SARAHI sat there, still clutching the phone, my mind reeling from the conversation I’d just had with my dad. His words echoed in my head, each one tugging at the strings of my heart, wrapping me in a blanket of guilt and sorrow. How had things gotten so bad for him? How had I let it get this far without knowing, without helping? The man who had always been my rock was now crumbling, and I felt powerless to do anything about it.I tried to push the thoughts away, but they clung to me like a dark cloud, heavy and suffocating. I could see his face in my mind, the way it must have looked when he told me he was broke, sick, and barely surviving. It broke me, knowing that I hadn’t been there for him, that I hadn’t noticed how much he was struggling. He had always been so strong, so capable, and now… now he was asking me for help. I could still hear the pain in his voice, the desperation that he tried so hard to hide.My heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice, the pressure building
SARAHI sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my reflection in the mirror, trying to steady the anxious flutter in my chest. My thoughts were a jumbled mess, but one thing was clear—this was something I had to do. My father’s well-being was on the line, and I couldn’t afford to back down now. I had to ask Marco for the money, even though the mere thought of it made my stomach churn.“You can do this,” I whispered to myself, my voice trembling slightly. “It’s for Dad. You have to be strong.”I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stand. My legs felt like lead as I walked over to the closet, grabbing a light jacket to throw over my shoulders. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror again—my face pale, eyes wide with nerves. I looked like I was about to face a firing squad.“Don’t be scared,” I murmured, trying to convince myself. “Marco’s not a monster. He’s… he’s just Marco. You’ve handled him before. You can do it again.”I wasn’t sure if I believed my own words, but I didn’t hav
SARAHAfter the exhausting day I’d had, I was ready to finally let my mind shut off. I slipped into bed, pulling the covers up to my chin, and let out a long, tired sigh. The events of the day replayed in my head—my failure to ask Marco for the money, overhearing that strange conversation about Uncle Danzo, the frustration and anxiety that clung to me like a second skin. I just wanted it all to go away, even if only for a few hours of sleep.Just as I was about to close my eyes, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. The sudden sound made my heart skip a beat, and I quickly reached over to grab it, hoping it wasn’t some late-night emergency. When I saw the name on the screen, though, my heart sank.Dad.I stared at the phone, feeling a wave of guilt and dread wash over me. I knew why he was calling. I’d been putting this off for days now, trying to come up with a way to tell him I didn’t have the money yet. But now, there was no more avoiding it. I had to answer.Taking a deep breath, I s
SARAHI leaned against the wall just outside Marco’s room, trying to calm my racing heart. My legs felt like jelly, and my hands wouldn’t stop shaking. What the hell was I thinking? Why did I always mess things up like this? I had barely even said two words to him before I panicked and ran.Before I could turn and make a full retreat back to my room, I heard his voice call out.“You planning on staring from all the way over there?” Marco’s voice cut through the silence, snapping me out of my thoughts. His tone wasn’t harsh, but there was an edge of amusement in it. I glanced up to see him standing in the doorway, his hand resting casually on the doorframe, his dark eyes fixed on me.My face flushed red. I must’ve looked ridiculous, standing out here like some awkward schoolgirl. I swallowed, forcing myself to move. My feet felt heavy as I stepped inside his room, keeping my eyes averted. He was still shirtless, and I didn’t trust myself to look at him without turning into a blushing m
SARAHI blinked, my breath catching in my throat. I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. Surely, I had misheard him. There was no way Marco was serious. “A… a what?” The words barely slipped out of my mouth, my voice shaky, unsure. It felt like I was caught in some kind of sick joke.Marco just stood there, his expression completely unbothered. That stupid grin still plastered on his face as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on me. “You heard me, Sarah,” he said calmly, almost too casually. “I want a kid. Seems like a fair trade, don’t you think?”Fair trade? My mind was racing. My legs felt weak, and the walls of the room seemed to be closing in on me. What the actual fuck? What kind of twisted choices were these? This wasn’t real. He couldn’t be serious. This was just another one of his sick games.I swallowed hard, trying to push down the panic rising in my chest. “I know you’ve always had a thing for bad jokes, Marco,” I managed, forcing a nervous laugh, hoping—praying—that this w
SARAHI stared at him, my mind racing, trying to comprehend the situation. It felt like everything had shifted in a matter of seconds. Just moments ago, I’d been desperate, but now I felt cornered—trapped in a way I hadn’t expected. Marco wasn’t just dangling money over my head anymore; he was stripping me of my dignity, of any remaining sense of control I thought I had.I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “You’re sick, Marco.” My voice cracked, barely above a whisper, but there was a fierceness behind it that I couldn’t hold back.He tilted his head, amused. “Am I? Or am I just being practical? You want something from me, and I want something from you. It’s a fair trade.”“A fair trade?” I repeated, my anger rising with every breath. “You think I’m just going to sleep with you for money? You think that’s how this works?”“It’s not about what I think, Sarah,” he said smoothly, as if the idea of this transaction was something I should’ve already accepted. “It’s about what you need. You ca
