Chapter 10 - The False Victory
Mateo’s face turned into a mask of pure, lethal fury as he stared at the glowing phone screen.
"We are going together," I stated firmly, sitting up and ignoring the sharp pain radiating from my bandaged shoulder.
Mateo opened his mouth to argue, but he saw the unyielding determination in my eyes and simply nodded.
He tossed me a heavy black tactical jacket to cover my torn dress, and we heavily armed ourselves from his hidden weapons cache.
We arrived at Lorenzo’s abandoned warehouse just as the sun began to rise over the gritty Chicago skyline.
Mateo did not bother with stealth; he kicked the heavy metal doors entirely off their rusted hinges.
He moved through the warehouse like a force of nature, a ruthless apex predator protecting his mate.
He shot Lorenzo’s guards with terrifying precision, never wasting a single bullet as we fought our way to the main floor.
Dante and Lorenzo were standing in the center of the warehouse, holding Salvatore and my friend Sarah at gunpoint.
"Drop your weapons, Mateo!" Dante screamed, pressing his pistol hard against Salvatore's temple.
Mateo didn't even flinch; he raised his gun and fired a single, perfect shot directly into the center of Dante's forehead.
Dante collapsed instantly, and in the resulting chaos, Salvatore grabbed Lorenzo's arm, throwing the rival boss off balance.
Mateo fired again, hitting Lorenzo squarely in the chest and ending the bitter mafia war forever.
I sprinted across the concrete floor, dropping to my knees and desperately cutting the thick ropes binding Sarah to the chair.
Sarah sobbed hysterically, burying her face in my good shoulder as I held her tightly, thanking God she was finally safe.
Salvatore walked over to Mateo, placing a proud, trembling hand on his son's broad shoulder.
The old patriarch then turned to me, his hollow eyes now filled with a deep, unexpected warmth.
"You have the courage of a true Vitiello, Tessa," Salvatore declared, officially offering me the ultimate blessing of the family.
Mateo pulled me into his arms, kissing me deeply and passionately amidst the smoke and ruins of the warehouse.
"The nightmare is completely over, mia cara," Mateo promised against my lips, swearing that we were finally free to build a life together.
We returned to the safehouse exhausted but victorious, leaving the cleanup of the warehouse to Salvatore's loyal men.
I walked into the luxurious bathroom to wash the dirt and dried blood from my face, feeling a profound sense of peace for the first time in my life.
As I reached for a towel, the bright screen of Mateo's burner phone lit up on the marble bathroom counter, buzzing with a new text message.
I glanced down casually, but the words on the screen made my blood run completely ice-cold in my veins.
May you like
The message was from Salvatore, and it read: "Good job making the Romano girl trust you, son."
"Now take the iron key from her neck, slit her throat, and dump her in the river just like we planned."
