We are Bulletproof…

**…but so much pain, too much cryin ♪**

00:30 AM — Forest Somewhere in Aosta

Sunny Hirsch felt fear in her stomach like a ball of fire burning her insides. She lost hope of catching up with the black car. She was defeated and empty inside... until she saw a delivery boy's bicycle abandoned on the sidewalk.

“Thank you, Lord,” Sunny Hirsch said to the night sky.

Sunny Hirsch took off her high-heeled red Louboutins and left them in place on her bike, like an uneven exchange. She got on the bike and pedaled as hard as she could. Her bare feet nearly slipped off the pedal. The white tulle dress fluttered in the wind. She looked like a runaway bride in the middle of the night.

The road behind Fenis Castle was close to a gloomy forest, full of tall, sinister trees. The smell of damp earth and the sound of leaves swaying in the wind. Sunny Hirsch saw the shadows moving between the trees, like lurking ghosts. Forget about the kidnappers, she had an irrational fear of ghosts or werewolves or whatever else might lurk in that darkness. She was very surprised that the kidnapper didn't get very far. About 10 minutes later, he drove the car into the middle of the forest. He parked among the trees. In that darkness, no one would ever see him holding the unconscious boy in his arms.

Sunny Hirsch left her bike behind a log. She followed the man at a good distance, almost losing sight of him from time to time. She tried to send a message to one of the Blazes, but there was no signal. But what a surprise!

The kidnapper eventually came to a man sitting in front of an electric heater. The Leader was sitting on his back, and Sunny Hirsch couldn't see him in the dark. They talked some more until some other men (wearing masks and formal attire) joined them as well.

Those were the same men who entered the castle while Nanci Esposito was hanging Sunny Hirsch! She did not doubt any of that. Now why would anyone kill Marcus and kidnap Antonio Blaze's youngest son?

The last man to arrive was not wearing a mask. He was from some country like Japan, China, or Korea. But he didn't look like a BTS member, a cultivation god, or Naruto. His expressions were hardened and there was a scar running across his face. He pulled out a gun and shot all the masked men, including Otto Blaze's kidnapper. He didn't even blink.

An involuntary scream escaped Sunny Hirsch's mouth as she watched the men being slaughtered like it was nothing. She covered her mouth, but it was too late.

“Kill the woman,” said the leader.

Sunny Hirsch ran through the woods, panting and terrified. The sound of branches breaking behind her indicated that the man was not far away. The night was dark and cold, and she could barely see the path ahead of her. She tripped over a root and fell to the ground, but her dress was stronger than it looked. *Thanks, Chanel!* She got up quickly and continued to run, ignoring the pain and the blood that was flowing.

"Stop or I'll shoot" shouted the man.

Sunny Hirsch could buy a thousand-dollar dress, but she didn't buy this man's words.

She kept running until she felt a tug on her hair. Sunny screamed in despair as she felt the man grab her by the hair and drag her closer to him. He put the gun to her temple. She felt the cold, hard metal against her skin and the icy fear in her heart.

“Leave her,” said a voice as cold as the metal of the gun.

Sunny Hirsch gasped as she saw first the gun and then, behind the gun, his eyes were cruel and calculating behind a black mask. He looked bigger and more monstrous as he stared at the kidnapper.

Thiago Blaze.

A FEW HOURS BEFORE,

10 AM — Library of Fenis Castle, Aosta

“I'm your big brother. Never mind the disputes between our mothers. *This will never change.*"

Thiago Blaze put the mask on his face and said,

"Stop talking to me like I'm already dead."

Thiago Blaze sighed under his older brother's worried gaze. He said:

“I am wearing a bulletproof vest. My suit is fireproof and I modified your mask to protect against poisons. I am safer than a war tank.”

“Why don't you call your men to help you?”

Thiago Blaze shook his head.

“Father will think this is my doing if he sees any of mine here. I need to keep it as clean as possible.”

Marcus Blaze raised his eyebrows.

"Why do you think that?"

“Whoever is trying to kill you is definitely trying to frame me” replied Thiago Blaze. “But I already have my escape route.”

“Which one?” Marcus Blaze asked.

A FEW HOURS LATER,

The rescuers pushed their way through the crowd with a megaphone. They ran to the stage, where Antonio Blaze was holding his unconscious son.

“Help him,” Antonio Blaze said in a flat voice.

It took two rescuers to put Thiago Blaze on the stretcher. He was a big man. They again used a megaphone to push their way through the crowd.

The rescuers were almost at the ambulance when a woman got in the way.

“We have an emergency patient here, ma'am,” said one of the rescuers. “If you continue forward, you could be charged with attempted murder and obstruction. Please get her out of the way. Now!"

“Mother” shouted Valerio Blaze. He pulled his mother out of the way and looked nervously at Thiago unconscious on the stretcher. “Another ambulance has already left with Argento! We need to go to the hospital!”

“Argento!” screamed Catarina Blaze running to her son, her long dress flowing behind her. "Argo, my son!"

As soon as the rescuers closed the ambulance, Thiago Blaze sat on the stretcher. He didn't even have time to process that his mother would rather let him die than Argento. She had already made her choice, after all.

