Between Life & Death
The safehouse smelled like dust and old wood. It wasn’t meant to feel like home—just a place to disappear. But tonight, it was their only hope of keeping Adriano alive.
“Get him on the table. Now!” Alessandro barked, his voice sharp with panic.
Luca and Enzo carried Adriano inside, his limp body leaving a trail of red along the cracked tiles. Diamond stumbled after them, her legs shaky, her body completely covered in his blood.
Marco shoved a metal table clear of weapons and gear, sending pistols clattering to the floor. “Here! Put him here!”
They lowered Adriano onto the table. He didn’t even groan. That silence was worse than any scream.
Diamond shoved past them, pressing her hands back over the wound. “Stay with me. Please stay with me, Adriano.” Her tears dripped onto his shirt.
“Serena!” Alessandro’s voice cut through the chaos. “Where’s that team?”
Serena had her phone pressed to her ear, pacing the room like a caged animal. “They’re ten minutes out. I told them it's chest wound and he’s in critical condition. They’re bringing a trauma kit.”
“Ten minutes?” Alessandro’s face contorted. “He doesn’t have ten minutes!”
“They’re coming as fast as they can!” Serena snapped back. Her calm hacker persona was gone, her tone and expression clearly on edge.
Gabriele leaned against the wall, his hands on his head, his chest heaving like he’d just sprinted miles. “Jesus Christ. He’s losing so much blood.”
“We need to keep pressure on it,” Luca said, his voice steady but grim. He grabbed a bundle of clean towels from a cabinet and handed them to Diamond.
She didn’t even look up. “Adri please give me a fucking sign,” she whispered to Adriano. “If you can hear me, squeeze my hand. Please. Anything. Just let me know you’re still here.”
But his hand stayed limp.
“Diamond.”
She barely heard Alessandro’s voice.
“Diamond.” he said again, this time, sharper.
She looked up, her eyes bloodshot and wild.
He crouched down, meeting her at eye level. “We need to control the bleeding. You’re pressing too hard. You’ll make it worse.”
Her lip quivered. “If I don’t, he’ll die.”
His voice softened. “Look at me. We’re not going to let him die, okay? But I need you to calm down and breathe.”
She swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling too fast. “I—I can’t. I just can't. Not while he's like this.”
“You can,” he said firmly. “In through your nose. Out through your mouth.”
She shook her head, trembling.
“Diamond.” Alessandro reached out, placing a hand on her bloodied one. “If you fall apart, he falls apart. You want him to make it? Then you seriously need to calm down.”
She finally nodded, hiccupping through tears.
Marco paced behind them, muttering under his breath, his arm bleeding through his shirt. “I swear to God, if he dies—” He stopped himself, punching the wall instead.
“Sit down,” Enzo said sharply.
“I’m fine,” Marco snapped.
“You’re bleeding through your arm. Sit the fuck down before you pass out,” Enzo said, his tone more cutting than usual.
Marco glared at him, but eventually sank into a chair. “This ain’t how tonight was supposed to go.”
“Alessandro.” Gabriele called out.
Alessandro turned, his face taut.
Gabriele dragged a shaky hand down his face, his voice hoarse when he finally spoke. “Alessandro… if he dies, how do we even tell Papà?”
Alessandro froze. The words hit like a sucker punch.
He didn’t answer because there was no answer that didn’t feel like a betrayal. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling like the weight of the world was crushing his chest.
“I don’t know,” he admitted quietly, his eyes never leaving Adriano's fragile frame.
Silence fell over the room.
Diamond’s hands trembled as she looked down at Adriano’s face. His skin was pale, lips bluish. She felt like she was watching him slip away in slow motion.
“You promised me,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “You promised you wouldn’t leave me.”
Her tears fell and hit his cheek. He didn’t react.
Luca crouched beside her. “Diamond, let me take over for a minute.”
“No.”
“Diamond.”
“No!” she barked, louder this time, clutching Adriano’s hand like she could tether him to life.
Alessandro stepped in. “He’s right. You’re shaking. You’ll do more harm than good.”
“I can’t let go,” she whispered.
Alessandro’s voice softened. “Then stay by his head. Talk to him. But let us work.”
Slowly, reluctantly, she slid her hands away, letting Luca take over applying pressure. Her blood-slick hands hovered uselessly in the air.
“Where the hell is that team?” Marco barked.
“Two minutes,” Serena said, glancing at her watch.
“They better not draw too much attention,” Enzo muttered. “You know La Rosa Nera won’t let this go. If they track us down, then—”
“They won’t,” Alessandro cut him off. His voice, cold and absolute. “Not tonight. Not here.”
But even as he said it, his eyes darted to the windows, half expecting to hear the sound of approaching engines.
Diamond leaned close to Adriano, her forehead against his. “Stay with me,” she whispered. “Please. I really need you now more than ever.”
For a brief second, she swore she felt his fingers twitch. She grabbed his hand tighter, tears streaming down her cheeks. “That’s it. Fight. Don’t you dare give up on me.”
Then came the distant roar of engines.
The sound crawled under everyone’s skin. Marco’s head snapped toward the window. Gabriele’s hand instinctively went for his gun. Even Alessandro stiffened, his jaw tightening as he listened.
“Please tell me that’s the med team,” Gabriele said.
Serena darted to the window, peering out into the night. Her shoulders sagged with relief. “It’s them,” she breathed. “It’s the doctors.”
Alessandro was at the door before they even knocked. He yanked it open, nearly dragging the entire med team inside.
“My brother’s lost a lot of blood! Help him!” Alessandro barked, pointing at Adriano.
“Clear the area,” one of the doctors ordered.
“No,” Diamond said instantly.
“You can stay,” the doctor replied, already unpacking tools. “Everyone else—back up. Give us room.”
They worked fast. Cutting open his shirt. Cleaning the wound. Barking for supplies. The sound of Adriano’s shallow breathing filled the silence.
Diamond stood by his head, clutching his hand, whispering anything she could think of.
Alessandro leaned against the wall, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. Serena sat in the corner, hugging her knees, her laptop forgotten beside her. Marco’s leg bounced uncontrollably, his jaw clenched as he stared at the scene. Enzo watched the doctors like a hawk, his face unreadable. And Gabriele… Gabriele was quietly crying, shoulders shaking as he buried his face in his hands.
After what felt like hours, one of the doctors finally looked up.
“He’s lost way too much blood,” the man said gravely. “But he’s still fighting. That’s the only reason he’s alive right now.”
Diamond’s breath hitched.
“He needs surgery. Immediately. If we don’t get him into an operating room within the next hour—”
“Do it here,” Alessandro snapped.
The doctor shook his head. “We don’t have the equipment for that.”
“Then bring it here.”
“That’s not how this works,” the doctor said, frustration seeping into his tone. “If you want him to live, we need to move him. Now.”
Alessandro’s jaw tightened. “You don't understand. We can't take him out there right now.”
The doctor didn’t flinch. “Please decide fast because your brother’s running out of time.”
The room went silent. All eyes turned to Alessandro.
For a long moment, he didn’t move. He sighed.
“Okay… fine,” he said quietly. “Let's move him.
Alessandro’s gaze dropped to Adriano.
“You’re not dying tonight,” he muttered.
It sounded less like a promise and more like a prayer.