SARAHIt had been two days since I turned down both of Marco’s ridiculous offers. Two days of waking up to the same empty feeling, knowing that I still didn’t have a way to help my dad. I couldn’t believe I was still here, stuck in the same situation, running in circles with no way out. Every time I thought about Marco, anger boiled inside me. But no matter how much I wanted to push him out of my mind, the problem still lingered.I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the phone in my hand. The idea of calling Nicole had crossed my mind more than once. She had always been there for me when we were younger, always knew how to help. But things were different now. I hadn’t spoken to her in… what? Months? Maybe more. And now, out of the blue, I was supposed to call and ask her for a favor?I shook my head, tossing the phone onto the bed. That’s wrong. I couldn’t just show up in her life after all this time and expect her to help. It wasn’t fair. I sighed, rubbing my temples, trying to thi
SARAHI stared at the phone in my hand, my father’s name still flashing on the screen. My thumb hovered over the green button, but I just couldn’t bring myself to answer. What was I going to say to him this time? That I still hadn’t managed to help him? That everything I’d promised him was still out of reach? The lies, the false hope… it was all starting to weigh on me.With a heavy sigh, I decided I wasn’t going to pick up. Not right now, anyway. “I’ll call him back,” I muttered to myself, trying to ease the guilt in my chest. “It’s temporary. I’ll get back to him soon.”I tried to justify it in my head. I was tired of giving him empty promises when nothing was actually changing. Every conversation with him was a reminder of how helpless I really was, and I didn’t need that today. Not with everything else weighing me down. Not with Marco breathing down my neck.Shoving the phone into my pocket, I sighed again and pushed myself off the bed. I didn’t want to go. The last thing I wanted
MARCOThe phone nearly cracked in my grip as I rushed into the SUV. My hands were steady, but my heart was beating like a war drum. I jammed the key into the ignition, twisting hard, and the engine roared to life. I didn’t waste a second. I slammed my foot on the gas, tires screeching against the pavement as I tore out of the parking lot.The streets blurred past me. Headlights flashed. Horns blared. I didn’t care. I pushed the speed, weaving through cars like they were standing still. The city was a mess of moving lights, but I only had one thought in my head.Sarah.She had to be safe.I prayed, gripping the wheel tighter. I never prayed, but right now, I did. Let me get there in time. Let her be alive.My knuckles were white on the wheel as I cut through traffic, dodging between cars, taking turns so sharp the tires nearly lifted off the pavement. A semi braked hard ahead of me. I spun the wheel, the SUV sliding through a gap so small I felt the side mirror graze metal. The moment
FLASHBACK: The Attack on Marco’s HouseMarcel’s POV⸻I had been waiting for this moment. Watching, studying, knowing that Marco would retaliate the second he got the chance. That was the kind of man he was. If he got hit, he didn’t rest until he hit back harder. It made him predictable.That’s why I wasn’t going to wait for his move. I was going to make the first one.No spies. No informants. No middlemen. Just patience. Observation. And now, execution.I stood with my men in the darkness, watching Marco’s house. The place was locked down tight. Armed men patrolling the perimeter. Cameras on every corner. Motion sensors near the fence line. He thought this would keep him safe.It wouldn’t.I turned to Matteo, my second for this mission. He was calm, like always. He lived for this.“Marco just left,” I said. “Now we move.”No one questioned me. They were waiting for this order.“The objective is clear. No survivors except for Sarah. You see someone moving, you drop them. Fast. No game
MARCOI slid into the SUV, the door shutting with a heavy thud. The weight of it felt final, like the closing of a chapter. The engine rumbled beneath me as we pulled out, cutting through the quiet streets, heading straight for the Rossi base. The city passed by in a blur of lights and shadows, but I wasn’t looking. My mind wasn’t here. It was already ahead, in that warehouse, already seeing how this was going to play out.Hopefully, this was it.This war had dragged on too long. The back and forth, the blood, the bodies—enough. I was tired of the cycle, tired of waiting for the next move, tired of watching the Rossis breathe when they should’ve been six feet under. Tonight, that changed. No more counterattacks. No more back and forth. Just an end.I sighed, pulling out a cigarette, lighting it with one flick of my lighter. The first drag burned just right. My body knew what was coming, and the nicotine settled me just enough.I thought about Sarah.She was probably still sitting at t
