CHAPTER XLIII
I woke in a haze, disoriented and confused.
My eyelids fluttered open, and panic surged through my veins as I became aware of my surroundings.
A scream fought its way up my throat. I was hanging upright on a bridge over the lake like a puppet. Ropes dug into my skin at my wrists, forearms, legs, and ankles. A heavy rope wrapped tightly around my waist connected to a cinder block.
I shivered uncontrollably, my breath hitching as I heard footsteps approaching the bridge, accompanied by a light, almost cheerful whistling. I looked to my right and saw a man wearing a black hoodie, a plastic white mask obscuring his features, and a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.
My heart thundered in my chest, each frantic beat echoing louder than the last as fear twisted my insides into knots.
“You are exquisite,” he murmured, his voice dripping with a disturbing admiration. “You would’ve been a fun project.”
I swallowed past the large lump in my throat.
“It’s a shame, really, that I couldn’t have you. You’re exactly my type.”
Bile rose in my throat.
“What a waste,” he continued, shaking his head.
I shut my eyes, tears welling.
“Well, I can’t stay to enjoy what your great uncle has in store for you,” he said with a disarming nonchalance. “He paid a hefty sum to ensure that you were delivered to him unharmed. As much as it pains me to say it, you are not to be my next masterpiece.”
My eyes opened when he spoke again.
“I’m sorry I’m going to miss the show. Goodbye, beautiful.” He raised a mocking salute.
Disgust twisted my stomach as he sauntered away, disappearing into the darkness and whistling a tune.
I struggled against my bindings, trying to wiggle free, but it was useless. The ropes were too tight. I attempted to maneuver my wrists to find any slack, but the bastard had left no room for me to work with.
Muffled voices floated in from my left. I strained to catch the indistinct murmur of their conversation, but I couldn't tell what they were saying. My pulse quickened, anxiety coiling tighter around me like a noose, when I heard his voice.
“Hello again.”
NICO
“I don’t know about this, Nico,” Lo said, scanning the surroundings with unease.
“What do you mean?” I asked as we pulled up to the plant.
I parked the car behind a cluster of massive trees that concealed us from sight.
“Something feels off. It’s almost too easy,” he continued, his brow furrowed.
“How can it be easy? He took the tracker out, remember?” Matteo pointed out.
I turned off the ignition and caught Lo’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “I’m still not following. What the fuck are you saying?”
“Think about it,” Lo said. “He gave us just enough information to lead us here.” He gestured to the plant. “It’s like he wanted us to find this place.”
“Of course it’s a trap,” Matteo muttered, his hands steady as he loaded his gun.
“Then we’ll be prepared for it,” I said. I swung the door open wide, my boots making contact with the thawing snow on the ground. The rest of my team trailed behind,
“Keep your eyes open and stay alert,” I said.
The steel plant loomed in the distance. Its once mighty smokestacks, now standing silent, had long ceased their furious belching of dark clouds into the sky. Abandoned and forgotten.
As we drew closer, something caught my eye to the left, just beyond the bridge—an unexpected flash of movement that was barely noticeable at first. A chill swept through the air, raising the hairs on the back of my neck.
“Look!” Lo breathed, his finger pointed ahead. “Is that…?”
Gigi.
We stepped carefully onto the bridge, the wood creaking beneath our weight as we scanned our surroundings for any sign of danger. But we were only met with was silence.
White hot fury coursed through my veins as my gaze swept over her. Gigi dangled in the air like a marionette, her body swaying slightly, suspended by the ropes on her wrists and forearms. Her legs and ankles were secured, and a thick cord encircled her waist.
I followed the rope and a lump of fear lodged in my throat at seeing a cinderblock tethered around the rope and anchored to the ground.
“Matteo’s right, Nico. It’s a trap,” Lo muttered from behind me.
I knew it was risky, but what other choice did we have? Gigi was dangling in the fucking air, hovering over the lake. I needed to do everything I could to bring her down safely.
“Gigi, baby,” I said, my voice feeling strange and distant, as if it belonged to someone else.
She looked up at me, her eyes glistening with tears.
“Nico. You have to get out of here,” she pleaded.
“I’m going to get you down, alright?” I promised.
She gave a slight nod, but her expression was still fearful.
“Baby, are you hurt? Did he do anything to you?” I pressed.
She shook her head.
Movement on my right caught my attention. A man slowly walked over to Gigi and stood beside her on the bridge with a gun pointed at me. Several more men appeared behind him with guns aimed at us.
My men and I raised their guns in response.
My heart pounded erratically against my ribcage. Why weren’t they shooting at us? Every instinct screamed at me to start shooting to kill everyone of these fuckers, but we were outnumbered and Gigi's life was at stake.
Then a man appeared, standing about fifteen feet from us with a gun in his hand.
“Hello, Nico. I guess it’s time to introduce myself. My name is Massimo.”
