Chapter 193 I'm coming, Dante

Chapter 193 I'm coming, Dante
Dante’s POV

I felt the muscles in my shoulders stiffen and the hairs on my neck shoot up.

The voice soaked into the room smoothly, bouncing over the walls and shaking everything in me.

For a second, I thought my mind had finally broken.

I knew that voice all too well, it's one I had gotten so used to hearing while growing up but didn't hear much of after my father's death.

But one I heard last when things were normal, when I wasn't made to hang and be whipped.

When I still had my life in my hand.

My breathing slowed as something cold slid down my spine.

I had my head still hanging low, but my fingers twitched weakly against the chains.

Then I slowly lifted my head, using the little strength in me to lift my eyes and confirm what my mind already knew.

I didn't get to see all of him, but I saw enough to know it's true.

Standing in front of me was the head of the Romano family, in flesh and blood.

Him and Luca walked further inside till they both stood right in front of me, finally united.

A broken breath left my lips, something between a laugh and disbelief.

“You,” I managed out afterwards with my voice barely holding up as I let my head drop a bit.

I didn't have it in me to keep it up.

I heard him chuckle a feet or two from me.

“I never thought I would see the day,” he said, stepping closer with his polished shoes echoing faintly against the floor, “when the great and mighty Dante Russo would be reduced to this.”

I lifted my eyes to his as his eyes dragged over me, over the chains, the blood, my mess.

“Brought to his knees,” he continued softly, “at the mercy of another man.”

Behind him, Luca chuckled loudly.

“Not just at my mercy,” Luca added lazily. “At my beck and call.”

My jaw tightened as my body tried to straighten despite the weight dragging it down.

“Isn’t that so, Dante?” Luca asked and I didn't bother giving him an answer.

But I knew what was coming next.

He didn't need to snap his fingers this time before the whip came cracking across my back.

This time, my body reacted as a sharp, broken sound tore from my throat as pain exploded through me.

“Let’s have a bit of fun shall we?” Luca chimed and the whip came down again on me.

Then again, and again and again, till I lowered my head and my body stopped reacting.

And suddenly, I felt it across my chest, so sharp, my body jolted straight with my head snapping up.

Pain surged from everywhere including the sharp movement.

They kept the whips coming, landing on my back, then my chest, repeating cleanly.

The Romano didn’t stop them, he just watched everything with a wicked smile.

The whip struck again, snapping across my chest and my shoulders jerked despite the pain.

Blood quickly spread down my back and chest as old wounds came up again.

My breathing turned shallow and heavy, but still… I kept my head this time, still staring right at him.

“Enough,” the Romano said quietly and everything stopped.

He stepped forward, closing the distance between us before crouching slightly, just enough to meet my eyes properly.

“I told your father this would happen,” he said.

My chest rose and fell painfully.

“He didn’t believe me,” the Romano continued. “I told him a day would come when his family would bow.”

He paused and sharpened his gaze on me.

“And now? Because of a little bitch,” he leaned in and whispered. “It is his son.”

Something burned in my chest and it wasn't the pain, or the fear. It was something way deeper.

I forced my head forward and spat right on his face.

Silence followed as I felt Luca step forward but he stopped him.

A second passed without a reaction, then two, and he smiled, straightened and wiped it off calmly with his fingers.

He looked around, looking ever so quiet, like he was probably thinking of what to do.

Then, his fist came down across my jaw hard.

My head snapped to the side as I felt a crack echo in my skull.

Another hit followed before I could gather myself. Then another.

My body barely reacted anymore, the strength to even flinch slipped away as everything inside me dulled.

But when he stopped, I forced my head back up to his eyes.

That made him stop.

“You still have a lot of nerve,” Luca murmured from beside him.

My lips parted slightly with blood slipping from the corner.

“Come closer,” I whispered hoarsely and he raised his brows.

“Excuse me?” Luca asked.

“Come closer,” I repeated, barely audible, “and see how far I can go.”

A quiet chuckle left his lips. “Is that a challenge?”

