Chapter 227 No Time For Mercy

Chapter 227 No Time For Mercy
Matteo's POV:

The second the van pulled away, I moved. No hesitation. No shouting orders.

I bent, grabbed the nearest dropped gun, and fired before the remaining man fully turned.

He went down hard. Didn’t get back up.

Another bolted toward the loading bay exit.

I didn’t chase. I shot him in the spine. He collapsed, screaming, hands clawing at concrete.

I put one round through the back of his head and kept moving.

The warehouse was suddenly too quiet. Smoke hung low. The echo of gunfire rang in my ears, sharp and unfinished.

They hadn’t expected resistance after Elio left.

That was the mistake.

My men swept the perimeter fast. One more body behind a crate, still breathing. I didn’t stop long enough to look at his face.

Knife. Throat. Done. Silence.

My chest heaved once. Twice. I forced it steady.

Gone wasn’t the same as lost. Gone meant moving.

My comm crackled.

“Matteo,” Adriano said. Tight. Controlled. Engine noise in the background. “Where are you.”

“Cleaning,” I said.

“Don’t,” he snapped. “Get out. Now.”

“I’m clear.”

“You don’t have time to be clear,” he said. “Drones are up. Luca’s tracking the van already.”

That cut through the blood haze.

“Where,” I demanded.

“North-east,” Adriano replied. “They switched vehicles again. Armored SUV. Bulletproof glass. They’re good.”

Of course they were.

“They’re not firing back,” Adriano continued. “Which means she’s inside.”

My jaw locked.

“I’m on my way,” I said.

“No,” Adriano said sharply. “You’re not alone anymore. We’re converging.”

“I’ll intercept,” I said.

“Matteo...”

I cut the channel. I didn’t wait for permission. I sprinted.

Out of the warehouse. Into the night. My car was already there, engine running, door open. One of my men had been smart enough to leave it positioned.

I got in and drove.

Hard.

The city blurred. Red lights ignored. Corners taken too fast. Tires screamed and held.

Luca came through the comm, breathless but focused.

“I have them,” he said. “Two vehicles shadowing, one lead SUV. You’re six minutes out if you keep that speed.”

“Route,” I said.

He fed it to me.

Industrial roads. Long stretches. Minimal traffic. Plenty of places to disappear if they made it far enough.

“They’re boxed,” Luca added. “But not trapped. Yet.”

“Why aren’t they firing,” Adriano cut in again, calmer now.

“Because they don’t need to,” Luca replied. “And because they’re protecting something.”

Someone.

My hands tightened on the wheel.

“She’s alive,” Luca said, more firmly. “I’m confident.”

That didn’t make it better. It made it urgent.

I saw them before I expected to.

The SUV moved like it owned the road. Dark. Heavy. Untouched by the chaos around it. Two support cars flanked it, clean spacing, disciplined.

Professionals.

I fell in behind them without headlights.

One of the escort vehicles noticed immediately. It drifted back, angling to block.

I didn’t slow.

I clipped its rear quarter panel and sent it spinning into a barrier. Metal screamed. The driver didn’t recover.

One escort down.

The other accelerated, sliding between me and the SUV.

Gunfire erupted. Not from the SUV. From the escort.

Rounds pinged off my hood. One shattered my windshield. Glass sprayed across my face. I didn’t flinch.

I returned fire.

Two shots. Controlled. One into the engine block. One through the driver’s side window.

The car veered, smashed into a light pole, and stopped moving.

Now it was just me and the SUV.

They didn’t fire. But they sped up.

I matched them.

Luca’s voice was tight now. “Matteo, drone confirms heavy armor. You won’t punch through it.”

“I don’t need to,” I said.

I pulled alongside them.

The windows were dark. Reinforced. I couldn’t see inside.

I couldn’t see her.

That nearly broke me.

I fired anyway.

Rounds sparked and ricocheted harmlessly off the side.

They didn’t react.

No return fire. No swerving.

