Chapter 194 Sacrifice

Chapter 194 Sacrifice
Serena’s POV

My fingers tightened around the handle before I pushed the door open and it gave way too easily.

That can't be right though.

I looked back at Nico and the rest, the robot man and a few of the Russians had formed a wall around the door, fighting off anyone coming this way.

In essence, with the extra men and especially the high tech weapons, we had Luca's men on the run.

Enough of that.

I took a deep breath and turned towards the pretty dark room.

I could barely see anything as the darkness swallowed everything the moment I stepped inside.

That was not all, the silence in here was suffocating, the kind that didn’t belong in the middle of a war.

I moved slowly, keeping my breathing control and senses stretched thin.

“Dante?” I called in a low and careful tone.

Nothing.

I lifted the blade and flicked it on.

The laser sword came alive with a sharp hum, flashing a faint glow that sliced through the darkness.

The light stretched across the floor, climbing the walls and revealing nothing but more shadows.

Then before I knew what was happening, everything exploded into the brightest light I'd ever seen.

It was blinding, harsh, and way too sudden.

My eyes snapped shut as the world turned white, then hands grabbed me roughly before I could react.

And my wrist twisted painfully as the blade was ripped from my grip and deactivated instantly.

“What—!”

My back slammed into something solid as my arms were forced behind me, locked in place by a grip that didn’t loosen no matter how hard I struggled.

“Let go—!”

I twisted, fought, kicked, but it was useless.

I heard the door banging shut behind me, then my eyes finally adjusted to the light, and when it did, they fell on him.

My chest burned as Dante came into view, but chained on every side to a chair with blood everywhere.

His head was hanging low with his body barely holding itself upright. The chains looked to be digging into his skin like they had merged with him.

Something inside me cracked. “Dante—”

Then a laugh cut through the room, a low, cold, and scarily familiar laugh.

“Well… look what we have here.”

My head snapped towards the voice as Luca stepped out of the shadows like he had been waiting for this exact moment.

Like all of this—everything—had been planned.

Maybe it has.

His gaze dragged over me slowly, taking in every detail, every reaction, every breath I struggled to take.

“Do you know,” he started, calmly, almost heartily, “how long I’ve been waiting for this?”

I said nothing as my body cried against the hold on me, but it didn’t matter.

His eyes shone as he washed over me. “I remember that day,” he continued, stepping closer. “Of course I do. Hard to forget the day a woman put a bullet in my brother’s head.”

My chest rose sharply. Marco.

“On his wedding day,” Luca added, his voice sharpening just enough. “In front of everyone.”

He stopped right in front of me.

“So imagine my disappointment when I didn’t get to return the favor immediately.”

My jaw clenched and he tilted his head slightly, studying me.

“I wanted to kill you,” he admitted. “Slowly. Painfully. I thought about it more times than I care to admit.”

His hand came up suddenly and I flinched—but he didn’t hit me.

He touched my neck lightly.

My body still reacted instantly, shifting back as a shiver ran down my spine.

And that was when I realized.

The necklace.

His lips pushed up into a smile. “Ah,” he murmured. “You noticed.”

My stomach dropped.

“That little thing,” he continued casually, stepping around me now, “was very useful.”

My mind burned from the mere closeness to him.

“Yes,” he said simply and stopped behind me.

“Marco told me about it. About how special it was. About how you never took it off.”

My heart pounded harder.

“And you know Marco, he wouldn't tell me everything,” he added. “So I had someone take a scan of it.”

His voice lowered as he went on. “And what do you know? A tracker.”

I could barely maintain eye contact with him at this point.

“I didn’t tell you, of course,” he added. “Where’s the fun in that?”

I clenched my hands tightly. “You—”

“I used it,” he cut in smoothly. “Every move. Every step. Every place you thought you were safe.”

My chest tightened.

“My favorite part?” He went on, running a hand over my jaw as I tensed up. “The plane.”

My breath hitched.

“The moment we shot it down,” he said, and there was something darker in his tone now. “Knowing he was on it.”

His eyes flicked towards Dante.

“I wonder how much that hurt him,” Luca finished and a loud bang echoed from outside.

Then another, followed by voices and gunshots.

My head snapped towards the door as much as I could.

“Nico—” I breathed as more banging followed.

I suddenly felt a wave of hope as the sounds grew louder.

Luca laughed softly, pulling me back. “They’re trying so hard, aren't they?” He said. “You guys got some help, cool toys by the way,” he added with a chuckle.

I struggled harder. “Let me go!”

He stepped in front of me again.

“Why?” He asked simply and before I could think it through, I raised my leg and slammed my sneakers down hard on his foot.

His face froze as he shook his legs for a second before it hardened completely.

