He raised his gun—aimed at Piero.
I didn't think. Just reacted. Threw myself in front of my brother.
The shot rang out.
Pain exploded in my chest. It was like being hit with a sledgehammer wrapped in fire.
I went down hard, vision swimming. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't—
Above me, more gunfire. Giulio taking Viktor down. Finally.
Piero's face swam into view. "Cesare! No, no, no—"
"Get him out," I managed. "Get him to the boat."
"Not without you, you idiot!"
More hands. Giulio. Lifting us both. Moving us through the chaos.
The boat. Water. Speed.
Paola's voice—screaming my name. When did she get here? She was supposed to stay back with Rocco.
Her hands on my face. "Stay with me. Cesare, stay with me!"
I tried to answer. Couldn't. The world was fading, edges going dark.
The boat raced across the East River. Medics working on me—pressure on the wound, IV started, hands moving with professional efficiency.
"Bullet hit the vest," someone said. "Cracked ribs, maybe a punctured lung. But he's alive."
Wait—vest? I processed through the pain. I was wearing a vest. Right. She'd refused to let me leave without it. Made me put it on for her. For the baby.
Paola's voice cut through the fog: "I told you that vest was non-negotiable." She'd saved my life. And then disobeyed my orders by coming to the pier anyway.
"Told you... to stay... in the vehicle," I managed.
"I don't follow orders well. You know this about me."
Despite the pain, I almost smiled.
Piero was being treated on the other side of the boat, conscious and alive.
"Viktor?" I asked.
Giulio's voice: "Down. Not dead, but down. Police are en route. He'll be arrested, not executed."
Good. Viktor in prison was better than Viktor as a martyr. Better than making him a legend.
We docked at a private marina. Ambulances were waiting—medical teams I'd arranged months ago for exactly this kind of emergency. Paola refused to leave my side. She held my hand the entire ride, her grip fierce and desperate.
"The baby," I said through the pain. "You shouldn't have—"
"Is fine. I'm fine. You're the one with a bullet in you."
"Vest stopped it."
"Barely. You could have died."
