Page 29 of Unworthy Ties

Rocco

I t felt like an eternity, but Felix and I finally found the location where Salvatore Romano had taken Gabriella. Then, we got ahold of our closest friends—Emilio, Ettore, and Vincenzo—and together we planned our approach.

The night air was thick with tension as we gathered in the dimly lit garage, the flickering bulb casting long shadows that seemed to dance with a life of their own.

Emilio paced the floor, his brow furrowed, while Ettore checked and rechecked his gear with meticulous precision.

Vincenzo stood by the entrance, his gaze fixed on the darkened street beyond, as if he could sense the danger lurking just beyond the edge of the light.

I was reading off a checklist, making sure every detail was covered before we stormed the warehouse—flashlights, comms, lock-picking tools, and weapons.

Each name I called out echoed in the tense silence, a grim litany that underscored the stakes.

One wrong move, one hesitation, and Gabriella could be lost forever.

“Marco, you grab the wires and the crowbar,” I instructed.

Marco’s face had gone pale the moment I mentioned he was coming with us, the weight of fear obvious in his eyes. But I didn’t spare him a second of sympathy. After all, it was his lapse that had let Gabriella slip from our grasp in the first place.

As we finalized our preparations, a chill wind swept through the garage, causing the overhead door to rattle ominously. I could almost hear the echoes of the past whispering through the cracks, tales of betrayal and vengeance hanging in the air like a noose.

“Let’s head out, then,” I said, forcing the words out despite the knot of dread tightening in my stomach.

Emilio walked to the driver’s side, but Felix stopped him. “C’mon, man. You've got to let me drive. I can’t be feeling sick before this!”

My brother could get carsick from a drive around the block.

Reluctantly, Emilio stepped aside, his eyes narrowing as Felix slid into the driver’s seat.

The engine roared to life, a sound that seemed too loud for the stillness of the night.

As we pulled away, the headlights pierced the darkness ahead.

The warehouse loomed ahead, a hulking shadow against the night sky.

We slowed the car, stopping a good distance away, hidden in the cover of nearby trees and abandoned crates.

The faint hum of distant streetlights barely touched the building, and in that darkness, we were ghosts: unseen, unheard, and ready.

I scanned the perimeter through the windshield, noting guard posts and flickering interior lights, committing every detail to memory. Every instinct screamed that one wrong move could blow our cover, which also meant Gabriella’s chance at freedom.

The plan was silencers first. We needed to take out as many as possible before being seen. A heavy silence settled over us as I reiterated our strategy in whispered tones. Each word felt like a weight, pressing down on us as the tension thickened in the air.

Through the shadows, we spotted the first guard before he had any idea we were there, a lone silhouette against the faint glow of a security light.

Ettore raised his gun and pulled the trigger, the sound muffled but still sharp in the stillness.

The guard crumpled to the ground, swallowed by the shadows as if he had never existed.

I waved us forward, and we slowly began taking down the outside perimeter.

Step by step, we moved like ghosts, each shot precise, each movement calculated.

The remaining guards never knew what hit them, their patrols interrupted before they could raise the alarm.

Shadows became our allies, cloaking us as we swept around the perimeter, inching closer to the warehouse doors where Gabriella waited.

When we reached the warehouse, we could no longer hide under the shroud of night. Sirens blared, alerting everyone inside of our presence.

“Let’s move,” Vincenzo said, ripping open the front door.

Our group stormed inside, where enemies were already awaiting in the dim light, their faces obscured, but their intentions clear.

The corridor broke out in gunfire as chaos erupted around us.

Bullets whizzed past, ricocheting off metal surfaces and shattering glass.

My heart raced in time with the crack of gunfire, adrenaline surging through my veins.

I took men down one by one, trying to focus on the task at hand, each shot measured, each movement deliberate. The shouts and the chaos blurred around me, but my eyes were locked on the path ahead, scanning for the route to Gabriella.

“We’re not doing so hot over here,” Felix said, radioing for backup.

I glanced to my left, where I saw my brother and Marco struggling against an encroaching wave of hostile figures emerging from the shadows.

Then, the world slowed to a cruel crawl. A bullet tore through the air, striking Marco in the skull with a sickening finality. Blood spattered against the wall, painting the concrete crimson.

It left Felix alone to face certain death. Guilt clawed at me as I had momentarily diverted from my true mission—rescuing Gabriella—to save my brother, each step toward Felix feeling like a betrayal of the one I was supposed to protect above all else.

I raised my gun and pulled the trigger, my shots blending into the cacophony of destruction and despair. Each bullet found its mark, but the chaos only seemed to grow more intense, the shadows shifting around us like living nightmares.

Felix and I moved as one, our movements synchronized despite the chaos, each shot and strike a seamless extension of the other, cutting through the wave of enemies that threatened to overwhelm us. It was cliche, but our twin genetics came alive in that moment, a bond that would forever tether us.

“Thanks,” Felix said as I took out the last man without hesitation.

“No problem. Let’s keep moving.”

We glanced back over our shoulders, and it was clear our three friends had the situation under control. Perhaps somewhat foolishly, Felix and I rushed down the hallway without looking back, driven by the urgency of our quest.

