Chapter 144 The Showdown
Luciano doesn't stop his search for clues, cues he hoped would lead to Isabella and Sofia.
It was even more difficult since Luigi was smart enough to move them.
The search had become an obsession at that point, one where he realized he messed up.
"You can't keep doing this!", Andreas said as he entered Luciano's office.
He rushed in as soon as he heard Luciano was back.
Luciano had just come back from ransacking a building Aldo had suspected.
"I can and I will!", Luciano said as he gulped the alcohol, the burn keeping him awake despite his fatigue.
"Come on man!
At least take a day off to rest!
We'll find them soon!", Andreas said, however, he got nothing but silence.
"I'll have all the rest I need when I find them!", Luciano said.
"It's been a week man!
You heard your uncle!
How about you regroup and let us plan something...
For when he brings these terms of surrender!", Andreas proposed, a very reasonable alternative.
"You don't know Luigi like I do!
I don't want any harm coming to them!", Luciano refuted, trying to oppose.
"Well!
He needs you to surrender, how would he do that if he breaks them!
He knows you too!
He wouldn't do anything rash!", Andreas said.
"I didn't believe her!
If only I did...!", Luciano said, his words painted with regret as Isabella was far from his grasp.
He really couldn't shake the fact that his negligence had cost him Madam Paula.
"We'll get her back soon!", Andreas reassured, like he always did.
"You don't understand!!", Luciano said, raising his voice as he was full of regrets.
Andreas simply smiled as he watched Luciano.
"What's so funny?!", Luciano asked, not really expecting his reaction.
"Well
I didn't laugh
I smiled.
I smiled because you have a chance to be with her when all of this is over!
But me!
I have to live with the fact that the traitor was right under our nose the whole time and I didn't see it
I even loved her !", Andreas said as he scoffed, looking at nothing in particular.
He soon walked towards the bar Luciano stood beside and poured himself a drink as well.
Looking at the drink, Andreas knew he was going to need more than that to rid his thoughts of Mia.
The two men sat in silence for a while before it was disrupted by Aldo!
They had an unexpected visitor.
The lady and her child in question remained in what seemed like a basement.
It was conducive, except the fact that they couldn't go out or see the sun by any means.
It was starting to get frustrating, especially when they served the same meal over and again.
It was about to be all over!
The final showdown was at hand!
Word quickly spread!
This internal strife between The Rossi's had quickly spread amongst the old families.
While some believed the title belonged to Luigi the rest were simply non aligned and wouldn't take part in whatever struggle between them.
The families that believed in Luigi gave him the support he needed to usurp power for himself.
This meant money, connections and weapons.
Resources they didn't know he had squandered during the years.
All week, he had been flying from country to country alongside Mia where they "celebrated in advance", ahead of Luciano's surrender.
It was finally time and Luigi had sent Guiseppe first.
An unlicensed van had dropped him off right in front of the office.
A rather gruesome scene as they didn't have any care in the world if he was still alive.
"Don!", Guiseppe said as Luciano came into the conference room.
He was bruised and battered as Luigi's men tried to gain information from him.
"What did they do to you!?!", Luciano asked his wife's driver who had returned alive.
However, with a swollen jaw and a burst lip, Guiseppe was slow with how he passed the information.
Luciano's question made Guiseppe bend his head as he reminisced the torture.
He simply stood on his one good leg as his other ankle had been twisted.
The rest of the room started to mumble as Guiseppe took off his shirt.
Multiple open wounds and poorly tended deep cuts, but the man made it out alive.
How strong!
"Shit!", Andreas said as he gave a sign to the medic team.
"No wait!", Guiseppe countered as they were about to start tending to his wounds.
"What happened?!", Luciano asked as he brought his eye from the wounds the man had to endure.
"I didn't tell them anything...!", Guiseppe started as Luciano simply gave him a nod.
"You really didn't have to hold it all in!", Luciano countered.
"If I did, he would kill them!", Guiseppe said as he explained the situation.
Truly, his silence made Isabella and Sofia's life valuable.
"He released me to give you a message...!", Guiseppe kept quiet for a minute as he faltered.
"Make sure he gets food with the care you provide!", Andreas said to the medic team as some of the men helped Guiseppe to a seat.
"He wants you at the dock where the NBI almost apprehended you!
He wants you to come alone by 11pm!
He specifically mentioned that you come unarmed!
He'll kill them if you go with any team!", Guiseppe reported as he mustered his already depleted energy.
The men in the room started to mumble again as they heard Luigi's term.
It wasn't to The Don's advantage at all!
Luciano watched as the medic and some other men helped him out of the room.
He knew what he had to do as the time had finally come!
Luciano walked out of the conference room and walked towards the elevator to start heading to the spot.
He simply couldn't wait a minute longer.
"Wait!
You're not seriously thinking about it?!", Andreas countered as he walked behind Luciano.
"There's nothing else to consider!", Luciano replied, still walking towards the elevator.
"You can't go in alone!
It's a trap!
You're not going with any weapons!
Come on!
Wait a bit!
We can think of a solution!", Andreas countered, trying to make Luciano see the situation for what it was.
"I have to!", Luciano refuted as he entered the elevator.
Andreas held the doors as he tried to get Luciano to agree with his new plan.
"Okay!
How about you just calm down!?
We can plant comms on you...!", Andreas suggested.
"No!", Luciano refuted dryly.
"Or we could follow you!
We could be discreet
He wouldn't know we're there", he suggested again.
"No!
You're in charge till I'm back!", Luciano said, yanking Andreas' hand off to close the elevator.
"How would I know you will be back?!", Andreas asked as the elevator came to a close.
Thus, he got no answer.
Or course!
Andreas wouldn't leave Luciano to go to war alone .