BLOODY NARDO

The shot ripped through the night, sending birds scattering from the treetops.

Maria’s breath caught as the gun trembled in her hands. Smoke curled from the barrel, but she couldn’t tell if she had fired or if someone else had.

The clearing stood frozen.

Leonardo’s smirk wavered, his fingers still hovering near his gun. Then, slowly, his eyes flicked down. A dark stain spread across his shoulder, crimson soaking through the fine fabric of his jacket.

Maria’s chest heaved, shock numbing her limbs.

She had fired.

But she hadn’t aimed to kill.

Leonardo stumbled back, cursing under his breath, but the rage burning in his eyes was far from finished.

“You little—”

Before he could reach for his weapon, Marko surged forward. Even with blood streaking down his side, he moved like a predator unleashed. His shoulder slammed into Leonardo, sending both men crashing to the ground.

“Maria, run!” Marko barked through clenched teeth as he wrestled with Leonardo, fists flying.

But Maria didn’t move.

Not this time.

Her pulse roared in her ears, drowning out everything but the sound of her own breath. She kept the gun steady, her finger hovering on the trigger.

One of Leonardo’s guards reached for his weapon—

Bang!

Maria squeezed off another shot, missing by inches but forcing the man to dive for cover.

Marko’s head snapped toward her, his eyes blazing. There was pride in that look—pride and something else. Something darker.

But there was no time to process it.

Another guard lunged at Maria.

She screamed, stumbling back, the gun flying from her grip.

The man pinned her against the tree, his breath hot against her neck.

“You think you’re a hero, little girl?” he sneered, fingers tightening around her throat.

Maria’s vision blurred. Her lungs burned.

Panic clawed at her chest

Until her hand found something cold and sharp at her side.

The knife Marko had slipped into her jacket pocket hours ago.

With a desperate cry, she drove the blade into the man’s thigh.

He howled, releasing her long enough for Maria to shove him away.

She stumbled forward, gasping for air, just as Marko sent Leonardo crashing against the hood of the car.

The two men circled each other—bloodied, bruised, and broken.

“You never should’ve touched her,” Marko snarled, wiping blood from his split lip.

Leonardo’s laughter was low, dangerous.

“You think this ends with me? There’s always someone waiting to take my place.”

Marko’s knuckles clenched white.

“Then I’ll bury them too.”

Leonardo lunged

But Marko was faster.

With one swift motion, Marko slammed him face first into the hood. Metal crunched beneath the weight.

Leonardo groaned, blood streaming from his nose.

“It’s over,” Marko growled, pressing his elbow into the back of Leonardo’s neck.

Maria staggered forward, clutching her bruised throat.

Her wide eyes locked on Marko’s pleading.

“Let’s go. Please.”

For a second, the clearing was silent—nothing but ragged breaths and the distant chirp of crickets.

Then Marko’s hand slowly loosened.

Leonardo slumped against the car, unconscious.

Marko swayed on his feet, blood still seeping from his side.

Maria was at his side in an instant, wrapping her arms around him.

“You came back,” he whispered, voice rough.

“Of course I did.”

Marko’s lips brushed her temple—soft, fleeting—before he winced in pain.

“We need to get out of here.”

Maria nodded, glancing at the distant horizon where the first streaks of dawn painted the sky.

They had survived the night.

But this wasn’t over.

Not even close.

As they stumbled toward the motorcycle, Maria’s heart pounded with relief

Until her eyes flicked back to the scene.

Leonardo’s body was gone.

The blood-stained car door hung open.

Somewhere in the shadows… he was still watching.

Marko…” she whispered, clutching his arm.

He stiffened, following her gaze to the empty space where Leonardo’s body had been. His face darkened, the shadows beneath his eyes making him look even more lethal.

“He won’t get far.”

But even as he said it, doubt flickered in his voice.

Marko staggered, wincing as his injured side threatened to buckle him. Maria slipped beneath his arm, her hands wrapping around his waist to steady him.

“You’re hurt. We need to leave now.”

Marko’s chest rose and fell with ragged breaths, but he nodded.

They stumbled toward the rusted motorcycle, the distant echo of footsteps fading into the trees behind them. Every crack of a branch made Maria flinch. Every shadow felt like Leonardo’s eyes boring into her back.

He was out there.

Waiting.

Watching.

They reached the bike, and Maria helped Marko climb onto the back. He winced as he swung one leg over, blood staining the seat beneath him.

“I can drive,” she offered, her voice steadier than she felt.

Marko’s lips twitched in what might have been a smirk if pain wasn’t carving lines into his face.

“You barely know how to shoot a gun, cara mia. Now you want to drive?”

“Do you have a better idea?”

His smirk faded. He didn’t.

Maria climbed in front, gripping the handlebars with shaking fingers. The keys were still in the ignition. She revved the engine, the sound roaring through the clearing.

Marko wrapped one arm weakly around her waist, his body slumping against her back.

“Hold on.”

They shot forward, the bike jerking beneath her as they tore down the narrow dirt road.

Maria’s heart pounded as the trees blurred past, the cold night air stinging her cheeks. She kept glancing in the rearview mirror, half-expecting Leonardo to emerge from the shadows, gun in hand—

But the night stayed quiet.

Too quiet.

Marko’s breathing was shallow against her neck. He was losing too much blood, and they had no idea how far they were from safety.

Maria’s mind raced.

They needed help but who could they trust?

Everyone Marko had ever known was either dead or double-crossing him. And she was just the girl who had stumbled into his world by accident.

Yet now, there was no turning back.

They reached the edge of the woods, the narrow road spilling out onto cracked granite. The highway stretched into the distance, empty beneath the pale glow of dawn.

Maria didn’t stop.

She pushed the bike faster, the engine roaring beneath them.

They had to keep moving.

Marko shifted behind her, his voice low and slurred.

“I’ll kill him… I swear to God… I’ll kill him myself.”

Maria’s throat tightened.

Not if Leonardo found them first.