CHAPTER 80

The ambush was not anticipated; I was shot in the stomach before I could react, and Aurora was taken away from me yet again. I felt like I had failed her again.

The pain was becoming unbearable, and my vision was starting to blur. I knew I couldn’t afford to pass out, not with Aurora in danger.

I had no weapon on me, but thankfully Antonio was around, and he shot the rest of the invaders. Just as another figure emerged from the shadows, For a split second, my heart sank, thinking it was another enemy. But then I recognized him: it was Luca.

"Luca!" I called out, relief flooding through me.

"Rossi!" he shouted back, rushing to my side. "Antonio, get him inside. I’ll cover you."

With Luca providing cover, Antonio helped me into the safe house.

"Aurora," I whispered, the fear for her safety overriding the pain.

"We’ll find her," Luca said firmly, joining us inside. "But first, we need to get you patched up."

As they laid me down on the couch, the pain in my stomach flared up again, sending waves of dizziness through me. "No time," I protested weakly. "They’ve got her. We need to—"

"Rossi, you won’t do her any good if you’re dead," Antonio said, his tone brooking no argument. He pulled out his phone and made a quick call. "We need a doctor here, now."

Within minutes, a local doctor we trusted arrived, his medical bag in hand. He worked quickly, assessing the wound and cleaning it with practiced efficiency. "The bullet went clean through," he said, his voice calm. "You’re lucky. It missed any major arteries."

"Just stitch me up," I muttered, fighting to stay conscious. "We need to move."

"Hold still," the doctor instructed, injecting a local anesthetic. "This will only take a minute."

As the doctor worked, I felt my strength ebbing away. The blood loss, combined with the pain and stress, was taking its toll. I struggled to keep my eyes open and to stay alert.

"Boss, stay with us," Antonio said. "We’ll find Aurora. You just need to hold on."

But despite my best efforts, the world began to fade. The last thing I heard before losing consciousness was Luca’s voice, steady and determined. "We’ll get her back, Rossi. I promise."

When I came, the room was dimly lit, the muffled sounds of activity reaching my ears. I blinked, trying to clear the fog from my mind. The pain in my stomach was still there, but it was dull and manageable.

"Rossi, you’re awake," Antonio said, his face appearing above me. He looked tired but relieved.

I tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness forced me to back down. "Aurora…"

"We’re working on it," Luca said, stepping into view. "The doctor patched you up. You need to rest."

"I don’t have time to rest," I said, my voice rough. "They’ve got her. We need to move."

"Rossi, you were shot," Antonio reminded me, his tone firm. "You need to heal. We’ll find Aurora, but you need to let us handle it for now."

I clenched my fists, frustration boiling inside me. But they were right. I was in no condition to lead a rescue mission. "What’s the plan?" I asked, forcing myself to stay calm.

"We’re tracking them," Luca said, pulling out a map. "We found a lead on where they might have taken her. Riccardo won’t get away with this."

"I’ll rest," I conceded, the fight draining out of me. "But you have to fill me in on everything going on."

Antonio and Luca exchanged a look, then nodded. "We will, Rossi," Antonio said. "We won’t stop until she’s safe."

As they left to finalize the plans, I lay back, my mind racing despite the exhaustion. The thought of Aurora in Riccardo’s hands was unbearable. I had to trust my team—trust that they would find her and bring her back.

"Stay strong, Aurora," I whispered, closing my eyes. "We’re coming for you."

The pain in my stomach had subsided to a dull ache, and with each passing hour, my strength returned. The urgency to rescue Aurora burned brighter than ever. This had to be the last confrontation. We couldn't afford any more risks, any more threats looming over our heads.

As I gathered with my team in the dimly lit safe house, the atmosphere was charged with determination. Antonio, Luca, and a few of our most trusted men stood around a large table, maps and blueprints spread out before us.

"Alright, everyone, listen up," I began. "This is it. We’re bringing Aurora home and putting an end to the Gottis' reign of terror. This has to be perfect. No mistakes."

Antonio pointed to a map of the abandoned factory where we believed Aurora was being held. "We've confirmed the location. The factory is heavily guarded, but we've identified key weak points in their security."