“You guys took too long,” said Thiago Blaze.

“Too fast is too suspicious, boss,” said Rafelle Greco.

“Where are we going now?” asked one of the "rescuers".

“Follow the tracker on Sunny Hirsch's credit card.,” ordered Thiago Blaze.

The ambulance cut through the crowded cars to exit Fenis Castle.

RIGHT NOW,

01:00 AM — Forest Somewhere in Aosta

Sunny felt the cold of steel against her skin. She was in the middle of a dark, damp forest, surrounded by tall, shady trees. His pursuer's labored breathing cut through the air. He had her by the neck with a gun.

“Who hired you?” asked Thiago Blaze.

The pursuer shouted something in an unknown language. It could be Japanese or Italian, Sunny Hirsch couldn't understand either way.

Thiago Blaze was a few feet away, pointing a gun at the man. He had a shot hole in the chest of his suit. Still, he wasn't bleeding at all.

“Do not approach” warned the pursuer, this time in English. “She will die if you come near me.”

“Go ahead, shoot her!” encouraged Thiago Blaze, his voice hoarse and full of hate. “I don't care about that bitch! I want to know who hired you. WHO?!"

Sunny Hirsch felt a twinge of pain in her heart. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was adrenaline. But hearing Thiago Blaze say he didn't care about her was somehow more painful than that gun pointed at her. His indifference stung more than the killer's hatred of her kidnapper.

Sunny Hirsch was about to give up hope when she heard the sound of branches breaking behind her. She turned her head and saw a dark silhouette come running through the trees and attack Yamata from behind.

“Alessandro!” cried Sunny Hirsch.

Alessandro Blaze wore a determined expression as he leaped at the pursuer and grabbed him by the gun arm. Alessandro twisted the man's arm hard, causing him to drop the gun and scream in pain. He then landed a punch on the criminal's jaw, which staggered back.

This all happened while Sunny Hirsch screamed “Alessandro”. It was all very fast. Amazingly fast.

Before even getting up, the criminal threw a smoke bomb on the ground. A gray cloud filled the air, making Sunny Hiesch cough and water. She couldn't see anything but the smoke. She heard footsteps running towards the forest that surrounded the house where they were. It was the criminal on the run!

Thiago Blaze put on Marcus Blaze's white wolf mask.

He came out of the smoke with firm steps, but no running. He couldn't run. He needed that man to go to his boss first. Thiago pulled the radio out of his pocket and called,

“Grecco?”

A second later Grecco's voice answered,

"Boss."

“We have a runner.”

AT THE SAME TIME,

In the Forest Somewhere in Aosta

Sunny Hirsch was paralyzed on the floor, not knowing what to do. The once-white tulle dress was dirty and torn. She was barefoot and the grass was damp under her feet. She looked over at Alessandro, who was slumped beside her, breathing hard. She crawled over to him and hugged him.

“Mr. Blaze… Why did you do that? He could have hurt you… I would never forgive myself if…” Sunny Hirsch's voice died at the mere imagination of what could have happened.

Alessandro Blaze opened his eyes and gave her a weak smile.

“If Demeter had gone to get Persephone when Hades kidnapped her, we wouldn't have winter. I prefer the day full of sunshine.”

Sunny Hirsch felt a tear trickle down her cheek and onto his face.

“Thank you, Alessandro. For everything” she replied.

Sunny Hirsch hugged Alessandro Blaze.

"Did you know? It was the first time you called me by my name.”

“I'm sorry, sir.”

“What if I don't want it to be the last one?” asked Alessandro Blaze.

Sunny buried her head in Alessandro's chest and spoke,

"This is the way."

“Have you been watching The Mandalorian?”

“Yes and…” Sunny Hirsch then stood up. "Oh, no. What about Otto? We have to find the child!”

02:00 AM — Winery, Aesto

Thiago Blaze had to change cars a few times to follow the shooter. Rafelle Grecco's ambulance followed the man to the most unexpected place he could imagine. After all that Thiago Blaze has done to follow the stalker, who would have thought that the man would go to the winery?

"You guys stay here," Thiago Blaze said in the ambulance to his anxious subordinates. "No discussion... This is a family matter."

Thiago Blaze walked silently through the dark forest. He still wore the wolf mask. The main reason is that that shooter looked like he was lactose intolerant after eating a 4-cheese pizza, passing gas everywhere.

Thiago Blaze walked carefully, listening to the sound of crickets and branches breaking under his feet. He knew it was just a matter of finding the mastermind behind Marcus's murder.

When he arrived at the hut, Thiago Blaze hid behind a tree and watched the shooter enter. He saw a dim light come on inside the hut and heard muffled voices. He tried to make out what they were saying, but he could only catch a few words: “plan”, “money”, and “boss”.

Suddenly, he heard a shot echo in the night. The gunman fell to the floor of the hut entrance. He had a bullet hole in his forehead. Thiago Blaze came out of his hiding place and ran towards the cabin.

But before he could get close, sirens and red and blue lights approached. Thiago Blaze turned and saw several police officers surrounding the clearing.

“Put your hands on your head!” shouted a policeman.

It was a trap.