CHAPTER XLIV
“ N o!” I lunged forward.
I dove into the cold river as distant shouts and gun shots echoed above, but my focus was on Gigi. I kicked and pushed my way through the water, reaching out for her, but she was sinking way too fucking fast.
I broke the surface to gasp for air. My lungs felt like they were on fire, but I had to keep going or I would lose her forever.
“Fuck!” I held my breath and submersed my body back into the water.
I continued to push my body to its limits until I caught sight of her. I swam faster and got hold of her shirt, struggling to pull her back up when she kept slipping.
I reached behind my pants, pulled out my switchblade, and started to cut the rope away from the block.
With each stroke, my arms propelled me forward, my muscles protesting against the cold.
Panic threatened to consume me, but nothing would stop me from getting my girl out.
I cut through the rope until she was finally free.
I wrapped my arms around Gigi, but she appeared to be lifeless. With a final burst of energy, we broke the surface.
“Gigi! Wake up!” I held her close to my shaking body and swam.
“Baby, please,” I pleaded, battling the current.
Then I heard Lo shout, “Nico!”
I snapped my head up to see Lo diving into the water and swimming toward us. He helped me pull Gigi onto dry land, and I started CPR.
“Come on, baby,” I grunted, applying firm chest compressions and counting in my head.
Then, just when I thought hopelessness would take hold, Gigi’s body convulsed, water expelling from her lungs in a harsh cough. Her warm, amber eyes sprang open, locking onto mine.
“Lo, where is Matteo?” I asked.
He glanced back over his shoulder. That’s when I noticed Matteo sprawled on the ground, hidden behind a bush.
“One of the fuckers caught him by surprise and clocked him over the head. Knocked him out. Don’t worry, he’s alright,” he replied quickly.
I scanned the bridge to find it empty and silent. “Where’s Massimo?”
“He ran into the plant. And there was another guy who took off. I started to go after him, but that's when I saw you pulling Gigi out of the water.”
I knelt down and pressed a desperate kiss to Gigi’s cold lips. “I love you. I promise I’ll be back. Just stay with Lo, okay?”
Her eyes glistened with tears as she nodded, and my heart ached at the sight. I captured her lips with one last, lingering kiss, hoping to convey everything I was feeling.
With my weapon firmly in hand, I moved forward through the open field. I focused on the steel plant and took off running.
A gunshot echoed sharply, its sound ricocheting off the walls. I dropped to the ground, the rush of air from the speeding bullet grazing past my ear.
“Is that all you’ve got?” I taunted, my voice dripping with malice.
I pushed off the ground and dashed toward the sound of Massimo’s laughter, weaving through the rusty machinery.
Massimo fired, taking another shot. I twisted away just in time.
I ran up a set of metal stairs and spotted Massimo at the top. I pulled the trigger, striking him in the leg.
“Fuck!” Massimo unleashed a volley of bullets in my direction, his eyes wild. I swung my gun with precision, striking him hard in the throat. He staggered, clutching his throat, his gun clattering to the floor.
I delivered a powerful hook to his jaw, sending him reeling. “You took something that belonged to me,” I snarled.
My fist connected with his ribs, eliciting a painful grunt. “How do you like it, motherfucker?” I rained down blow after blow until I heard his cheekbone crack under the force.
Rage clouded my vision as I gripped his cheeks. “I’m going to kill you for taking her from me. For touching her. For causing her pain.”
“Fuck you,” he slurred, blood spilling from his mouth.
With a fierce shove, Massimo knocked me off balance, and I stumbled back. In a split second, he seized a rusted pipe from the ground, raising it high above his head, eyes glinting with madness.
“Die!” Massimo hissed, lunging forward, the pipe aimed at my throat.
I dodged to the side, the pipe barely grazing my skin. I grabbed his arm, twisting it violently, but he was like a wild animal.
“You should've known better than to fuck with me,” I growled.
As I prepared to deliver the final blow, a searing pain shot through my leg.
“Goddammit!” I cursed, spinning to face the man who had pushed Gigi into the water now charging at me, my eyes fixed on the weapon in his hand. With a swift move, my palm knocked the gun aside, sending it flying to the first level.
Massimo used the brief distraction and struck my injured leg with the pipe, sending shockwaves of pain through my body, forcing me to my knees.
“Ceaser, grab him!” Massimo’s breathing sounded labored as he attempted to get up.