MARCOThe chessboard was already set when I walked into the living room. Sarah sat across from my chair, arms crossed, a smug little smirk playing at her lips.“You’re late,” she said.I raised an eyebrow. “Late for what?”She nodded at the board. “For your loss.”I let out a short laugh, shaking my head as I took my seat. “That so?”“Mm-hm,” she hummed, moving a pawn forward. “I’ve been studying.”I glanced down at the board, already seeing how she had set up her pieces. She wasn’t playing like she normally did—impulsive, eager to attack before she had control. No, this time, she had structure. Her knights were placed well, her pawns controlling the center. It was actually… decent.I moved my own piece, slow, measured. “You know studying only gets you so far, right?”Sarah shrugged. “Says the man who’s about to lose.”I smirked, letting her have her confidence. She moved again, faster this time, her fingers light on the pieces. The game picked up, back and forth, each of us watching,
************The Rossi estate was quiet, but inside, the air was thick with frustration and failure. Damien stood near the fireplace, his jaw clenched so tight it ached, hands curled into fists at his sides. The ambush was supposed to end Marco. They had planned everything down to the second, every angle covered, every escape route cut off. And still, he survived. Their men weren’t just beaten. They were slaughtered. It was more than a loss. It was humiliation, and the weight of it sat heavy on Damien’s shoulders.Across the room, Isabella was pacing like a caged predator, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. The anger rolling off her was almost suffocating. She stopped suddenly, raking a hand through her dark hair, her breath coming in sharp bursts.“Unbelievable,” she spat, eyes burning as she turned toward Damien. “We had him. We fucking had him. And now look at us—sitting here like cowards while he reloads.” She took a step closer, voice slicing through the room. “
MARCOThe city blurred past me as I drove, headlights cutting through the darkness. My fingers tapped against the steering wheel, slow, steady. My pulse didn’t spike. My breathing didn’t change. But inside, something cold settled in my chest.They really tried to kill me. Again.And I wasn’t surprised. That was the thing. It didn’t shock me. It didn’t make me pause. This life, this war, it only ended one way. You either take out the enemy, or they take you out. No in-between. No second chances. And last night? They took their shot. Sarah had to pull the trigger to survive. My wife. My unborn kid in the middle of it. Because of them.The Rossis thought they could take something from me. They thought they could shake me. And maybe years ago, I would’ve given them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe I would’ve given Damien Rossi a call, laid it out, given him a chance to fix it before I burned his whole fucking house down.But those days were gone.This wasn’t business anymore. It wasn’t neg
MARCO I sat on the edge of the bed, watching Sarah sleep. The room was quiet, the kind of silence that felt heavier after a night like last night. The gunfire, the chaos, the blood. It was all still sitting on my chest, but none of it weighed more than the fact that Sarah had pulled the trigger. That she had to. She wasn’t built for this. I knew that from the beginning. But life didn’t care what someone was built for. It threw them into the fire anyway. And now, she was in too deep. I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly. I didn’t like the way she looked even in sleep—tense, uneasy, like her body was still trying to fight off whatever threat it thought was coming next. I reached for my glass of water on the nightstand, taking a slow sip, keeping my eyes on her. Sarah shifted, her body stirring like she was fighting her way back to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first, then landing on me. “Morning,” I said, my voice quiet. She barely responded, j
MARCELI lifted the gun, aiming for the center of the target, steadying my breath as I pulled the trigger. The first shot hit, the second landed a little off, the third barely grazed where I wanted. I lowered the gun, exhaling slowly. Three out of five. That wasn’t good enough.I turned to the guard standing a few feet away. “Bring me the other model,” I said, shaking my head as I set the gun down. My aim wasn’t usually off. Maybe it was the drink in my hand. Maybe it was the news I hadn’t gotten yet but could feel coming.The guard nodded quickly and disappeared. I poured another glass, taking a slow sip, letting the liquor burn its way down. The air in the room was thick with smoke and gunpowder, a mix I usually found calming, but not tonight.Then the door creaked open. I didn’t turn. I knew hesitation when I heard it. Someone was about to tell me something I wouldn’t like.“Boss,” the man started, voice uneven. “There’s been… a situation.”I swirled my drink, watching the amber li
*********Damien sat in the corner of the safehouse office, dim light hanging above him, casting long shadows across the room. The drink in his hand did nothing to calm the storm brewing inside him. His jaw clenched as he stared at the blank wall ahead, fingers tightening around the glass. He could still hear the gunfire from earlier, see the chaos in his head like it was happening again. The plan was supposed to go clean, fast, efficient. Now, Marco had taken back control.He slammed the glass down on the table, sharp enough that the few men waiting outside the office flinched. He could hear them murmuring beyond the door, probably too scared to step in. He paced the room, every step heavy, every thought sharper than the next. How the hell did Marco’s people turn it around so fast? How did they know? How did this slip through the cracks?Finally, the door creaked open, and two of his men stepped inside, stiff like they were walking into a lion’s den.“Well?” Damien barked, crossing h