Chapter 173 So Close
Serena’s POV
I felt the tension even as I was being dragged away. The words had barely settled when everything shifted.
Men started trooping out from everywhere in their numbers.
From behind the cars. From the shadows. From corners I hadn’t even noticed before.
They surrounded Nico and the few men he came with.
Slowly, my heart dropped.
This wasn’t the deal, but what were we expecting? To strike a deal with the devil? This was nothing but a setup.
Nico saw it too, and I felt it in the way his body stiffened slightly and the way his eyes moved quickly as I watched him from Luca's arms..
“This wasn’t part of the plan!” He screamed from where he was at Luca.
Luca smiled like he’d been waiting for that. “You’re forgetting one thing,” he said calmly. “I never play fair.”
A second passed. Then Nico let out a short breath, almost like a dry laugh.
“Good thing I had something up my sleeve, too,” he remarked and clapped his hands.
And just like that, gunshots exploded into the air. And everything broke.
Bullets flew from behind us, from rooftops, from angles Luca’s men hadn’t fully covered.
Nico’s men, I mean, Dante’s men. They opened fire without hesitation.
Luca’s expression didn’t even change.
“Move,” he muttered, and before I could react, his hand clamped around my arm.
I was yanked back with my body stumbling as chaos erupted around us.
Men shouting, firing guns and bodies dropping in their numbers.
But in the midst of it all, my eyes found Dante. And for a second, everything slowed.
He was being dragged the opposite direction with his body barely holding up, his head lifted just enough for our eyes to meet.
Pain, agony, hurt, all came out of his eyes as we shared that little moment before I was pulled away.
“Move!” Luca snapped, dragging me towards one of the cars.
“No—!” The word tore out of me, but it didn’t matter.
They shoved Dante into another vehicle. And I watched it, I watched him disappear.
And then, I was thrown into the back seat of Luca’s car before they slammed the door shut.
The engine roared to life and outside, the gunfire only grew louder.
Inside, it felt suffocatingly quiet.
Luca was sitting beside me, calm like none of it mattered. Like none of it was chaos.
“This is the end,” he said casually, glancing at me. “You really thought you could walk into this and walk out with him?”
I didn’t answer. My chest was still rising too fast and my ears were ringing from the gunshots outside.
“You came this far,” he continued, his tone almost amused. “Jusy to give yourself up so easily. I expected more to be honest.”
I swallowed hard, forcing my breathing to steady.
Don’t react, don’t show anything.
“Or maybe,” he added, leaning slightly closer, “this is all you are. A girl playing hero in a world she doesn’t belong in.”
My fingers twitched slightly on my lap.
Careful.
Slow.
The rope around my wrists wasn’t tight.
Nico had tied me himself, just enough to make it believable.
My sleeve brushed against my wrist as I shifted slightly.
The knife was still there, right where we hid it. I kept my face blank, my breathing uneven just enough to look real.
To look weak and broken on the outside, but on the inside? Every nerve was alert.
“You should’ve run,” Luca went on, watching me closely. “You had the chance.”
My fingers slipped further.
Just a little more.
“Now look at you,” he said softly. “You came right to me.”
The handle brushed against my skin.
Almost there.
Almost—
My fingers closed around it and relief flashed through me, but I didn’t show it.
Not yet.
I shifted slightly, angling my wrists, slowly bringing the blade against the rope.
Careful.
Slow.
One cut—
“Too slow.”
My entire body froze as Luca’s hand shot out, grabbing my wrist before I could react.
The knife slipped from my grip and my heart slammed hard against my chest.
He stared at me, then at the knife and a slow smile spread across his face.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”
I didn’t answer.
I didn’t wait.
I lashed out, spinning and shooting my leg right up, kicking him straight in the face.
His head snapped back and the driver swerved slightly.
I twisted immediately, grabbing for the door, shoving it open—
Fresh air hit me. Freedom.
Then a hand slammed into me from behind, dragging me back inside.
“Not happening,” Luca growled with his grip tightening painfully.
