Chapter 220: 88 An Easy Win
Luca.
We arrived at the venue by six in the evening, and I felt the weight of the night pressing down on me. My thoughts churned relentlessly—I just wanted it all to be over. Hopefully, this wasn’t a trap, and everything would go as planned. I wasn’t thrilled about sparing the lives of the two people inside who called themselves my half-brothers. They were twisted, manipulative, and part of everything I despised. But a deal was a deal, and I intended to honor my word, even if it burned me inside.
The Nuovo Ordine Clan had been the bane of our existence, yet their cruelty had served an unintended purpose—they’d united all the families under a common cause. With a single enemy to fight and the instinct for survival driving us, we’d learned what it meant to truly work together. Tonight, I prayed we would win, not just for vengeance but for the lessons this battle had taught us. The ruthlessness of Johannes Wallace had shown us how fragile we could be if divided. Ironically, in his attempt to destroy us, he’d made us stronger.
Before we left, my team had thoroughly researched Johannes. He wasn’t the untouchable king he thought himself to be. Beneath the bravado, he was a man with cracks in his foundation, a nobody trying to play the role of a titan. I knew I could take him, but recklessness wasn’t an option. One misstep could unravel everything.
I turned to Emma, sitting beside me in the car, and placed a hand on her thigh. She’d insisted on being here, against everyone’s advice—including mine—but she was as stubborn as she was brave.
“You have to promise me,” I said, my voice steady but firm, “the moment Marco and Randy are bound with silver, you’ll get out of there. We don’t know how strong they are, and I need to know you’re safe. Only then can I focus on ending this.”
She looked at me, her eyes searching mine, and finally gave a small nod. “If you don’t need my help, I promise to back down,” she said. There was no hesitation, no defensiveness in her tone. She meant it.
I leaned over and kissed her, a gesture of gratitude and love.
Bringing her along was risky, but I had promised her a partnership—an equal say in everything. This wasn’t the time to break that promise, no matter how high the stakes were.
Our car was parked two blocks from the venue, giving us a clear line of sight to the entrance. Olsen and Gerald were stationed at the back exit, keeping watch, while we focused on the main entrance. Over the next hour, we counted a total of twenty people entering the building, none of them armed. I could see them surrendering their weapons at the door, which told me one thing: they weren’t expecting trouble.
Johannes trusted his niece more than he should have. After denying Karolyn the medication that nearly cost her life, I doubted her loyalty to him. His confidence would be his downfall.
My composure held steady until I spotted Diego Gallo walking toward the building alongside a man who could only be Johannes. My stomach tightened. Neither of them submitted weapons at the door. That was a red flag, and it meant we had to tread carefully. They were carrying something—guns, knives, or worse.
We waited for a while, watching for additional arrivals, but the venue remained quiet. It became clear that this was a small, private gathering for an initiation. Johannes’s overconfidence worked in our favor. He thought he was untouchable, but his arrogance had left him vulnerable. This was our chance.
I linked with my team and Mathais’s men, stationed around the perimeter, and ordered them to stealthily take out the ten guards outside. With Somberg being no man’s land, we had an advantage—there was no Mafia authority here to enforce rules. The mob had gone into hiding, leaving the field wide open. Everything was playing into our hands.
It took thirty painstaking minutes to eliminate the guards. Mathais’s men were efficient, their movements silent and precise. By the time the guards were down, wolves had taken their place outside the building, a quiet signal that it was time for us to move.
Emma and I stepped out of the car, the cool evening air biting against our skin. We walked toward the warehouse, keeping our pace measured, our expressions neutral. Bruce and Tevin flanked us, their presence solid and reassuring. Emma’s brothers were a force to be reckoned with, the kind of men who didn’t just follow orders but executed them with precision and skill. They had led the operation flawlessly, taking down the guards without alerting anyone inside.
The wolves entered first, their movements fluid and deliberate.
My wife and I walked into the hall with the kind of confidence that turned heads. We carried ourselves as if we owned the place, our movements deliberate and sure. Behind us, the wolves formed a quiet but unmistakable wall of power, their presence ensuring that we were untouchable—for now. Inside, I couldn’t help but notice how sparse the gathering was. Johannes’s arrogance had betrayed him; his overconfidence had left him vulnerable, unguarded. It was almost laughable how easily this could end in our favor.
“So, we finally meet,” I said, my voice calm yet laced with the weight of authority as I addressed Johannes. He stood by Diego Gallo, the two of them an odd contrast—Johannes, with his frail body and empty, darkened eyes, and Diego, brimming with suppressed violence. Johannes looked every bit his age, sixty-seven and far past his prime. He was too old to be sowing chaos, yet here he was, a man who had lost his soul long ago, still trying to play god.