The low hum of machinery vibrated through the floors, a stark reminder of the industrial monotony that surrounded us. My heart raced, a drum pounding out a frantic rhythm as we pressed deeper into the bowels of the warehouse. Finally, we reached a large open area, with scaffolding everywhere.

The scaffolding rose like a jagged metal forest, a labyrinth of beams and platforms crisscrossing at dizzying angles. Rusted joints groaned under the weight of forgotten machinery, while chains dangled from overhead rafters like ominous pendulums.

“I didn’t think you’d find me so quickly,” a voice echoed from around the room. “And I certainly didn’t think you’d get past these doors. My mistake.”

I scanned the tangle of metal beams and platforms, my eyes narrowing as they darted across the scaffolding. There—high above, precariously balanced—Salvatore Romano stood, one arm wrapped tightly around Gabriella.

I didn’t hesitate. My boots slammed against the metal grating as I climbed, Felix right behind me. Every second counted. Salvatore’s grip on Gabriella tightened, her wide eyes meeting mine.

“Let her go!” I roared, my voice echoing through the cavernous space, but it only seemed to amuse him.

His laughter echoed through the cavernous space, a chilling sound that danced along the rafters. “You think you can just waltz in here and take her? You’re too late.”

Salvatore held a knife above her throat, glinting in the dim light like a serpent ready to strike. The air thickened with tension, each heartbeat a countdown to catastrophe.

Gabriella’s eyes darted wildly, panic and instinct warring in her gaze. With a desperate flick of her wrist, she shoved the knife slightly to the side, just enough to unbalance Salvatore’s grip.

It was the opening I needed. With a burst of adrenaline, I lunged, striking Salvatore’s chest with everything I had.

He stumbled, eyes wide with disbelief, and in one final desperate move, he lost his balance.

The knife clattered to the floor as he fell, the sound echoing through the warehouse like a death knell.

I wanted so badly to take my time killing him; to make him scream in pain as he suffered.

But I didn’t have that luxury as the world began to shudder around us.

The ground rumbled, and I felt a strange vibration beneath my feet as if the very structure of the warehouse was protesting against our intrusion.

Through my years of training in the mafia, my reflexes had been honed to near perfection. Instinctively, I leapt to the next section of scaffolding, my body moving before my mind even registered the danger, just as Salvatore Romano plummeted to his death in the chaos.

I landed with a thud on the section of scaffolding Felix was standing on.

The impact rattled the unstable metal, and combined with the collapse of the section Salvatore had taken down with him, the vibration shuddered outward like a shockwave.

Gabriella’s platform groaned under the strain, bolts snapping loose one by one until the entire piece lurched violently.

The metal frame screamed as it hung by one last bolt, grinding and snapping reverberating through the air. I could almost feel the warehouse itself inhale, preparing to exhale chaos. Gabriella’s terrified scream pierced through the noise, and instinct propelled me forward.

Our twin blood surged in tandem again—Felix hurled himself forward at the very same moment, as if the same pulse had driven us both. At the same time, we both outstretched our hands for her. As Felix’s hand shot towards her, she flailed and her fingers found mine instead.

I pulled her up from dangling over the void as she clung desperately to my wrist, her breath hitching with fear and disbelief. Her terrified gaze locked onto mine, and something deep within me shattered as I felt the warmth of her skin against my palm.

As I hoisted her up, the world around us faded into a distant roar. Gabriella’s eyes brimmed with a mix of gratitude and fear, a reflection of everything we had just faced. The moment our fingers intertwined felt electric, a connection igniting between us that transcended the chaos surrounding us.

“That is very romantic,” Felix said, a sense of urgency in his voice. “But we need to get the fuck off this scaffolding.”

The scaffolding creaked ominously beneath us, echoing Felix’s words as I yanked Gabriella up, adrenaline surging through my veins. We had to move fast; the entire structure groaned like a wounded beast, and the ground trembled beneath our feet.

As we sprinted across the unstable scaffolding, every step felt like a gamble with fate. The surrounding chaos seemed to intensify, the sounds of destruction growing louder with each passing moment.

Felix took the lead, his movements quick and decisive as he led us through the maze of metal beams and crumbling platforms. The air was thick with dust and the acrid smell of burning metal, adding to the sense of urgency that fueled our escape.

Finally, we reached the edge of the scaffolding, a narrow path leading to safety. Without hesitation, Felix urged us forward, his determination unwavering. As we made our escape, the structure behind us groaned its final protest before succumbing to the forces of gravity.

The entire structure collapsed in a thunderous roar, crashing down in a storm of twisted metal and sparks. I held Gabriella tight against me as the ground shook, dust billowing up around us, swallowing the wreckage in a choking haze.

For a long, breathless moment, none of us moved. Then Felix let out a sharp laugh—half-relief, half-exhaustion. “We made it,” he said.

I glanced at Gabriella, her trembling hand still gripping mine like a lifeline, her wide eyes locked on me. My chest heaved, lungs burning, but I managed a small, grim smile.

“Yeah,” I said. “We did.”