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Chapter twenty-nine

Dominic

A gainst the rapid, sharp sound of guns and screams coming from inside the house, I hear the faint echoes of struggling coming from the rooftop. A second later, a body drops, and we hear the sickening crunch of his skull as it meets the concrete, blood spilling out in a dark, widening pool beneath his shattered head. Then another body follows suit. The snipers.

The second guy has a slender Italian stiletto pierced through his left eye, driven so deep the polished steel blade is buried to the hilt. Only the handle remains visible, the crescent moon sigil and intricate engravings now slick with blood. That dagger. I know that dagger. Luca. Fucking finally. My crew’s here, but that doesn’t mean Raffy gets to breathe one second longer. My blood’s still boiling for his head.

I glance at the Commission bosses. They’ve drawn their weapons too, eyes sharp despite their age. Paolo’s jaw is set in grim determination, the family resemblance to Alessa suddenly striking. Fabio’s hand doesn’t shake on his gun, and Vincenzo has already positioned himself for a clear shot.

The look on her face when I stepped inside was like a knife to the chest. Pure betrayal. I’ve been stabbed, shot at, even tortured on assignments, but the disgust in her eyes hurt worse than all of it. She thought I was abandoning her to die like trash.

Raffy’s face pales, the arrogant smirk that dripped from his lips moments ago is gone, replaced by wide, frantic eyes. He’s still holding on to Alessa like she’s some sort of lifeline, the one thing keeping him from crumbling under the weight of his own failure. His grip tightens around her arm, the pressure so brutal I can see the muscles in his arm strain. Alessa winces, her face twisted in pain as she yanks at her arm, trying to break free.

My trigger finger itches, jaw clenching so hard my teeth might crack. Been here a thousand times before—some asshole thinking he can take what’s mine. He’s already dead, just doesn’t know it yet.

“Let her go, Raffy!” I bellow as I take a step closer toward them. The fact that there aren’t any laser beams dancing in the air and no bullet has yet to puncture my leg is a good sign. It means the people on the rooftop have been taken care of.

Raffy locks his arm around her throat like a goddamn vice, squeezing hard enough that she chokes on the pressure, her nails digging into his skin as she fights to breathe. “Please!” she begs, and the sound twists my gut into fucking knots. Those pleas are for the bedroom, not some piece of shit who’s manhandling her.

A bullet passes through the window from behind me, scaring Alessa just as Raffy ducks from instinct. I dare to look over my shoulder and see Vincenzo’s gun smoking. “If you hit her, I swear to God, I will bury you alive with your dick in your mouth.” The threat comes out before I can stop it, and I don’t even give a shit that it’s disrespectful and could cost me my place in the Commission.

Another shot cracks through the air from the other side, smashing into the concrete just above Raffy’s head. I whip my head and see Paolo’s hand outstretched and shaking, his gun pointing at our uninvited guest. “What the fuck did I just say?!” I bark. These old bastards couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a fucking boat.

Raffy strides toward the door, shoving it open with a smug grin aimed right at me. He knows I know. The second he steps into that crossfire, all hell’s gonna break loose. Bullets will rain from every goddamn direction, and while TJ’s got at most five men, including Luca, I’ve got no clue how many the Commission brought. Once the lead starts flying, it won’t give a damn who it rips through. Alessa included.

So I sprint. Raffy, like a dog about to be chased down, starts to move quickly, tripping on his way to the back kitchen. “You’re gonna get us both killed, you fucking asshole!” Alessa shrieks, fighting like hell to slow him down. She digs her heels in, dead weight, yanking against Raffy with everything she’s got. The corner of my lips tug. Smart girl. Stubborn as fuck—just like me.

The safehouse is unrecognizable. Countless bodies sprawl on the floor, some of them bleeding with bullet holes in their heads, their eyes staring into oblivion. Others groan in pain, crawling to safety.

Bullet holes cover every corner of the dining room, the place where my brothers and I usually have our brunch on Sundays is ruined. The long table is tipping on one corner, and the leg is no longer intact. Chairs are scattered all over the room along with unknown debris and bullet casings.

