The Italian

Adrenaline surges through my body. I rush to my bedside drawers to put a pair of jeans on. I take out two guns, and I tuck one in the back of my waistband.

I walk over to the bedroom door and listen. I can’t hear Olivia. She should be coming back up the stairs by now. I hold the gun in front of me and make my way up the hall before I tiptoe down the stairs.

The lights are off. It’s completely dark.

I know for a fact that Olivia would have turned them on. She hates the dark.

He’s got her already.

My heart hammers hard inside my chest as I creep down the stairs.

I hold the gun up to my chest, and I slink around the corner. The room is dark. I can’t see anything.

What the fuck is going on?

I walk out into the kitchen where the light is on and a glass of water sits on the bench.

She’s been interrupted.

I carefully go to the kitchen drawer and take out the sharpest carving knife I can find. I eye it, watching as the blade glistens in the moonlight.

Adrenaline surges through me, and I look around. “Olivia?” I call. “Where are you, baby?”

Silence…

I continue to creep into the living room.

“Olivia!” I call.

Where the fuck are they?

I clutch my gun with white-knuckle force. I move around another corner, and that’s when I see them in the dark.

My eyes can’t focus properly, so I flick the light on.

Olivia’s scared eyes hold mine. A gun is wedged against her neck. Lombardi is holding it tightly in his grip.

I raise my gun and point it at his head. “Leave her out of this,” I growl. “Your gripe is with me.”

Lombardi gives me a slow, sarcastic smile. “It is.” He jams the gun hard into Olivia’s neck, and she cries out.

“Let her go!” I demand, clutching the gun.

“I don’t think so.” He sneers. It makes me take a step forward. “You’re in my way.” He pulls Olivia’s hair and she screams out in pain. It only makes him smile darkly. “I need you gone, Enrico.”

I readjust the grip on my gun. “Let her go.” I snarl. “Mark my words. You will die tonight, fucker.”

“You’re the one who’s going to die.”

Olivia’s eyes widen as she looks at something to the side of us.

I glance over and see Jennifer and Diego standing behind the wall in the kitchen.

They have their guns drawn. Jennifer points to outside and holds up three fingers.

There are three more of them outside.

Fuck.

I take a step forward, and I take off the safety as I take aim. “What kind of coward kills a woman?”

Lombardi lets out a low, evil laugh. “One that’s bringing a Ferrara out of hiding. It’s called bait, pretty boy.”

“Sophia?” I sneer. “Why did you have to kill her? She had nothing to do with me.”

“Oh, your whore? How sad.” He tsks. “Maybe if you’d done what I said she’d still be alive. You only have yourself to blame.” He presses the gun harder into Olivia’s neck, and she cries out again. “Put the gun down, Ferrara.”

“And Sergio?”

“Ah, my boy Sergio. I didn’t mean to kill him.” He shrugs. “Pity, that.”

Contempt drips from me as I connect the dots. The puzzles finally fall into place. “Why are your drugs on my fucking yacht, Lombardi?” I snarl.

He laughs out loud like a madman. “You don’t think I’m stupid enough to get them delivered to mine, do you?”

I grip the gun impossibly tighter.

“Perfect plan.” He smiles darkly. “Set you up, wait for you to fake your death, and then kill you both for real. The world already thinks you’re dead, Ferrara.” He presses the gun harder and Olivia whimpers. “How can I kill a dead man?”

“Let her go,” I demand.

“Put the gun down and I’ll think about it.”

I know that if I don’t do as he asks, he’s going to shoot her. I also know that he’s got back up outside.

Fuck.

I can’t win this fight while standing here like this. I need to move it along.

I bend and slowly put the gun down in front of me on the floor.

“Get your hands up and kick it over to me,” he orders.

I lift my hands and kick it toward him.

A click sounds from the side as someone else takes aim.

A gunshot rings out.

One of Lombardi’s men falls.

I take this momentary distraction as a cue, and I rush them. I grab Lombardi’s gun and we struggle over it. It fires in the air. I hit him in the head hard, and his grip loosens. I push Olivia out of the way, and she falls to the floor.

“Move!” I yell at her.

The gun is held above his head as we fight over it.

I punch him hard in the face again and again.

I have never hated anyone as much as I hate this man.

I hear another five rounds of gunfire from Jennifer and Diego as Lombardi and I struggle on the floor.

I’m hit across the head with a vase from behind as another man attacks me. Olivia screams, and I momentarily lose focus at the sound of her pained voice.

Lombardi gets up and runs.

