Page 86 of Bound in Vengeance
Valerio doesn't look back, his eyes scanning the dark perimeter through the tinted windshield. "Alessandro is the Don. He can take care of himself. He’s survived far worse than a cornered?—"
Before he can even finish the sentence, the night air violently shatters.
A heavy, deafening barrage of automatic gunshots erupts from inside the warehouse, the flashes of muzzle fire strobing wildly against the barred windows.
Valerio’s head snaps toward the building, his instincts instantly taking over.
"Stay here!" he barks at me, unholstering his weapon and throwing his door open. He hits the ground running, rushing toward the rusted side entrance where Alessandro and the strike team just disappeared.
The car door clicks shut, but the promise I made to stay inside evaporates into thin air. Pure, unadulterated terror for Alessandro overrides every single logical thought in my brain. My hands are shaking, my chest heaving as I grab the door handle, pop it open, and sprint into the darkness after Valerio.
When I slip through the side door into the warehouse, the sheer violence of the scene hits me like a physical blow. The gunfight is frantic and utterly tense. Bullets ring out everywhere, pinging off metal beams and shattering concrete columns into clouds of choking dust. The metallic tang of gunpowder and copper fills the air. Blood is splattered across the peeling walls, and dead bodies are scattered all over the concrete floor.
I drop behind a stack of wooden crates, my body shaking violently as a wave of absolute panic rocks me. I look arounddesperately, my eyes scanning the chaos, praying for a glimpse of Alessandro's tall silhouette.
In the midst of the deafening gunfire and the very real threat of death, a sudden, blinding clarity crashes through my mind. Confronted by the terrifying possibility of his demise, the truth rips through my defenses.
I’m in love with him.
It isn't just a marriage of convenience anymore, and it isn't just an intoxicating game of control. I love him. The thought of losing him right now, of his dark eyes going empty, makes my heart physically ache.
If I lose him tonight, I’ll never be able to live with myself.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
ALESSANDRO
Well, I can’t say I’m fucking surprised.
There’s blood everywhere. The gunshots are deafening, ringing with a high-pitched whine in my ears. Through the thick haze of gunpowder smoke and dust, I spot Luca at the far end of the room, frantically trying to escape through a back exit. One of his remaining men tries to step into my path to buy his boss some time. I don't even blink. I lift my weapon and fire, a clean shot to the skull that sends his brain matter splattering against the concrete wall.
Stepping over the collapsing body, I chase hotly after Luca. If he thinks he’s escaping tonight, he better rethink that shit.
It hasn’t even been ten minutes since we breached this hellhole. The exact second my team crossed the threshold, Luca and his men opened fire without waiting for a greeting. I'll give it to hiscrew—they were quick. Given the element of surprise, I expected a little bit of lag, a moment of hesitation. But the minute they sighted us, it was pure, unadulterated war.
I actually planned to talk like a fucking human being first. I wanted to ask Luca a few choice questions about who else on the council was holding his leash, and then eventually kill him.
I’m not the bad person here. He’s the one who declared himself my enemy and tried to tear down my family.
But he didn’t give me a single chance to talk, and now the gunfire has sparked something structural. This entire house is rapidly going up in flames, smoke billowing toward the rafters.
I catch up to Luca right before he can scramble up and jump out a shattered rear window. Reaching out with a burst of adrenaline, my hand wraps tightly around his neck, and I use my entire weight to slam his back hard against the brick wall.
For the second time today,gotcha.
I see the raw, unadulterated fear in his eyes. He knows I’ve got him, knows he's completely out of options.
"Who the fuck are you working with?" I growl, slamming him against the brick again to knock the wind out of him. "Give me the names on the council, Luca, and I might make your death quick."
He chokes, a bloody smirk pulling at his lips. "Just kill me, Alessandro... I won't tell you a goddamn thing."
"Have it your way," I mutter. My fingers squeeze tightly around his neck, cutting off his oxygen completely. His eyes start to roll back, his gaze turning unfocused and glassy. I feel the steady thrum of power in my hands, more than happy to snatch his miserable life away from him right here in the dirt.
But before I can finish crushing his windpipe, a loud, sharp yelp pierces through the sound of the crackling flames—a sound that sends a violent, icy chill straight up my spine.
It sounds unnervingly like Sienna.
No. It can’t be her. I fucking told her to stay in the car. I threatened her. I made her promise.