“No, no, no!” Alessa lets out a tormented cry as Raffy extends his arm, aiming at some fucking imbecile walking straight into the line of fire.

The kid looks so goddamn green I don’t even want to admit he’s one of TJ’s recruits. Barely out of diapers, his gun shakes from his unsteady grip. Raffy does the poor bastard a favor and saves him from dying slow and stupid with a bullet in his cheek.

Blood blotches brutally across Alessa’s face—she flinches. A lone tear rolls down the side of her cheek, leaving behind a slick, crimson trail that clings to her skin. Then a sob follows, thick and choked with despair as she watches the kid fall head-first to the floor.

She’s watching some green recruit get his brains blown out, and something breaks in her. This ain’t her world—never should’ve been. But that’s on me—and Raffy’s gonna pay for every tear on her face.

The world darkens around me, my vision tunneling at Raffy.

I don’t bother wasting my time as I continue to walk, just as another man I don’t recognize passes in front of me, rifle at the ready. Before he can take another step, I take a shot at his shoes. He turns his head in my direction, shouting in pain. I smash his nose with the butt of my gun and knock him unconscious. He collapses to the floor and before his head can hit the blood-stained surface, I pull the trigger.

Raffy continues to walk forward, killing anyone who dares to barricade his way. Alessa’s cheek is covered with blood and tears, her lips quivering watching these murders up close. Her green eyes are haunted now, filled with a horror she’ll never unsee.

Another bastard charges at me, but I put a bullet straight through his chest before he can take another step. The next guy—dumb enough to think he can take me out with a blade—drops like a sack of bricks as I shoot him twice, one in each shoulder. The knife clatters to the floor, and I scoop it up.

I’m about to stand when a strong arm snakes around my neck, pulling me backward. I take the dagger and stab my assailant in the thigh. He cries in pain, his hold going lax. I take it as an opportunity as I pull out the dirk from his leg and do a maneuver, grabbing his forearm and dropping my weight. Bending forward, his balance breaks and the momentum sends him flying over my shoulder, slamming onto the floor with a brutal thud.

“You look like shit,” says a voice behind me. “You’re fucking late,” I grunt, rising to my feet. “It’s nice to see you, too, brother.” “Cover me,” I demand, skipping pleasantries as I jog toward where Raffy and Alessa are nearing the front door. I shoot another man coming my way, as Luca fires twice behind me.

“Where the fuck is TJ?”

“In my ears.”

“I need something to disarm Raffy. I can’t take the shot with Alessa.”

“TJ.” I hear Luca say on his earpiece. “You have vision on Raffy?”

“He does, but it’s not a clear shot,” Luca grunts his answer.

“Here.” I take the earpiece from him and put it on.

“TJ.”

“Boss.”

“We don’t have much time!” I shout.

“I need to put him in the corner, boss. By the foyer.”

The foyer is a few paces away, and from the looks of it, Raffy is almost out of ammunition, but his grip doesn’t falter, and Alessa doesn’t stop from thrashing against him, her white shirt now an ombre of crimson, her face dirty with blood.

“He’ll get to the foyer, TJ. Just make sure you—”

I don’t get to finish my instructions because my heart fucking stops. Alessa breaks loose, and she cries out loud—in terror or relief, I don’t know. But she sprints faster and faster towards me. Raffy scowls, running behind her. TJ’s men swarm around Raffy, but the asshole is quick and has a flawless aim. He annihilates every single one of them with a single bullet, aiming at their heads or chest. Fatal shots.

“No!” I scream as if everything will stop moving if I yell loud enough. She doesn’t grasp how dire her situation is. But her eyes are locked on mine as she pushes herself to run, her arms stretching in front of her as she draws near.

Tears roll down her face as she sobs, her mouth gaping and trembling. I can tell she’s frightened for her life, that she’s clueless about what she can do to protect herself.

