Chapter 19 - The Purge
Dante’s lifeless body hit the imported tiles with a sickening thud, a dark pool of blood immediately expanding around him.
The shock of the sudden execution paralyzed the room for exactly one second. Then, absolute hell broke loose.
Dante’s mercenaries, enraged by the death of their employer, opened fire simultaneously. Luca tackled me violently to the floor just as a hail of bullets shredded the stone pillar behind us.
“Stay down!” Luca roared, rolling into a crouch and returning fire with lethal, mechanical precision.
The brief moment of hesitation from Luca’s capos vanished. Seeing the Romano heir execute her own uncle to protect their boss shattered their doubts. The Moretti loyalists immediately engaged the invading mercenaries, turning the ruined grand foyer into a chaotic, bloody slaughterhouse.
I crawled desperately over the shattered glass, my ears ringing violently from the concussive blasts. I found cover behind an overturned marble table, my chest heaving as I frantically checked the magazine of my weapon.
I was completely out of bullets.
A massive mercenary in heavy tactical gear flanked Luca’s position, raising a shotgun directly toward Luca's blind spot.
“Luca, on your right!” I screamed, throwing the empty pistol directly at the mercenary's head with all my strength.
The heavy metal weapon struck the man squarely in the jaw. It wasn't a lethal blow, but the sudden impact caused him to flinch, throwing his aim off by a crucial fraction of an inch. The shotgun blast pulverized the wall next to Luca, who spun around instantly and eliminated the threat with two clean shots to the chest.
Within three agonizing minutes, the brutal firefight was over.
The remaining mercenaries, realizing their leader was dead and their ambush had failed, dropped their weapons and surrendered to Marco’s surviving guards.
The grand foyer was completely destroyed, filled with smoke, blood, and the groans of the wounded.
Luca stood slowly amidst the carnage, his pristine suit torn and stained with soot and blood. He lowered his weapon, his chest heaving as he scanned the room until his dark eyes locked onto me.
I was trembling violently now that the adrenaline was fading, terrified of what he would do next. I had proven my loyalty, but I was still a Romano. In his world, my very existence was a threat to his throne.
He walked slowly toward me, his heavy boots crunching over the broken glass. His men watched in tense silence, waiting to see if their boss would finally eliminate the last rival bloodline.
Luca reached out a massive, scarred hand.
I hesitated for a fraction of a second before placing my trembling fingers into his warm palm. He pulled me up effortlessly, ignoring the blood and dirt covering my dress, and pulled me flush against his hard chest.
May you like
“You are absolutely magnificent,” Luca whispered fiercely into my ear, his voice thick with raw emotion and dark pride. “And you are completely mine.”
The Moretti king had made his choice. Now, the rest of the underworld had to accept it.