They weren’t afraid.

They were buying time.

“Matteo,” Adriano said. “You can’t force this.”

“I can slow it,” I said.

I rammed them.

Hard.

The SUV lurched but held. My shoulder slammed into the door. Pain flared bright and hot. I ignored it.

I rammed them again. They fishtailed slightly, but corrected fast.

“Elio planned this,” Luca said. “He wants you chasing.”

“I know,” I replied.

“And you’re doing it anyway,” Adriano said.

“Yes.”

Because she was in there. Because every second she stayed with Elio was a second too long.

The SUV took a sudden exit. Sharp. Narrow. Bad road.

I followed without thinking.

The road deteriorated fast. Cracks. Loose gravel. No lights.

Perfect.

The SUV slowed slightly to handle the terrain. That was my opening.

I surged forward and slammed into their rear. This time, something gave.

The SUV swerved hard, tires losing grip. It clipped a barrier, sparks flying.

It didn’t stop. But it slowed. That was enough. Headlights appeared ahead.

Backup.

Two unmarked vehicles cut in, boxing the SUV from the front.

The SUVs doors opened. Men poured out.

Gunfire exploded from all sides.

I moved on instinct.

Shot. Duck. Reload. Advance.

One man went down. Another dropped behind the SUV, firing blind.

I put him down with a clean headshot.

Still no return fire from the SUV.

That was deliberate.

I reached the rear door.

My hands shook for half a second.

I forced them still.

I yanked the handle.

Locked.

Of course it was.

“Matteo,” Luca said urgently. “They’re rerouting power. I’m seeing a spike.”

“What kind,” I snapped.

“Internal,” he replied. “Something’s happening inside the vehicle.”

My chest went cold.

“Elio,” I said.

I stepped back from the door just as it opened from the inside.

A gun came out first. Pressed to Ivy’s head.

Everything stopped.

Elio stepped into view behind her, calm as ever, her body held tight against his.

Blood streaked her face. Her lip was split. One eye swollen.

She was upright.

Conscious.

Alive.

That was the only thing keeping me standing.

“Enough,” Elio said pleasantly. “This is getting messy.”

My gun stayed trained on him.

“Let her go,” I said.

He smiled. “You know I won’t.”

I took a step forward. The gun pressed harder into her temple.

“I will kill her,” Elio said mildly. “And I won’t regret it.”

I stopped.

Again.

My hands shook this time.

“Ivy,” I said.

Her eyes met mine.

She didn’t cry.

She didn’t beg.

She gave the smallest shake of her head.

Don’t.

That almost broke me worse than the blood.

Elio sighed. “You see why I prefer leverage.”

Men shifted around us. Weapons trained. Tension stretched thin enough to snap.

Adriano’s voice came through my comm, low and controlled.

“Matteo. Stand down.”

I didn’t answer.

Elio leaned closer to Ivy’s ear, his voice soft.

“You did beautifully,” he told her. “Look how fast he came.”

My vision tunneled.

I wanted to kill him.

I would kill him.

Just not yet.

“Drop the gun,” Elio said to me. “Again.”

I didn’t move. His finger tightened and I dropped it.

The sound echoed too loud.

Elio smiled.

“Good,” he said. “We’re learning.”

He began backing toward the SUV, Ivy still in his grip.

“This isn’t over,” I said.

He laughed quietly. “No. It’s just getting interesting.”

The door slammed shut. The SUV accelerated. They were gone again.

I stood there in the wreckage, blood on my hands, teeth clenched so hard my jaw ached.

Adriano reached me and grabbed my shoulder.

“She’s alive,” he said. “You saw her.”

“I know,” I replied.

“And now we know where he’s willing to go,” Adriano said.

I stared at the empty road.

“He wants me controlled,” I said.

“Yes,” Adriano agreed.

I picked up my gun.

“Then he made a mistake,” I said. “Because control ends when I stop playing his game.”

The hunt wasn’t over. It had just become personal.