The men holding me tightened their grip immediately.

“Careful,” Luca said quietly, gathering himself.

Then I flinched as one of the men raised his hand to hit me—

“Don’t,” Luca stopped him and the man froze instantly.

Luca’s gaze shifted lazily to Dante. “If she hurts me,” he said, “he pays.”

My chest tightened. “No—”

“Do it,” he ordered and a man stepped behind Dante with a whip in hand.

Then the first whip cracked across Dante’s back, jerking his body violently.

A broken sound tore from his throat.

“Stop!” I screamed.

Another strike followed, then another. Each one louder and harder in my ears than the last.

Fresh blood flowed out from him as the whip came across his chest a couple of times, hitting his face and neck as well.

“Stop—please—STOP!”

They didn’t. They kept going. Over and over, till my voice broke and my body shook with it.

“Enough,” Luca ordered and everything stopped.

Silence fell again, only I filled it with my sobs as tears fell down my cheeks from what I just witnessed.

I couldn't tell if I was breathing or just forcing air out.

Then Luca stepped closer. “There’s a way out of this,” he said. “Only one of you will leave this room alive.”

My eyes snapped to his and there was nothing I would love more at the moment than to rip his nose right out.

But I didn't, I knew better now.

I watched as he pulled out a gun and slowly popped it open, pouring out the bullets but preserving one inside.

He slid it back in and clicked it into place. Then held it out to me.

“Take it,” he ordered, but I didn’t move.

“Take it,” he repeated and the men holding me pushed me forward, freeing my arm just enough.

I grabbed it as my hand trembled.

“Simple,” Luca said.

He stepped behind me, pressing the cold barrel of his own gun against my back.

“Shoot him.”

My breath caught.

“Same way you shot Marco,” he added and my eyes moved to Dante.

To the blood and chains running over him, to his barely conscious state.

“No,” I whispered.

“Or,” Luca continued, pressing the gun harder into me, “I shoot you.”

Silence followed as everything narrowed down to the gun in my hand and Dante dying in front of me.

My finger rested on the trigger as I lifted it, pointing at him.

I couldn't do it, I couldn't pull the trigger. Not after everything, not after all the sacrifices he's been through for me.

Dante's head lifted slowly and his eyes met mine, then he pushed a smile through it and nodded.

No. I can't

“Do it!” Luca screamed behind me, hitting the gun on me.

And when I got tired of fighting it, I dropped my hand to my side.

“I can't,” I whispered, lowering my head as I knew what was coming next.

“I guess I have no choice but to—”

BANG!

The door burst open behind us, cutting Luca off.

Gunfire exploded into the room as the men around me dropped instantly.

“Nico—!” I yelled but Luca quickly pulled me aside.

“Take him back!” He ordered towards the man beside Dante and they dragged him away.

“No!” I yelled and struggled but Luca held me in place.

“Take care of them!” He ordered and dragged me aside with the gun falling from my hand to the side as he did.

I turned and watched as Nico, Marcus, the robot guy and a few Russians stormed in.

But Nico rushed towards me the moment our eyes met.

He moved like I'd never seen him do before, evading people and dodging shots on the way.

He spent little time fighting anything ahead of him, only shooting where necessary.

And every shot found its mark. One after the other, Luca's men fell.

A man lunged at Nico but he slammed a bullet into his skull before he got close.

Another raised his weapon but got shot before he could fire.

Nico skipped through them like they weren’t even there, till there was no one left.

Silence hit again as Nico stopped few feet from where Luca and I were.

My chest rose and fell rapidly as Nico stood with his gun still raised.

Then Luca grabbed my arm suddenly, yanking my back against him.

I gasped.

“Not so fast,” he smirked as he dragged me with him, using me as a shield.

“Nico!” I shouted and tightened his grip on me as his left hand went around my neck while his right hand pointed his gun at Nico.

“Let her go,” Nico said with his voice deadly calm.

Luca laughed softly. “Or what?” He asked. “It's her life or yours, think well.”

But I was done thinking.

I shifted back slightly then sunk my teeth down hard into his arm around my neck.

“Fuck this little bitch!” He cursed, then shoved me away violently.

I hit the floor hard, and as I gathered myself, I spotted the gun just a stretch away.

But Luca had his gun raised at me before I could move.

“See you in hell,” he muttered and I squeezed my eyes shut.

And a few seconds later, I heard the gun shot loudly, but felt no pain.

“Fucker,” Luca's voice swore and I opened my eyes to find Nico laying by my side with blood dripping from his chest.

I turned to Luca who immediately snapped his eyes to me, then my mind went to the gun.

I rolled immediately, picking it up and as I rolled back on my ass, I took a shot in the direction I last saw him.