He tilted his head slightly. “I like challenges.”

He closed the distance shortly and crouched low, right in front of me, studying my face like I was something worth understanding.

“What do you—”

I spat blood or whatever it was straight into Luca's face before he could finish whatever nonsense he wanted to say.

He widened his eyes then straightened, laughing loudly before wiping it off with a hanky that he tossed to the floor afterwards.

“I see you still have fight in you,” he said. “Let's see what's left after I pluck it out,” he added and gestured to his men.

“Bring the plier.”

I kept my eyes on him, preparing myself for the pain about to come.

One of the men stepped forward immediately, placing the plier in his hand.

My body tensed weakly as hands grabbed my hair from behind, forcing my head back as the other hand moved towards my mouth.

I tried to resist, but my body barely responded.

“Open wide, Mr Russo,” he said quietly as another hand pulled open my mouth.

Then the pliers gripped one of my teeth tightly and he pressed into it.

He began tightening it before a large nag sound pulled his attention and the entire building shook.

Serena’s POV

The first set of bombs left the men's hands before the sound even fully registered.

It hit the side of the building and brought down most of the walls.

Then another. And another.

Then the night lit up instantly as flames burst out against the walls with every part crashing from the blast.

“Go!” Nico’s voice cut the speakers through sharply and gun shots erupted immediately as our men fired at the base.

Luca's men soon returned fire from inside as everything began building up.

Bullets slammed into the structure, shattering glass and tearing through the walls as the Russians advanced without hesitation.

I didn’t stop moving as another set of bombs left their hands towards the building.

Then I drew the blade out, switching the laser sword on with a sharp hum as heat pulsed against my palm.

For a second, something clicked in mind, more like a memory back when I was younger.

The days I would play for ours with wooden swords, training myself on my own.

With the memory came the instinct, dropping back on me just as a man rushed at me.

I moved before thinking, putting the blade cleanly through him.

My body followed through naturally, turning, adjusting as another came from the side and I blocked his hit.

The impact vibrated through my arm before I drove the blade forward.

It slid through cleanly again.

Gun shots came out near me and I ducked instinctively, rolling slightly before coming back up and coming face to face with another man.

I switched quickly, pulling my gun out and firing till he dropped.

“Serena!” Nico yelled and I felt him before I saw him.

A man lunged from behind and Nico shot him before he reached me.

“Move!” He instructed and I didn’t hesitate.

We pushed forward just as more men poured out from the building now, Luca’s men finally reacting fully.

The fight soon evened out as always with Luca's men fighting their way out and others swarming from around.

I moved through as many as I could with the blade doing most of the work now.

They came for me again and again. And every time, Nico would pop up, putting them down and clearing the path, pushing me forward.

“Left!” Marcus shouted from somewhere behind and I turned, cutting through his chest before he could shoot.

I met another, slicing his gun into half before digging the blade through him.

Then the armored man stepped beside us as we both ducked under a few large cans.

His forearm lit up faintly as he swiped across it rapidly, scanning through whatever was showing while tapping repeatedly.

“Dante is close,” he said and my chest tightened.

“Where?” I snapped.

He paused. Then—

“Not in this building,” he said and everything inside me went still.

“What?”

He looked ahead, scanning beyond. “Not like that,” he said. “He’s in the next one.”

“Which?” I asked, looking around.

He punched a few buttons before looking up. “That one,” he said and pointed towards a door far beyond.

Men were gathered around it and I gulped.

He nodded slightly. “Come.”

And we moved, going through bodies as Nico and Marcus provided a cover for us.

It was more aggressive.

The resistance thickened as we pushed through the remaining men, but Nico stayed, dropping bodies one after the other as the distance closed.

Gunfire rained around us with explosions still echoing behind.

But all I saw was the door ahead.

And as we broke through the last line of defense, the robot man turned to fight off those coming, leaving just me.

I guess I'll be doing this alone.

I gulped hard and tightened my grip on the blade before reaching for the handle.