That’s when I see Raffy behind her, like a fucking executioner raising his gun in my direction, at Alessa. “Take the shot, TJ!” I command on the earpiece as I run towards her, closing the distance between us and jumping over the lifeless bodies on the floor.

“Dominic!” she sobs, her voice filled with so much pain I can feel it deep in my bones. Almost there. She’s almost there. I approach her, praying I’m quicker than any bullet flying her way.

When my hand reaches her pale, cold skin, it’s like a heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders. A thick, choking sob escapes her the moment — her body slams against me, and I wrap an arm around her, dragging her to the side of—

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three shots ring in the air. Alessa’s body arcs against mine just as I hear her breath hitch. Her eyes are wide when I look down at her, her mouth shaking. It doesn’t take long before her body goes limp. “Alessa?” My voice sounds like gravel crushed under a truck. Her breath comes in short, ragged gasps. She wheezes as she inhales, as if she’s drowning.

“Alessa.”

She doesn’t respond. Instead, she continues to fall against my touch. I snake my other arm around her waist, discarding the gun. The world around me falls into a deafening, deadly silence as Ifall on my knees to support her weight.

That’s when I feel the wetness on my palm. I lay her down on the floor, her body uncontrollably shaking next to me. I withdraw my hand from her back.

What the fuck …. Sticky and warm, her blood coats my fingers. She’s been shot.

“Dominic,” she whispers, her voice quivering in pain. Her breath goes labored, struggling for air.

“No.” I shake my head at her, moving loose strands of hair from her face and wiping away as much blood as I can. Tears roll down the side of her face as she coughs. “We’re going to get you to the hospital.”

“It hurts,” she winces, her face scrunching in agony.

“LUCA!” I roar, pressing my palm against her wound to stop her from bleeding further. “Call Gabriela and get a car ready!”

“Is he dead? Is it over?” She’s slipping away, her words drowsy and slurred. It’s the only time I look up. The gunshots have ceased, and only the stench of blood and dead bodies lingers in the air. Raffy’s body lies on the floor—his brain splatters against the wall in the foyer. His head is propped up against the entrance wall, and I can faintly see two bullet holes in his skull.

TJ has taken the shot. Twice. Yet he’s a split second too late. Again. “He’s dead,” I say softly to Alessa. Good. She’s pale, nodding her head. Her eyes grow heavier with each passing second, fluttering shut as her lips fade to a chilling shade of blue. “No, no. Keep your eyes open, piccola.”

“You gave me away,” she mumbles, her forehead creasing as more tears cascade down her face and onto my lap. “Were you going to let him have me? Is that it? You don’t need me anymore?”

The accusation stabs deeper than any knife could. Even now, bleeding out in my arms, she’s still thinking I betrayed her. “No, baby. I would never give you up.”

I don’t tell her just how much I need her. “Then why—”

“I needed to stall. I knew TJ and Luca were coming back.” I didn’t even realize I was crying until I felt something warm streak down my cheek. “I’m never going to let anybody else have you, Alessa. Do you understand me?”

She faintly nods her head. Through the pain, I see a flicker of trust return to her eyes—just enough to break my heart all over again.

“Did they find Marco?”

“They did.”

“I did a good job, then?”

“You always do, baby.” I bring my lips to her forehead as I look around for any signs of my brother. Or TJ. “Now be a good girl and stay awake, okay? For me. Just a little bit more.”

“Boss.” It’s TJ. “Let’s go.” He goes around me, attempting to help me with Alessa. I snarl at him, screaming to move back. He doesn’t argue as he steps away, nodding once at me and walking towards the door to keep it open. Without so much as a struggle, I position Alessa in my arms; one snaking around the nape of her neck and the other around the back of her knees. She whines at the sudden movement.

Christ, she must be in so much pain.

“It hurts,” she sobs again as she cries out.

“I know, baby. I know.” I rise from the floor, doing my best to be gentle as I race against time.

“I’m so fucking sorry.”

“Me, too.”

Then her eyes slowly—agonizingly—shut.