Romano's hideout
The Romanos' estate was quiet now. All the chaos and destruction were over. Blaze stood in the dark hallway, the heaviness of the raid still lingering, but his mind was already looking forward. He'd taken down the Romanos, shattered their control, and now it was time to clean up.
As he walked, his boots clicked steadily on the cold marble floor. He could sense his men moving in the shadows, getting into position. They were his eyes, his ears, his soldiers. Quiet, loyal. This was their world, and Blaze moved through it like a natural leader.
He entered the next room-a small, dimly lit office hidden deep in the mansion. In the middle of the room, Rodriguez lay bound and beaten. The rope cut into his skin, and bruises and cuts covered his body, even visible in the faint light. Blaze barely glanced at him, his eyes cold and unreadable as usual.
Rodriguez was barely awake, but as Blaze approached, something sparked inside him. His bloodshot, hazy eyes finally focused on Blaze standing there. A flash of recognition and realization crossed his face and maybe, just maybe, a hint of hope. Blaze saw it in the way Rodriguez's lips parted slightly.
Blaze nodded at one of his guys, and a man stepped forward to lift Rodriguez up and adjust him in the chair. It wasn't out of kindness-just to make sure Rodriguez didn't choke on his own blood or pass out from his injuries. Once Rodriguez was sitting up again, his body still shaking from the pain, he tried to focus. Everything was blurry and spinning. Then it dawned on him.
Blaze was here. He'd taken out the Romanos. He'd come to rescue him.
Rodriguez spoke without thinking. "Baldwin... you came to help. You-you got them, didn't you? The Romanos-they're gone, right?" His voice was rough and quiet, with a crack that showed how much he needed this to be true. He wanted to believe Blaze was there to save him, that the sounds outside meant they had won.
Blaze gave a low, humorless laugh. It echoed in the silent room, making Rodriguez flinch and his hopes crumble. Blaze leaned closer, his face blank, but there was something dark in his eyes that made Rodriguez's stomach churn.
"Your plan crashed and burned, Rodriguez." Blaze's voice was cold, like ice scraping against metal. "What were you thinking? You thought you could take down the Romanos with that plan? They were way out of your league."
Rodriguez blinked, trying to understand what was happening. His mind was spinning, struggling to put the pieces together. "I... I messed up. But someone betrayed me, Baldwin. I -" He stopped, gasping for air, forcing himself to focus. His body hurt all over, and his heart was pounding, but this felt like a whole different kind of betrayal.
A footsteps behind them heard slow and steady. A man in black walked into the light, and Rodriguez immediately knew who it was.
It was Gino.
Rodriguez's heart skipped a beat. Gino? He's alive?
The secretary who had worked for him for years-always loyal, always there for the tough calls and late-night deals. Gino had been his right-hand man, the one person he could trust more than anyone else. And now, there he was, standing in the same room, looking completely fine. "Gino..." Rodriguez whispered, his voice breaking. "How... how are you still alive?" He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Relief washed over him. If Gino was here, maybe there was still a way out.
"Untie me," Rodriguez said firmly, his mind racing to take control. "Get me free, Gino. You know what to do." He tried to wiggle free from the ropes, but his hands were shaking.
Gino just stood there, not moving.
Rodriguez's heart dropped. He blinked, feeling confused. "Gino? What are you waiting for? Untie me."
Gino just stood there, staring straight ahead, his face blank. He wouldn't look at Rodriguez, and the longer he stood there, the more Rodriguez felt his anger building up. "What the hell is this, Gino?" Rodriguez snarled, his voice getting louder. "Are you just going to stand there?" Blaze cut in, his voice icy cold. "Do you know who betrayed you, Rodriguez?" It was like the chill before a storm.
Rodriguez, still trying to make sense of it all, looked up at Blaze, completely confused. Blaze moved closer, his shadow falling over Rodriguez's face like a guillotine. "Your trusted secretary, Gino," Blaze said with a dark smile. "You were fooled. All these years, all that trust. Gino was never really on your side." Rodriguez's mind spun. The world seemed to tilt under him. Gino? No way. It just couldn't be. He couldn't have...
As he turned to face Gino, the man wouldn't look at him. That was all the proof he needed. Gino had betrayed him. The one person he trusted more than anyone, the guy who had been by his side for ten years, was now with Blaze. "Betrayed?" Blaze sneered, his voice full of contempt.
"No. He didn't betray you, Rodriguez. He finished what he started. My work. Gino was mine long before he was yours." Rodriguez let out a roar, the betrayal slicing through him like a knife. He cursed Blaze with all he had, his body shaking with anger, but there was a heavy feeling of it being over.
Blaze didn't move a muscle. He crouched down to look Rodriguez in the eye. "Now you know what this is all about. It's over." Rodriguez was so mad he couldn't think straight. He was so confused he didn't get it. "You're gonna kill me now, huh?" he sneered. "Is this it? The end of the road?" Blaze was silent for a bit. "I'm giving you a chance, Rodriguez," he said. "A chance to run. You've got five minutes. Five minutes to get out of here. If you make it, you're free. If not..." Blaze left the rest unsaid.
Rodriguez's mind was spinning. Five minutes. That's all he had. Five minutes to get out. His body ached, but something inside him sparked. It was a chance, a small one, but better than nothing. Blaze snapped his fingers, and his guys started untying Rodriguez.
Rodriguez stumbled as the ropes came off, his legs wobbly, his breath coming in gasps. But he couldn't waste time wondering why. "You gave your word," Rodriguez said, trying to figure it out. "You can't break it." Rodriguez knew something was off but he didn't wanna let go of his only way out.
