Chapter 40 (Enzo)

The gun clicks impotently. Giacomo's face contorts with rage and terror as he realizes his fatal mistake. With an inarticulate cry of fury, he hurls the empty weapon at me.

I lunge forward, reaching through the open car window to grab a fistful of Giacomo's hair. With all my strength, I slam his head into the steering wheel. He reels back, dazed and bleeding.

I yank the door open and drag him out, delivering a series of vicious kicks for good measure. Then I haul him back towards the house, ignoring his weak struggles.

My shoulder throbs, but the bullet has gone clean through. The same round that wounded me has killed the guard I'd been grappling with. If Giacomo hadn't hesitated, thinking I was already down... well, things might have gone very differently.

I throw Giacomo onto the couch and call out, "Aura! It's done!"

Giacomo glares up at me, defiant even in defeat. "You're just going to get yourself killed. We'll never stop hunting you."

I meet his gaze steadily. "We'll see about that."

Aura descends the stairs, leading a partially bound Tommaso by a length of rope.

Giacomo spits blood onto the floor. "Traitor," he hisses at Tommaso.

Tommaso ignores him, addressing me instead. "I thought the plan was to kill everyone?"

"Change of plans," I reply. "Aura, bring me that bag from the kitchen."

She retrieves the duffel bag, which I toss at Giacomo's feet. "Fifteen thousand dollars. That, plus your life, in exchange for leaving us alone."

Giacomo stares at me for a moment before bursting into hysterical laughter. "You think you can buy your way out after all this? Are you insane?"

I crouch down, meeting his eyes. "This was a warning. A taste of what I can do. I know where you live, where you work, where your family is. How many of your people do you think I can take out before someone finally catches me? Ten? Fifty?"

The laughter dies in Giacomo's throat as the gravity of the situation sinks in. We stare each other down, neither willing to blink first.

Finally, Giacomo breaks the silence. "The girl's worth more than that. You know it."

"You're not exactly in a position to haggle," I reply coldly.

Tommaso speaks up. "Take the money, Giacomo. Be grateful he's letting you walk away at all."

"Shut up, old man!" Giacomo snarls.

Without warning, I lash out, my fist connecting solidly with Giacomo's jaw. "You leave Tommaso out of this," I say calmly, flexing my bruised knuckles.

Giacomo groans, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "You son of a-"

"Two minutes," I cut him off. "You've got two minutes to decide. The money and your life, or nothing at all." I check the chamber of my gun for emphasis.

Aura stands ready nearby, her own weapon trained on Giacomo. She gives me a slight nod, acknowledging the unspoken signal between us.

The seconds tick by in tense silence. Finally, Giacomo lets out a heavy sigh. "Fine. Fifteen grand and we're done."

"And you leave Tommaso alone," I add.

Giacomo glares daggers at me. "Fine," he spits.

I lean in close, my voice barely above a whisper. "One more thing. If I catch even a hint that you or anyone else in the family is coming after us, I will hunt you down. And I will kill you, one way or another. Understand?"

A bead of sweat rolls down Giacomo's forehead as he nods. "I get it."

I straighten up, a humorless smile on my face. "Pleasure doing business with you."

I hold out my arm to Aura, who laces her fingers through mine. As we turn to leave, Giacomo calls out, "Why? Why risk everything for one girl?"

I pause at the threshold, looking back at him. "Because I love her," I say simply.

Aura squeezes my hand. "You big idiot," she murmurs affectionately.

Ignoring Giacomo's disgusted groan, we walk out into the cool night air. I help Aura into the passenger seat of one of the family's trucks, then slide behind the wheel. As we drive away, I can't help but feel a glimmer of hope. There's still a chance Giacomo might come after us, but we're in a much better position now than if we'd simply run.

"So," I say, glancing at Aura. "Where to?"

She smiles, reaching over to take my hand again. "Anywhere. As long as I'm with you."

We drive out of the city, neither of us looking back. The events of the past few weeks have changed me in ways I'm only beginning to understand. By taking Aura captive, I've somehow found my own freedom. It's a strange irony, but I'm grateful for it all the same.

We drive happily thinking at last it’s all over and we are free but little did we know that a man involved in the mafia once can never get free.