“I don’t give a fuck who you are. Let her go,” I bit out.
The man twisted his lips in a mocking grin. “You don’t get to make demands.” He pointed the gun to where Gigi was hanging.
“How deep do you think the river is?” He turned back to me and smiled. “If a human was tossed into the water, how long would it take for them to sink to the bottom? Or how long would it take you to save that person?”
“What was the point of all of this if you weren’t going to release her to me?” I demanded, trying to keep my temper in check.
“To watch a show, of course!” he gleefully shouted.
My men stayed silent, but I could sense anger and fear radiating off them in waves.
“Let’s play a game,” he said. “For this game, you have to make a choice, Nico.”
My chest tightened, and panic threatened to climb up to my throat.
“What do you say?” he goaded. “One of your men—” He gestured with his gun to the guys and then to Gigi. “Or your girl? Which one will it be?”
If I shot him now, my men would pick up and start shooting off the others, but would it give me enough time to catch Gigi before she was tossed into the water?
“Choose,” he pressed. “If you don’t choose, I’ll do it for you.”
I made the mistake of glancing at Gigi. I could feel her in my heart, on my skin, and in my soul. The devil knew when his angel was calling out for him. She gave me a smile as if saying she understood that she wouldn’t resent me if I gave her up.
I swallowed hard.
“Why the fuck are you doing this?” I seethed.
“It’s simple, really. My game, my rules . I can do whatever the fuck I want,” he replied, a smug grin twisting his lips as he moved to stand closer to Gigi.
I took a step forward, my boots thundering against the wooden bridge.
“Stop right there,” he warned, leveling the gun at her head. “I’ll blow her fucking head off if you take another step.”
The world seemed to pause. I could see the calculation in his eyes, the coldness of a true psychopath. He would follow through on his threat, and I wasn't going to let Gigi become another one of his victims.
Gigi whimpered softly.
My fists clenched and unclenched at my sides as I held back the desire to put a bullet in his brain. But the moment I raised my gun, we’d all be dead.
“Don’t you get it?” he taunted. “I’m the Puppet Master, and you’re all my puppets. Even Stone. That stupid bastard couldn’t manage a simple job, not even to take you all out at the safe house.”
So there was an insider at the safe house. Made perfect sense now how we were ambushed.
“I could’ve killed her, yes,” he continued, running the barrel of his gun along her cheek, making her flinch. “But that would’ve been too easy and I wasn’t done playing. Plus, the play was just beginning. After all, every forbidden love story ends in tragedy, doesn’t it?”
He turned his sinister grin to me. “And now you”—he gestured the gun in my direction— “the hero will get to watch the star of the show take her final bow.”
“What is the point of this game you are playing?” I shot back.
“My own family turned against me, locking me away in that fucking hospital. They claimed I was unfit to be king, that I would tarnish our family’s legacy. Can you believe it? They handed the crown to my younger brother, Giuseppe!”
He shook his head, a dark chuckle escaping his lips.
“He took everything from me. But oh, I got my revenge!” His eyes glinted with a twisted glee.
“Just like Cain and Abel, I killed my own brother. And now, it’s time to wipe the slate clean by getting rid of anyone who shares his DNA.
” His grin widened like a demented madman.
My gaze shifted to Gigi as she began to tremble, her limbs jerking like a marionette. The man behind her was pulling the strings, controlling her every movement.
I was going to gut him like a fish when I got my hands on him.
Gigi's breath hitched as she fought back a sob, and I felt fucking useless.
“What do we do, boss?” Matteo muttered. “Start shooting?”
“We’re outnumbered,” Lo replied.
“I counted six men, not including the two fuck faces near Gigi,” Lo added. “We can take them. Just say the word,” he said confidently.
They were expressing the thoughts that were in my mind. If we were going to reach a decision, we had to act now.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Massimo interrupted. “I’ll save you the trouble. No matter what direction you choose, she will die.”
With a wicked grin pinned on me, he said, “Time to end the show.”
The man behind Gigi continued to pull the rope, her arms and legs flailing in the air. She sobbed silently, her eyes meeting mine.
“I’m going to take care of you, okay?” I vowed. “You trust me?”
She wasn’t dying today or any other day.
Gigi nodded, her lips trembling.
“Oh, fuck. We gotta move, Nico,” Matteo urged, gripping the gun in his hand.
I cast a quick glance at the men positioned on the far side of the bridge.
“Get ready to fire,” I whispered.
“What about Gigi?” Lo murmured.
“He’s going to toss her in the water.” I choked on my own words, swallowing the thick lump in my throat, “When he does, I’ll jump in, and you guys start shooting.” I paused, forcing myself to add, “Just don’t fucking die.”
Their heavy silence sealed the course of our fate.
The man stopped moving the rope, and in a flash, he let go completely. A scream tore out of Gigi as she went over the edge.
Time stood still as my angel disappeared into the water.