Aldo’s lungs. Through the rear window, he watched as fire consumed Russo’s empire, the thick black smoke billowing into the night like a vengeful specter.
Aldo turned to Matteo, whose head lolled slightly against the seat. His face was pale, eyes half-lidded, his breaths coming in short, unsteady gasps. Aldo’s stomach twisted.
"Stay awake."
Matteo smirked weakly, voice barely above a whisper. "Didn’t know you were the worrying type."
Aldo’s jaw clenched. "Shut up."
Matteo’s eyes fluttered, but he didn’t argue. Aldo swallowed down the tightness in his throat and looked ahead. The city lights of Calabria loomed in the distance, but the war was far from over. They had Russo.
Now, they had to decide what to do with him.