Storm
POV: Giorgio
"I swear I don't know anything!" the man in frint of me shouts as I plunge my knife into his left thigh.
"I don't believe you," I reply in a cold, grim tone.
After Elena discovered the location, we kept watch for four days until we managed to capture this man who was in the shed.
"You just need to tell us, or we'll continue this until you beg for death," Giovanni says, and I look at the man with a maniacal smile.
"I'm not willing to let you die so soon," I say, and the man trembles with fear.
"We'll be back soon, and if you're not feeling motivated, think of your family," Giovanni says and opens the door. "We can bring them here if necessary."
We go outside, and I wipe the blood from my hands with a cloth.
"I miss Elena," I say to Giovanni, who nods with a sad smile.
It's been three days since we've been home because we're dealing with prisoners who were captured in an ambush.
"Let's have lunch at home and then we'll come back," Giovanni says, and I nod.
We pack our things and get in the car, driving a few kilometers before we hear a noise and the car explodes.
POV: Lorenzo
I'm on my way to the office for an urgent meeting with the French mafia; they're supplying us with weapons to fight the American mafia.
I drive fast while Antoni sits beside me at the computer. I had an argument with him recently and almost lost my temper.
But we're all stressed lately, so after I calmed down, we talked and resolved the issues.
"The mansion's security system is up to date," Antoni informs me, and I feel a little more relieved to leave Elena at the mansion.
"Take care of the port and company systems," I say, and he starts typing.
We arrived at the company and I went to my office while Antoni went to the IT department to take care of his work.
I enter my office and see a box on my desk.
I hang up my jacket and grab some files before going to my desk to get a folder with the strategic points we had already marked for the attack.
I hear a beep as I approach the box and I only have time to turn around before my office explodes.
POV: Elena
Four days have passed since I visited Dominic in the hospital, and since then I've been talking to him more frequently.
He tells me about his day and about the war between the mafias.
I still remember that kiss; my mind fills with joy every time he texts me.
My brothers are getting increasingly stressed about the war.
Yesterday, Lorenzo argued with Antoni over something simple at dinner, and it showed me that they are on edge.
I'm trying to focus on helping them without getting in the way.
I've been doing my schoolwork online and taking care of my mental health as best I can.
I feel like I'm juggling several things at once, but I'm sure I'll manage.
I'm sitting by the pool reading a book, I see Lorenzo and Antoni leaving the house and thank heavens they've reconciled.
I watch their car drive through the gate before returning to my reading.
I'm distracted again when a delivery man appears at the gate with a package for Lorenzo. One of the security guards takes the box and sends the delivery man away.
He takes the things inside and I see him put them on the kitchen counter near the window where I am.
I decide to stay by the pool until the sun starts to burn my skin and, when it gets too hot, I decide to go inside.
As soon as I stand up, I hear a loud beep and turn towards the kitchen, where the sound is coming from.
I have time to protect my face before the kitchen explodes and I'm thrown into the pool by the shockwave.
I feel my head hit the bottom of the pool hard, but I remain awake.
Inside the water, I see burning pieces of wood falling.
I need to swim away from where most of the debris is falling.
I swim to the surface when nothing else falls into the water and get out of the pool, dazed.
I hear voices calling me, but my head is confused and the back of my head, where I hit it, hurts.
Even disoriented, I manage to enter the mansion, which is full of smoke.
I regain my senses as soon as I see Bruno on the phone.
He's yelling at someone and, as soon as he sees me, he approaches, hanging up the phone.
"Are you hurt?" he asks me.
"I'm fine, are you okay? Did anyone get hurt?" I ask, assessing him, whose clothes are dirty.
“I’m fine, sister. Nobody got hurt,” he says, and I sigh with relief.
His phone rings and I see it’s Antoni.
Bruno answers and I see his eyes widen before he runs to the basement.
Minutes later, I see Aunt Andreia and Grandma running up the stairs. They tell me to get changed because we need to go to the hospital.
I obey without wasting time; I get ready in five minutes and put my headache aside.
In a short time, we’re all in the car, driving quickly to the hospital.
No one explains what happened, but from their expressions, I know it wasn’t good.
We rush inside as soon as we arrive and I see that everyone else is already there.
I see Antoni with red eyes and bloodstained clothes. Matteo looks at us to make sure we’re okay before speaking.
“Lorenzo is in the operating room. The bomb shrapnel hit a major artery in his stomach, and his condition isn’t good,” Matteo explains, and I realize he’s not finished yet.
“Giovanni is out of danger. He managed to jump out of the car before the explosion, as is Giorgio, who is in a coma because he hit his head in the fall and suffered a brain hemorrhage.”
My heart races, and I hear my grandmother crying in my grandfather’s arms.
My head aches with a sharp pain, and I feel weak.
I lean against the wall, my stomach churning; I think anxiety is overwhelming me.
“It’s your fault!” I hear Luca shout, and I’m startled.
He turns to me angrily and approaches.
“Our life has become hell since you arrived,” his words hurt, but he’s not wrong.
“Don’t say anything you’ll regret, Luca,” my father says, and Luca laughs. “But I’m not lying, am I?” He shouts, and neither of them disagrees. “She and her twin, they’ve only brought trouble since they were born, and our lives have been hell ever since.”
My head spins as Luca yells, and I feel weaker and weaker.
“Our siblings are now fighting for their lives because of you,” he shouts, and then says angrily, “It would have been better if you hadn’t been born or if you were dead.”
I listen to every word with a tightness in my chest and an unbearable pain in my head.
I can no longer contain the nausea and vomit on his shoes; my vision blurs instantly.
I feel something running down my nose and see Luca’s eyes widen.
My legs give way, and he quickly catches me as my body goes limp.
Matteo rushes to my side while Luca carefully cradles me in his lap.
“Did any of you go check on her when the bomb exploded?” Matteo asks, examining me. When he touches the back of my neck, I let out a groan.
“She was wet, I think she fell in the pool, but she said she was fine,” Bruno says hurriedly.
Matteo lifts me from the ground and rushes me to the emergency room.
Before saying goodbye to my brothers, I hear Matteo’s voice talking to Luca.
“Maybe you’ll get what you asked for.”