Chapter 74 Death Came
Dante POV
The doors opened, and the smug look on the fucker face made my heart fall into my stomach. I didn’t know how they’d tracked me down or even figured out it was me, but maybe I’d underestimated them and overestimated myself. I stood with my arms by my sides, refusing to beg or run. I held his gaze without a hint of fear, keeping a stoic expression while I figured out what to do. I was completely outnumbered, and even if I did have a gun, there wasn’t much I could when we were this close to each other. All four guns were pointed at me the fucker was the only one who kept his pistol aimed at the ground. “Weren’t
expecting me?” He spoke with a heavy Italian accent, his arrogance escaping in his tone. He was in a black suit with a black tie, looking like an important man but important men didn’t need to look important. “If I were, I would have prepared a nice cheese board and some wine.” Ifnthis was how I met my end, it wouldn’t be on my knees, and it wouldn’t be with fear. I’d be the shit-talking asshole I’d always been.
He eyes narrowed in annoyance. “It’s easy to pretend when the adrenaline is going. But once the fear replaces it, I don’t think you’ll be so
quick with the jokes.”
“It wasn’t a joke.”
One of his men cocked his gun. “Ooh…scary,” I said sarcastically. “You must mean business.”
He smacked the butt of the rifle into my face, making me bleed instantly. I didn’t react at all, not even to wipe the blood away. “That’s not how you.use a gun, little man.”
He clenched his jaw then pointed the barrel right at me. “Then let me show you”
“Hold on.” He pressed his gun toward the ground. “I want him on his knees. This is an execution, after all.”
I couldn’t call for backup, and I couldn’t communicate with Isabella. I hoped they didn’t know she was there with me, I suspected they didn’t because they would have searched for her the second they walked inside. They were under the impression I was alone and they would kill me then leave and leave my baby alone. That was the ideal outcome. I was about to die, but I wasn’t afraid. I knew I would die young. In my line of work, you didn’t live long. Something always came up and bit you in the ass. I’d let my emotion cloud my judgment, and now I was about to die without getting the retribution I wanted in the first place. It was disappointing.
“On your knees.” He nodded to the ground..“I prefer to stand,” I said sarcastically. “But thanks.”
He nodded to his two me and they came up behind me then kicked both of my legs until I was forced to the ground. Then they tied my wrists together, keeping my hands secured
behind my back so I was helpless. My face would crash into the floor the second the bullet was in my brain. I would bleed out all over my apartment. That’s how Isabella would find me. Two men remained behind me while the other two kept their guns pointed at me. He placed his gun in his holster. “I’ve managed to trace you back here but I haven’t figured out your motive. Why did you try to kill me? That has remained a mystery to me.”
My eyes caught something in the periphery and Isabella form appeared in the hallway, wearing the black lingerie I’d asked her to put on. I didn’t look directly at her to give her location away. I wanted to tell her to hide. I saw her image disappear a second later, knowing she’d run for it. This was the ideal situation for her. She couldn’t pull the trigger herself, but the fucker would do the dirty work for her. She wouldn’t even have to watch. She would just hear the gunshot, wait for them to leave, and her freedom would be restored. This would just be a bad dream and I wished I could say something to her, apologize for the way I’d treated her. She was an innocent person who happened to be the daughter of the man I hated. She did nothing wrong, and as I got to know her, I recognized all of her wonderful qualities. She didn’t deserve what I’d done to her and I actually felt remorse nut that didn’t matter anymore. I looked into at his face. “You killed my mother.”
“Your mother, huh?” he asked. “I kill a lot of people, so you need to be.more specific.”
“She was a prostitute. It was Christmas eve. Her name was Janet. She had red hair and blue eyes. She was beautiful, you fucked her, killed her, and then left her body in a dumpster. I was a small boy at the time, so there was
nothing I could do about it but once I became a man, I decided to punish you for what you did.”
“And how did that go?” He asked with a laugh. “Now you’ll be murdered in your own palace. I wonder how long it will take for someone to realize you’re missing since you don’t have anyone.”
I felt the pain in my chest but ignored it. Isabella had said something similar to me once, that I only kept up my vendettas because I had nothing else to live for. No family and no friends, I was just alone. I had nothing to lose.
“I don’t feel bad for killing your mother. If she didn’t want to die, she shouldn’t have been a whore.”
If those restraints weren’t on my wrists, I’d take him down. It would be my last act, and at least I would be doing something productive with it. “Any last words?” He asked. I snorted until a wad of spit was in my mouth. Then I spat on his shoes. “Fuck off and pull the trigger.”
He stared at the top of his shoes, which were now covered in my spit and anger came on to his face, but instead of telling me off, he nodded to one of his men. “Kill this asshole.”
I kept my eyes focused on him, knowing the bullet was coming any second. I would die the way I lived, strong and fearless. I was caught with my guard down and that was my fault, but I could still leave this earth with respect and dignity. I hoped she wasn’t watching. I didn’t want her to see this. My death would be the best thing for her, but I didn’t want it to haunt her for the rest of her life. The gunshot went off and then another but I felt nothing.I closed my eyes, swallowed in darkness. It didn’t hurt the way I expected, didn’t feel numb either. I’d been shot many times, but not in the head. It didn’t feel like anything had happened at all.
Then I heard two bodies fall. One, and then two seconds later, another.