I struggled, twisting, fighting, refusing to stop.
Then, a loud crash slammed into the side of the car and everything jerked violently.
The world tilted as glass shattered and the car spun slightly before coming to a harsh stop.
For a second, everything went still. Then, chaos flooded back in.
Gunshots, shouting and smoke
I didn’t think, I moved as fast as I could. I turned and spotted Luca fallen on the floor with his legs to me.
So I smashed my foot hard into his nuts, pulling a cry from him as his hands shot out and grabbed where I hit.
But I didn’t wait.
I shoved the door open and threw myself out, hitting the ground hard with pain shooting through me, but I forced myself up immediately.
“Get her!” Someone shouted, and I ran even with bullets ringing around me.
Men rushed past as bullets spread on every side.
“Serena!” a voice called and I turned to find one of Nico’s men calling me in.
I didn’t hesitate, I ran to where they were and got dragged into their midst behind a car.
I crouched low there as the fight continued behind me, but after a few seconds, it didn't make sense to me again.
I looked up and spotted the car Dante was in, still trapped. So my instincts kicked and I rushed over to the nearest man.
“Hey! Give me your gun!” I commanded as I reached his side.
“What?” He asked and looked around surprised.
“Give me your bloody gun!” I yelled and he handed it over to me.
I turned and opened fire on anyone and anything that didn't look out.
The force shot pain through my arm at the first shot as I had never held a gun of this weight, but I steadied myself quickly and got used to it.
Before I knew what was happening, my instinct took over again.
“Move left!” I shouted with my voice sharper than I expected. “Don’t bunch up, spread out!” I yelled towards a group of Nico's men at the side.
They listened and I didn’t even realize it at first. But they did.
“Cover that side!” I pointed, firing again. “Don’t let them flank you!”
More men shifted and I followed.
My chest heaved as my grip tightened around the gun as I moved forward.
Towards the cars, towards Dante.
“We need that car!” I shouted, pointing towards where I last saw him being taken.
And they pressed on harder as we pushed forward.
Step by step.
Body by body.
But then—
More cars pulled in, more men joined in from every side and I quickly spotted them out to be Luca’s men, or at least working for him.
There were too many as they poured in from every direction and before I knew what was happening, our men began falling fast.
The air filled up with bullets as we were forced back.
“Fall back!” Someone shouted.
“No!” I snapped immediately. “We’re close—keep pushing!”
But it was getting harder, they were gaining ground fast and our men were falling faster.
And then, I saw it. Dante’s car driving away.
“No—!” The word tore out of me as I started forward.
But a hand grabbed me before I could go any further.
“Serena!” Nico’s voice.
“Let go!” I struggled against him. “We can still get him—!”
“No, we can’t!” He snapped, pulling me back as bullets hit the ground near us. “Look around!”
I didn’t want to.
I didn’t care.
“We can still save him!” I yelled, fighting against his grip. “We’re right there—!”
“It’s too late!”
“No!”
Gunfire erupted closer with more of our men dropping. More of Luca’s reinforcements closing in.
“If we stay, we lose everyone!” Nico shouted.
“I don’t care!” My voice broke as I struggled harder. “I’m not leaving him again!”
Another round of bullets tore past us, closer this time.Too close.
Nico’s grip tightened.
“Move!” He barked at the others.
And I shook my head violently, my eyes locked on the road where Dante’s car had disappeared.
“No… no, no, no…”
“We’re leaving!” Nico forced out, dragging me back towards the car.
I fought against him, kicking, pulling, doing anything to break free. But he didn’t let go. He didn’t stop.
“Serena, listen to me—!”
“We can still save him!” I screamed with my voice breaking completely now. “We can still—”
Another round of gunfire cut through my words. But still, I kept fighting, I refused to stop.
But as Nico dragged me towards the car, my eyes stayed fixed on the distance.
On the place Dante had disappeared.
On the place I couldn’t reach.
And the only thing running through my mind—
We were leaving him behind.
Again.