Chapter 195 My Handy Blade

Chapter 195 My Handy Blade
Serena’s POV

The gunshot still echoed in my head long after it had been fired.

For a second—just a second—everything slowed.

Luca still remained standing, but completely stiff.

His head jerked back first, like something invisible had snapped it, and then his eyes… they lost the black in them.

They lost that sharp, calculating edge that had followed me for so long—all gone. Just like that.

My hand was still stretched out with the gun steady and my finger still pressing down on the trigger.

I didn’t feel it. Didn’t feel the usual force of a shot, I didn’t feel the weight of the gun anymore.

I just watched.

I watched as his body tilted backwards slowly… too slowly… like time had forgotten how to tick properly.

His knees gave out next, folding under him, then… he fell.

Flat on his back.

A dull, final sound followed as his body hit the floor. And that was it.

Luca Moretti is dead.

I blinked once. Then twice.

The world didn’t rush back in. It hovered around, like it was suspended.

Everything went quiet in a way that didn’t make sense, especially after all that had just happened.

Did I…?

A sharp sound cut through my little confusion and I turned sharply—

“Nico—!”

He was on the ground with blood spreading fast across his chest, darker than anything else in the room, soaking through his shirt.

My breath hitched as I scrambled towards him, dragging my knees across the floor hard.

“No—no—no…”

My hands found him before my thoughts could catch up on anything, grabbing his shirt, his arm, anything I reached.

“Why would you do that?” I asked as my voice broke, shaking as I looked down at him. “Why would you do that, Nico?!”

His chest rose unevenly with each breath looking like it cost him a great deal.

But he still turned his eyes to me, still found a way to focus.

“We… won,” he forced out with his voice low and strained, barely holding up. “You killed him…”

A faint, almost invisible smile found its way to the corner of his lips. “That’s… all that matters.”

My throat tightened painfully. “No—don’t say that—don’t—”

Footsteps rushed in behind me, not giving me a chance to turn before—

“NICO!”

Marcus’s voice cut off the moment as he landed beside me so fast it almost looked like he fell.

I didn’t need to turn to know what his face looked like. I felt it in the way that blurred the room even further.

“Nico—no—no, no, no…” His hands were already on him, pushing me away in the process and gripping his shoulders and his face, like he was trying to drag him back to life.

“You don’t get to do this,” Marcus said with his voice cracking as tears spilled freely down his face. “You don’t get to just—just leave—do you hear me?!”

Nico didn’t respond, at least not immediately.

His breathing dragged on, getting slower now.

“Stay with me,” Marcus begged, shaking him lightly. “Stay with me, damn it… don’t die on me… don’t you dare die on me…”

Something twisted deep in my chest as I watched on.

I swallowed hard, I still had my hand lingering on Nico’s leg before Marcus’s hand pressed against mine.

“Go,” he muttered, and I finally looked at him.

His eyes were wet, red, breaking—but he still managed to look serious through it.

“Go get Dante,” he said again, softer this time. “I’ve got him.”

I hesitated for a second too long. Then nodded as much as I could.

I pushed myself to my feet as my body felt way heavier than it should be.

The room was way quieter now and as I turned around, I realized why.

The gun shots had stopped completely.

Luca's men stood frozen where they were with most dropping their weapons and lifting their hands to the air.

They looked between each other and the only body that seemed to matter in the room.

Luca's dead body.

And as far as I could tell, the war was over.

No more shots. No more shouting. They all began surrendering, one by one.

I took a step from there and came face to face with Luca. But this time, he has a bleeding hole dented into his skull.

And the more I looked at him, the more I saw Marco's face, the same pale skin, the same flat face, the same bleeding hole.

I stepped beyond everything, walking past Luca's men who just watched me without making any move.

“Dante,” I called out under my breath to avoid drawing too much attention, but my steps picked up when I didn't see him.

I didn’t know where they had taken him. But I knew he was close.

I felt it. So I kept walking, and walking, till my eyes finally landed on him.

I slowed as he came into full view now. He was standing, at least just about holding up.

His body was sagging forward as his arms and legs had been bound.

My chest tightened sharply. “Dante—”

I made to move towards him, but a hand on Dante's shoulder stopped me.

I froze as the man holding him stepped forward slightly.

He looked way older than Luca. That was the first thing that struck me.

He didn't look weak—but not entirely young. Not the kind to pick a race, not someone who relied on strength alone.

But there was more about him, his presence… it carried an unmistakable stamp of authority. The kind that didn’t need to be announced.

His gaze settled on me slowly, measuring and peering through me.

Then his eyes flicked briefly past me to the space behind. To Luca.

And a faint smile touched his lips. “So,” he said with a smooth voice. “You’re the one.”

I didn’t move, didn’t speak.

His gaze returned to me fully now.

“The woman who put a bullet in Marco’s head…” he continued, tilting his head slightly. “And now Luca.”

A short breath left his lips, almost amused. “How convenient. It's a pleasure meeting you Mrs Moretti, or should I say, Mrs Russo.”

My fingers twitched at my sides.

“You should be proud,” he added lightly. “Not many people can say they wiped out an entire bloodline in one lifetime.”

My jaw shot right.

“Shame,” he went on with his grip tightening slightly on Dante. “It ends here.”

“Any last words?” He whispered, looking between both of us.

My eyes moved to Dante and he was already staring at me.

He shifted his head slightly, and I could have sworn to myself that I saw him wink.

And then—

He moved, not the cleanest of moves, not the fastest of moves either, but it was just enough.

He slammed his shoulder into the man and swung his chained hands at him, just about connecting with his head and forcing him back while he fell.

I didn’t waste a second, I moved, closing the distance in two steps and slamming my fist straight into the man’s jaw.

The impact shot up my arm, but I didn’t stop.

I hit him again. And again. Each strike was harder, sharper, fueled by everything that had built up inside me.

He staggered back with grip loosening on his gun and letting it fall to the ground.

The man recovered faster than I expected.

His hand shot out, catching my wrist mid-swing, twisting it sharply.

Pain shot up my arm, I gritted my teeth, driving my knee forward into his side.

He grunted, but tightened his grip on me. I thought fast then twisted, forcing myself free and stumbling back just enough to reset—

But he came at me again, slower than the others.

His strike caught my side, sending me stumbling back as air rushed out of my lungs.

I dropped low, rolling to avoid the next hit with my shoulder scraping hard against the ground as I pushed myself back up.

My chest moved heavily while my vision flickered..But I didn’t stop.

He stepped closer, much more confident now.

I went for a punch, but he blocked it and landed one on my chest, forcing me back further.

I pushed myself up again, but he simply slapped me back down.

I fell, rolling slightly before coming to a stop on my tummy.

“I repeat now,” he started slowly. “Any last words?”

I pushed myself up with one hand on the floor, but that's when I noticed the small blade I always had hiding inside my shoe.

A flash of hope cut through the exhaustion in my mind.

He stepped closer, taking one more step. Then another, getting ever so close.

I watched him, but remained where I was, just supporting my weight with my hand bringing my leg as close as possible to me without pulling any suspicion..

He got to where I was and reached out for me, that's when my hand dropped to my shoe and pulled out the small blade.

Without wasting a second, I turned, pulling him down with his hand on me and burying the blade into his neck.