And there he is, Nicholas, emerging from the building, his entourage clustering around him like a pack of overzealous hounds. Yet, Nicholas seems on edge, his gaze flitting about, betraying his nervousness as he swiftly distances himself from his man. Classic Nicholas— forever the coward, yet so predictably him. As he nears his vehicle, I let out a series of sharp whistles. Shoots can be heard from here which means Zack and the team are already doing their job. Nicholas hands trembles as he tries to unlock his car.
“Coward as always, aren't we?” I taunt, my voice a low growl as I step into view. “Some things just don't change, do they?”
He whirls around, a mixture of surprise and anger flashing across his face. “What are you doing back?” he sneers, his voice dripping with contempt.
I smirk, shaking my head. “Lato sbagliato, coglione!” Wrong side, dumbass. Before he can react, my fist connects with his jaw, the impact sending him stumbling backward. The satisfying crunch of bone against bone is like music to my ears.
Nicholas staggers, clutching onto his car for support as blood drips from his split lip. “You still fight like a pussy,” he spits, his words laced with venom. “That's why you couldn't keep that bitch.”
I ignore his taunts even though it makes me fume, my focus solely on the task at hand. “I'm not here for her.” The taste of vengeance is bitter on my tongue as I watch Nicholas crumple to the ground, his knee giving out beneath him with a sickening crunch. “But to have my life back,” I growl, the words dripping with venom. It's a lie, of course. There's no going back, no erasing the pain and betrayal he's caused. With a roar of rage, Nicholas lunges at me, fists flying as he tries to land a hit. But I'm ready for him. I block his punches with ease, countering with blows of my own.
The fight is brutal and intense, each of us unleashing years of pent-up anger and resentment. But as the dust settles, I'm done playing games.
Breathing heavily, Nicholas lies on his knees, defeated and humiliated. I stand over him, my chest heaving with exertion as I gaze down at him. “You never learn, do you?” I mutter, shaking my head in disgust. “You can't beat me, Nick. I'm always one step ahead.”
Nicholas aims his gun at me, the barrel of the weapon trembling with his shaking grip. The shoot is inches from my head, but I refuse to back down. Not now, not ever.
With a roar of rage, I unleash all my savage fury on him. Every scar, every wound, every sleepless night floods to the surface, fueling my relentless onslaught. Fuck, I've dreamed of this moment, of making him pay for every ounce of pain he's inflicted on me.
I advance on him, my movements fluid and precise, each strike calculated to inflict maximum damage. His cries of pain are music to my ears, a symphony of retribution echoing through the night.
As I stand over him, panting and covered in his blood, I feel a sense of satisfaction wash over me. But it's not enough. It'll never be enough. He deserves so much more than this.
Pointing the gun at his head, I meet his gaze.
“You don't have the guts,” he sneers, my finger hovering over the trigger. But before he can utter another word, the gunshot echoes through the air, a final, resounding testament to my wrath. Nicholas' eyes fix on me with a mix of shock and disbelief before they slowly glaze over, his lifeless body slumping to the ground.
“Brucia all’inferno figlio di puttana!” Burn in hell, motherfucker, I spit, my voice dripping with contempt. Turning away from his lifeless form, I meet Zack's gaze. There's no remorse in what I've done, no regret. Only the cold, hard truth of justice served.
As Zack loads his gun, his eyes flicker with uncertainty. “You sure about it?”
“It's an order,” I snap, my tone sharp and authoritative. There's no room for hesitation now, no time for second-guessing. This needs to be done.
I brace myself as the gunshot rings out, the bullet tearing through my flesh with a searing pain that threatens to consume me. But I refuse to let it show. I grit my teeth against the agony, my jaw clenched in determination as I press forward. The burning sensation is somehow comforting, reminding me of the one I used to feel after they finished venting on me when I was a child.
Watchingmy brother's coffin disappear underground, I feel nothing. No pain, no joy, no sorrow. Nothing at all. I stare at my father, waiting for his signal to let me go. The more the time passes, the more my anger mounts. I'm wasting precious time over a stupid ceremony. It wasn't supposed to be that way and, of course, this is the result of Nicholas' stupidity. The problem is I'm the one who's going to end the war with the Ivanov family because of him and it wasn’t planned. As usual, I'm the one to clean up his fucking mess. Dad's gaze shifts to mine for a second and nods at me. It's the signal I was waiting for so I can leave the cemetery and finally get back at something I was waiting for way too long.
I pick up the phone and dial Zack's number. “We'll leave in twenty minutes, get team alpha ready.”
“On it, Sir.”
It's time to show my dad who the shadow became in these past years. Revving my Porsche, I drive away ready to get back what belonged to me since forever.
I drive to the manor, ready for hell to come upon everyone who dares to stop me.
Takingoff the safety of my guns, I kick the door of Sergey's secret room. I'm not here to take revenge of my brother's death, because of course Dad imagined they were behind the ambush since Nicholas had a debt with them, nor to clean up his fucking mess, not really. He has something that belongs to me.
“We can find an agreement.” The fucker mocks me, shielding behind his guards. They don't have time to even aim at me when they fall on the floor with a bullet in their heads. “Christopher, we were friends. You know I did you a favor.”He did, by spilling the beans of some hot stuff il Consiglio needed to know. He pulls his wife in front of him, using her as a shield.
One shot and she's a motionless body too.
“Where is she?” I bark as he peers at me.
He cackles as he moves toward me. “You have no ammo anymore.”
True.
I let the magazine fall on the ground, and the gun too. He looks at them with a shitty smirk on his face as I throw my knife at him. Sergey backs off and falls on his knees as I approach him. “Where is she?”