Ceaser loomed beside me and yanked me to my feet. I unleashed a punch to his ribs, making him double over. I landed another strike on his opposite side. He gasped for breath, stumbling backward.
With a feral growl, he pounced and tackled me to the ground. I crashed down onto the concrete. He rained blow after blow on my abdomen. He raised his arm, ready to strike me in the face, but I blocked it with my forearm and drove my elbow into his neck, momentarily stunning him.
The fucker came at me again and renewed his assault, his foot grinding into my injured leg.
“Oh, you fuck!” I spat through gritted teeth, my good leg lashing out in an attempt to buck him off me. Then he drew his weapon and shot me in the other leg.
Massimo staggered back onto his feet and swung the pipe overhead and brought it crashing down into my stomach. Not once, but twice. Pain exploded through me, and I curled into a ball, struggling for air.
“Not so tough now, are you?” Massimo snarled.
“You’re a fucking coward. Two against one?” I fought through the haze of pain and glared at him. “How is that a fair fight?”
His silence spoke volumes as he dropped the pipe. “Finish him,” he commanded and bolted down the steps to his right.
Fuck! He was getting away. I couldn’t let that happen.
Ceaser’s lips curled into a sinister smirk as he raised the gun, the cold metal aimed straight at my face. “With pleasure."
Just as he was about to pull the trigger, I swiftly aimed a powerful kick at his knee, catching him off guard. He teetered, lost his balance, and slammed against the wall with a thud. In an instant, I rolled over, pushing myself up from the ground with my fists.
He climbed to his feet, leveling the gun at me once more. His laughter bounced off the walls. “Your girl was a good fuck,” he taunted, blood dripping from his nose and mouth. “Did she tell you all the ways she begged me to stop?”
Rage coursed through me, flushing my cheeks with fire.
My lips curled to a snarl. “You’re the piece of shit that touched my girl?”
“Fuck yeah, I was.” He laughed, waving the gun with confidence as if that was going to protect him from my wrath.
“After I kill you, I think I’m going to find her and enjoy another round,” he said with a smirk.
With a growl, I swatted the gun from his hands, his expression shifting from smug confidence to shock. But before he could regroup, I slapped him hard across the face and followed up with another strike, sending his head snapping to the other side.
Seizing him by the throat, I tightened my grip and landed two hard punches to his ribs. Pulling him close, I said, “You will never fucking touch her again.”
In a whirlwind of hatred, I unleashed a series of brutal blows to his face.
One for every time he touched her with his filthy hands.
Every time he forced himself on her.
Every time he humiliated her.
And every time she shed a tear, begging him to stop.
I released him, and he tumbled to the ground. When he coughed up blood and groaned in agony, it enraged me that he was still breathing.
I grabbed a handful of his hair and smashed his skull against the concrete. Blood splattered across my face. Panting heavily, I grabbed my firearm and rose to my feet.
My heart pounded with vengeance as I aimed it between his legs. “This is for my girl. Rot in hell, motherfucker.” I pulled the trigger until the clip was empty and he was no longer breathing.
My shoulders tensed as a familiar ache radiated through my injured leg. I tucked my gun behind my back and drew my knife. The blade sliced through the hem of my shirt, which had come undone during the struggle, and I wrapped it tight around my leg.
I took shaky steps down the staircase, gripping the railing for support. Each step was agonizing, but urgency propelled me forward. I had to find Massimo before he could lay a hand on my girl or harm my men.
But as I reached the entrance, I stopped in my tracks and sucked in a breath.
Gigi was being held by her neck by Massimo who stood behind her. Lo, bleeding from his head, was on his knees, his arms behind his back.
“He snuck up on us,” Lo spat, glaring at the man holding my angel.
My gaze returned to the asshole. “Your right-hand man is dead. But what I did to him will be nothing compared to what I’m going to do to you.”
He gave a careless shrug. “I can always find another.”
“Let them go. This is between you and me ,” I demanded.
He chuckled darkly. “It’s funny how you think you have the upper hand here.” With a sudden, forceful shove, he pushed Gigi forward. A startled cry escaped her lips as she was forced down onto her knees.
My body shook with rage and hatred.
“I’m going to enjoy taking your world away from you.” His mouth quirked into a disdainful half-smile that made my skin crawl.
“But first, we’re going to play a game,” he began, making my stomach clench in panic. “What do you say?”