I roll onto my stomach and take aim at Lombardi. I fire off a single shot that hits him in the leg just as he disappears out of the door. Then I turn and shoot his other man who is moving over me. Once clear, I jump to my feet, pick Olivia up, and I look in the direction after Lombardi.

Did I hit him? Did I get him?

“Watch her,” I order Jennifer.

Without another thought, I take chase and run out after Lombardi. I can see the trail of blood guiding me closer.

Yes! I got him.

The trail of blood disappears into the nearby forest. I reach around to the back of my pants to find the other gun is gone.

Fuck.

I only have the knife now.

I take it out and clutch it tightly as I follow the trail of blood into the darkness.

And then, without the moonlight to guide me, I lose his trail.

I stand at the edge of the forest for a moment and I slowly walk in.

I have no idea if he’s still armed. I know I took one gun from his grip, but I don’t know if he had anything else on him.

The echoing of crickets and the noise of the waterfall in the distance are the only sounds.

I step slowly through the dense foliage.

I don’t have shoes on, and it’s difficult to walk on the uneven and sharp ground.

My eyes scan the dense landscape. Tall trees block the moonlight. Out here, it’s nearly pitch-black.

Where are you?

He would have seen me walk in with the moonlight behind me. I duck down into the foliage and crawl out of sight.

I sit still for ten minutes and slowly allow my eyes to adjust. I can soon see a lot more than I could before. I pick up a small rock and hurl it as far away as I can. It hits a tree a fair distance away with a bang.

I slowly climb to my feet and scan the forest as I grip the knife in my hand.

I see a shadow on the hill, and I creep toward it.

It’s him. I can see his chest sucking in air as he gasps for breath. He’s losing a lot of blood.

Does he have a weapon?

I hunch down and make my way toward him.

“Ferrara!” he cries.

I stay silent.

“Ferrara! Let’s make a deal!” he calls, his voice echoing over the valley.

He’s bleeding out and he knows it.

I throw a rock and it lands next to him. He jumps back in fear.

He’s unarmed.

I stand up and show myself, knife in hand as I slowly walk toward him.

His eyes hold mine. “We can be great together. We can join forces—be the strongest syndicate the world has ever seen.” He’s wet with perspiration, and he’s desperate.

I hunch down beside him. “You’re dying, Lombardi.”

He pants.

“I guess you’re not so lucky after all.”

“Enrico,” he whispers. “I’ve always admired you.”

My skin prickles. I know he would say anything to try and gain my sympathy. I glare at the lying bastard sitting propped up against the tree.

Die.

“We could run the biggest crime syndicate in the world. With your connections…and my…” He coughs, and blood splutters from his mouth.

His face falls as he realizes what’s happening, and he reaches out for me. “Help me.”

I kneel down and watch the life slowly drain out of him.

Eye to eye.

I want to see the moment he passes. I want to taste the victory of retribution.

“Enri…” He coughs, and a large amount of blood comes from his mouth.

His face falls and he grabs for me again. He lets out a pained gargling sound.

I watch on in fascination.

I’ve never watched someone die before.

I’ve seen people pass, but I’ve always fought to save them.

I’ve been frantic with words of encouragement and prayer.

I envision myself dragging his head back by the hair and slicing his throat.

I would have loved to have taken his life myself, but that would have been too kind.

He deserves to suffer.

His eyes still… and I smile.

His head drops, and I know he’s gone.

I stare at him and take a moment to reflect on Sophia.

I get a vision of her with her curves and her long dark hair. Perhaps in another life she could have made me happy.

“Enrico!” Jennifer calls.

I stand, and with a heavy heart, I turn to her. She has her gun drawn.

“He’s dead.”

I walk past her and back to the house where two local police cars have arrived. Their siren lights are flashing, lighting up the sky.

I find Olivia crying and wrapped up in a blanket. Her face lights up when she sees me, and she stands.

“Oh, thank God!” she cries.

“It’s okay,” I whisper as I take her into my arms. “He’s gone now.”

She puts her head onto my shoulder and cries as Jennifer walks back into the room.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

“I believe thank you is the word you’re looking for,” she says sarcastically.

I roll my eyes. I hate this woman with a passion.

“I was following Lombardi. I had no idea he was coming for you.” She shakes her head as she looks at the smashed-up room. “We have enough evidence to clear your name, Enrico. I’ll organize a transfer back to Italy for you both first thing in the morning.”

I look down at the beautiful woman in my arms. “No.”

“No?” She frowns.

“I think I might like to stay dead for a little while longer.” I smile down at Olivia. “I promised my girl a holiday.”