Chapter 145

Adriano's POV

The warehouse was a hive of chaos, but I didn't hear the shouting or the echoing footsteps behind me. All I saw was Melanie. She sat bound to a chair, her face pale, and her lip split, a streak of blood trailing down her chin. Alex Pushkin had a gun pressed to her temple.

My blood ran cold.

I raised my weapon, keeping my voice steady. "Let her go."

Behind me, my men spread out, weapons aimed and ready. They waited for my signal, but I couldn't give it-not yet. One wrong move, one miscalculation, and Melanie could die.

Pushkin laughed, a guttural sound that grated on my nerves. "You think you scare me? I've killed better men than you."

His hand twitched, and I saw the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. Good. He was scared, even if he didn't want to admit it. Fear made people sloppy. I needed to buy time, distract him long enough for my men to position themselves.

"Erica," I said, shifting my focus to the woman who stood off to the side, smug and self-satisfied. "You really think this is going to end well for you? I expected you would have learned your lessons after all these years."

Her smile faltered. "Don't act like you're some saint, Adriano. You humiliated me and threw years of our planning away."

I chuckled darkly, though my grip on my gun tightened. "I have never claimed to be a saint, Erica and I'm not apologizing for thwarting your plans with Alex. Frankly, I still blame myself for not realizing that something was off a lot sooner."

And then, chaos erupted.

The first shot rang out, deafening in the confined space. I didn't see who fired it maybe one of Pushkin's men, maybe one of mine but it was enough to send everyone into motion. Pushkin shoved Melanie to the ground, her chair toppling over as he used her as a shield.

I charged forward, my focus locked on Melanie even as bullets whizzed past me. My men engaged Pushkin's crew, their weapons blazing, but all I cared about was getting to her.

"Adriano!" she screamed, her voice raw with fear.

I dropped to my knees beside her, shielding her with my body as I worked to free her hands. "I've got you, little nurse," I said, my voice low but firm. "I've got you."

Her eyes met mine, wide and shimmering with unshed tears. "I'm so sorry I thought..." she started but I interrrupted her.

"Don't think," I cut her off, slicing through the ropes with a knife I'd pulled from my boot. "I'm getting you out of here."

Pushkin's shadow loomed over us before I could pull her to her feet. He aimed his gun at me, his expression twisted with rage.

"Adriano, watch out!" Melanie shouted, but I was already moving.

I tackled Pushkin to the ground, the gun skidding out of his grasp. He was strong, but fury fueled me. I landed a solid punch to his jaw, then another, each strike a release of the rage that had been building since I'd walked into this hellhole.

"You think you can take what's mine and walk away?" I snarled, slamming his head against the concrete floor. "Melanie is not someone you can toy with and you should have never dared coming into my territory to start your darned trafficking business!"

He laughed, blood staining his teeth. "You think this is over, Alfonso? You're a dead man walking. You have more enemies than you can ever conprehend."

"Maybe, I do." I said, pressing my forearm against his throat. "But you won't be alive to see me dead or defeated. I let you go once before because of our history but I won't make the same mistake twice."

Before I could finish him, a sharp cry from Melanie drew my attention. Erica had grabbed her, a knife pressed to her throat.

"Let him go, Adriano," Erica demanded, her voice trembling. "Or I'll slit her throat."

Pushkin took advantage of my distraction, shoving me off and scrambling to his feet. He grabbed his gun and pointed it at me, a triumphant sneer on his face.

I raised my hands slowly, calculating my next move. "You really don't want to do this, Pushkin. Because I promise, if you hurt her, you'll wish I killed you years ago."

He hesitated, glancing at Erica. "We're leaving," he said, jerking his head toward the door. "Take her as insurance."

Erica nodded, dragging Melanie backward.

"Adriano!" Melanie cried, struggling against Erica's hold.

"Let her go," I growled, taking a step forward.

Nik who was handling Alex's goons raised his gun at them but I stopped him.

Pushkin fired a warning shot at my feet, stopping me in my tracks. "Stay back!"

But he'd made a mistake. In his desperation, he'd left himself exposed.

Ralph took the shot. The bullet struck Pushkin in the shoulder, and he dropped his gun with a pained roar. I didn't hesitate. I lunged forward, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the wall.

"You don't touch her," I said, my voice low and dangerous.

"Adriano, behind you!" Matteo shouted.

I turned just in time to see Erica raising her knife. Before she could strike, Melanie stomped on her foot, elbowing her in the ribs. Erica stumbled, and I didn't waste the opportunity. I pulled Melanie behind me, aiming my gun at Erica.

"It's over," I said, my finger hovering over the trigger.

She glared at me, clutching her side. "You'll pay for this."

"Not today," I said, signaling to my men to take her and Pushkin into custody.

When the room was finally clear, I turned to Melanie. She stood there, trembling but unbroken, her eyes locked on mine.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, gently cupping her face.

She shook her head, but tears spilled over, streaking her cheeks. "I thought I lost you," she whispered. "I'm so sorry for running away."

I pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly. "You'll never lose me," I said, my voice firm. "Not now, not ever."

For the first time that night, I allowed myself to breathe. She was safe. That was all that mattered.