I didn’t respond quickly enough, and Massimo lifted his foot and shoved Gigi forward with brutal force.
She shouted and fell forward face down.
“Stop, god damnit!” I shouted, instinctively stepping forward, but he pressed his foot down hard on her back, pinning her in place.
“Don’t hurt her.”
“That’ll be your choice to make,” he taunted, a sinister grin spreading across his stupid face.
No matter what I decided, Gigi was going to die.
I looked over at Lo and saw that his arms were subtly moving, attempting to ease his bindings. He gave me a quick nod, and I could see the determination in his gaze.
Turning my focus back to the man who held my very heart in his hands, I asked, “What do I need to do for you to let them go?” My fingers curled into my palm, fighting the urge to claw at my skin.
His eyes glinted with malicious delight. “Truth or Dare.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What are you, twelve?”
The moment the words left my mouth, he delivered a savage kick to Gigi’s side. She gasped, struggling to breathe.
My tongue coursed over my upper teeth, as I struggled to remain in place and not rip his fucking throat out. “You’re going to pay for that,” I seethed.
He smirked, his foot slamming into her side with a brutal kick.
“Okay, stop! Fuck! Just stop!” I screamed.
“Truth or Dare?” he repeated.
I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, my chest rising rapidly from the anxiety and adrenaline.
“Truth.”
A high-pitched buzzer sound escaped his lips. “Wrong choice.”
“You said to pick one!” I shot back, frustration tightening my throat. “I picked!”
“What can I say,” he said as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “I lied. Dare is the only option.”
My nostrils flared as I glanced at Lo again; he was still pushing against his bindings.
I turned back to the bastard in front of me. “ Fine . Dare.”
Massimo bent down and yanked Gigi by her tied hands. She grunted in pain as he gripped her upper arm, dragging her closer until they were about six feet from me.
“I dare you to beat her until I say stop.”
My body stilled. I could feel nothing but sheer terror. “No. What the hell is wrong with you?”
He raised the gun to her temple and cocked it. “Then you’ll have the pleasure of watching me kill her.”
I locked eyes with Gigi. In that moment, there was no fear, no panic, only acceptance. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, and her pale skin and dry lips showed the toll of her emotional and physical distress. A lonely tear slipped from the corner of her eye, tracing a path down her cheek.
My heart cracked in half from watching her suffer at the hands of her uncle.
Just then, I spotted movement from over Massimo’s shoulder; Lo was free.
“Hey asshole!” Lo shouted. I sprinted and wrapped my arms around Gigi’s waist, taking her down. My body covered her like a shield.
BANG!
I glanced over my shoulder when a bullet hit its mark, slamming into Massimo’s arm.
“Get the hell out of here, Lo!” I hollered.
“I’m not leaving you, brother!” he shouted back.
“Lo, get?—”
Horror gripped me as Massimo raised his gun, aiming it right at Lo.
“Lo, run!” I screamed, but my stubborn ass brother did the opposite. He didn’t get a chance to pull the trigger, but Massimo did.
“NO!” I roared, powerless as Lo stumbled backward and fell into a pile of rubble.
Adrenaline surged through me, pushing aside the searing pain in my legs. I pushed myself off Gigi and tackled the bastard, slamming him against the cold stone wall.
“You motherfucker!” My fists came down onto his face and chest.
“Lo!” I screamed, my voice cracking. I desperately hoped it was just a flesh wound and that he’d get back up. But silence surrounded me.
“Lo, goddamnit! Answer me, you fucker!”
Still no response. No groans, no grunts, just silence. Panic washed over me.
He was dead.
My brother was dead.
Massimo jabbed his elbow in my chest, knocking the wind out of me. He bucked me off him and got to his feet.
“Nico!” Gigi screamed, and my heart stopped.
I rolled onto my knees, winced from the pain, and glanced up to see her uncle punch her in the face.
“NO!” I bellowed.
A bullet flew past my head, missing me by inches, sending me sprawling backward. My skull collided with the concrete. I muttered a curse as stars filled my vision. Every part of my body ached as I made myself move, my hands shaking as I pushed myself up.
It took a moment for my senses to snap back into focus, and when they did, I spotted Gigi just a few feet away, trembling at the edge of a gaping hole in the floor. Massimo held her by the neck, preparing to throw her into the hole.
I sprang to my feet and charged toward him. In that split second, he shoved her in.