Luca, always meticulous, laid out the plan. "We’ll divide into two teams. Team A will create a diversion at the main entrance. This will draw the majority of the guards away from the interior. Team B, led by Rossi and myself, will infiltrate from the rear entrance, which has lighter security."

"Timing is crucial," Antonio added. "Team A will initiate the diversion with a series of controlled explosions. This should create enough chaos to cover Team B’s entry."

I nodded, scanning the faces of my team. "Once we’re inside, Luca and I will locate Aurora. The rest of Team B will secure the perimeter and ensure no reinforcements can trap us inside. We need to move quickly and efficiently."

Antonio continued, outlining the finer details. "We have intel on the guard rotations and the layout of the factory. The guards are less concentrated in the southern sector, which gives us a strategic advantage for our infiltration."

One of our men, Jonathan, spoke up. "What about Riccardo? He won’t let Aurora go without a fight."

"He’ll be our primary target," I said, my jaw tightening at the thought of Riccardo's hands on Aurora. "Once we have Aurora, we’ll confront him. We need to end this once and for all, and exposing his crimes is the best way to ensure he’s brought down permanently."

Luca nodded in agreement. "We’ve gathered enough evidence on the Gotti family’s illegal activities. Once we have Aurora, we’ll use that information to dismantle their entire operation."

Antonio looked around the room, his gaze hard and determined. "Is everyone clear on the plan?"

A chorus of affirmatives echoed around the room. We were ready. We had to be. This was our last shot.

The air in the room was thick with anticipation as Antonio, Luca, and I prepared the next set of evidence against the Gotti family. We had already dealt a significant blow to their empire, but this next release would be the nail in the coffin. Documents, videos, and audio recordings—all meticulously compiled—were ready to be sent to the press and law enforcement.

"Are you sure about this, Rossi?" Antonio asked, his eyes scanning the flash drive in his hand. "This will escalate things. The Gotti family won't take this lying down."

"I know," I replied, my voice resolute. "But this is the only way to ensure they can't recover. We've come this far, and we can't stop now."

Luca, always the voice of reason, added, "We need to be prepared for their retaliation. They'll be desperate, and desperate people do dangerous things."

"I've already increased security at the safe house," I assured him. "We're ready for whatever they throw at us."

With a nod, Luca handed the drive to Antonio, who connected it to the laptop. "Here we go," Antonio said, clicking the send button. "It's out there now. There's no turning back."

The three of us watched as the progress bar filled, sending the incriminating data to every major news outlet and law enforcement agency. It was only a matter of time before the Gotti family's crimes were exposed to the world.

Just as we began to breathe a sigh of relief, my phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen and felt a chill run down my spine. The message was from an unknown number.

"Stop releasing information on us, or, as you've tried your best, we will do our worst. Your dear Aurora has a few hours to live. Hand us all the information you have, and just maybe we can release the antidote so she gets to live.”

I showed the message to Antonio and Luca. "They know," I said grimly. "And they're not bluffing."

“Fuck. I can’t let them kill her.”

Antonio clenched his fists. "We need to stay ahead of them. We can't let them intimidate us."

Luca looked thoughtful. "We need to find out who sent that message. It could be Riccardo, but it could also be someone we haven't identified yet."

I nodded. "We can't take any chances. Antonio, increase the security measures again. Double the guards at the safe house. Luca, see if you can trace this number. We need to know who's behind it."

As Antonio and Luca moved to carry out my orders, I felt a sense of unease settle over me. The Gotti family was cornered, and that made them more dangerous than ever. But we couldn't back down now. We had to see this through to the end.

As we braced ourselves for the storm that was surely coming, I knew one thing for certain: we would fight with everything we had to bring the Gotti family to justice. And we would win.

The next few hours were a whirlwind of activity. Security was tightened, plans were revised, and we prepared for the inevitable retaliation from the Gotti family. But no matter what happened, we were ready. This was the final battle, and we would emerge victorious.

The Gotti family had underestimated us before, but they wouldn't make that mistake again. This time, we were prepared for anything they could throw at us. And with each passing hour, the walls closed in tighter around them.

Victory was within our grasp, and we wouldn't stop until it was ours.