Blaze looked out the window at the moon, its light making everything look cold and eerie. He didn't say anything for a moment. "Your time starts now," Blaze finally spoke. Rodriguez didn't waste a second. Pain shot through his body, but his survival instinct took over. He struggled to get up, stumbling and crawling. His legs felt like lead, but he kept going. He ran, he crawled, he dragged himself along, driven by desperation.
Blaze watched him leave, his eyes cold and calculating. Arthur, Blaze's right-hand man, stepped up next to him and watched Rodriguez vanish into the night. "Why did you let him go, Boss?" Arthur asked, his voice low and unsure. Blaze glanced at him, his face giving nothing away. "Because he needs to see something more." Arthur nodded. He got it.
Rodriguez got a chance, but Blaze knew it was a cruel game. The real punishment wasn't about dying. It was about the choices, the consequences, and the feeling of running with nowhere left to go. Rodriguez would never forget this.
Los Angeles
David Romano leaned back in his lounge chair by the pool, feeling the gentle California breeze stir the palm trees around him. The sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows over his sprawling LA mansion. This place was his sanctuary, a luxurious hideaway where he could escape the chaos of his life. It wasn't often he got to relax like this.
Most days, he was busy running his empire, making sure everything was under control. But today, for a few precious hours, he could almost forget about the stress. He'd worked hard to build his power, to become someone no one could touch. His name was known, feared, and respected. No one could challenge what he had built. Or so he thought.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps broke the calm. One of his men, a sharp-eyed enforcer, ran toward him, his face pale with fear. David's instincts kicked in, and he tensed up, a knot forming in his stomach. He had seen this look before.
Boss, we've got a problem!" the man said, his voice tight with fear. David's brow furrowed, and he instinctively reached for the small hidden pistol at his side but didn't pull it out. He'd been through plenty of crises before- betrayals, bloodshed-and he knew how to stay calm when others lost it. But this guy's distress got his attention.
"What's going on? What's happening?" David asked, sitting up and giving the man a sharp look. "It's the raiders, Boss," the man whispered. "They're inside... they're going through everything." David's mind raced. Raiders? His place was supposed to be secure. His security was good too. No one should be able to get in. His eye narrowed. He hurriedly walked inside.
"What is going on here!" He roared up but the raiders didn't seemed to bothered, they continued unfolding the place, David walked up to one of the raiders who looked like a main person there "Why is my place being searched up?" David questioned the man turned to him after giving instructions to his other men, "We have a warrant, if you're wondering" David ran his hand over hos head, "I asked why are you here?!" He sneered at the raider, the raider studied David from head to toe before finally handling him some papers "Hope this helps" and moved to upstairs.
David starts reading the content inside and what he read was enough for David to go insane, his veins popped up, looked going to burst any second, his face become raider, hands white as he read the contents one after another and roared like a madman.
The content had all the info's about his and his brother's as in The Romano's dark world's illegal things list along with the black money he had hidden for several years, plus all the properties he owns might go down as well.
"ROMANO!!!!!!!"
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!!!"
"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU JUST WAIT!!"
Rodriguez's house
Veronica sat on the edge of the bed, her hands clutching the sheets as her thoughts spun. The room was dark, with only a small lamp in the corner giving off a bit of light. The silence was heavy, only broken by her own breathing. She had been stuck in here for what felt like forever.
The sound of the door locking still rang in her ears, and the cold metal bars on the window made her feel like her husband, Rodriguez, was squeezing tighter around her life. Why did he do this? Where was he hiding? She had no answers, just a mix of confusion and fear in her chest. All she knew was that tonight was different. It started like any other night but felt it will end like storm, something felt off. The air was thick with tension, like the calm before a storm.
Her instincts were sharp, and she knew her husband was planning something big against the Romanos. She understood the dark side of his world-the people he worked with, the enemies he made, the shady deals he arranged. It all seemed to be leading to something she couldn't quite figure out.
Then she heard it: heavy, measured footsteps. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled. For a moment, she thought it might be Rodriguez-coming to check on her, to free her, or explain. But then she heard more footsteps. The sound wasn't from just one person. They were here.
Veronica's breath caught in her throat. Who were they? The door to her small room flew open with a bang, the wood cracking from the impact. Veronica froze, her heart racing as the figures entered the room. There were three of them, dressed in formal .
The room felt heavy and tense, a far cry from the quiet isolation she'd been used to. They moved quickly, their eyes scanning the space like predators on the hunt. For a moment, Veronica couldn't move or speak. She didn't know what to say, but the question was right there, burning in her mind. She needed to know.
"Who... who are you?" Her voice trembled, but she managed to ask, trying to keep her composure. The tallest guy looked at her for a moment but didn't say anything right away. He just nodded to the others, and they started moving around the room, working quickly and smoothly. They ignored her completely, like she wasn't even in the room.
Finally, the tall man turned to her. His eyes were cold and calculating, and he spoke in a short, businesslike tone. "We're here to raid the place," he said, almost like he was giving a medical diagnosis. His words hung there, and Veronica just got more confused. Raid the place? What was he talking about? She blinked, trying to figure it out, although she knew the answers. Her eyes darted between them. This wasn't a rescue. This was Rodriguez's world, her world, their world's first step towards fall down.
Where was Rodriguez? She had no idea.
She stayed in her seat, too scared to move. A wave of helplessness hit her. What was her husband mixed up in this time? What had he done for them to be here? Her heart raced as the reality began to sink in. Everything was about to change. Her life was about to change.
Because if he's going down, she's too. That's how Rodriguez made all these things.
He wouldn't leave her out.
A sudden wave of dread hit her. The tension she'd been feeling for so long finally burst, and she had no clue what would happen next. One thing was clear-her life would never be the same. She stood up, her legs trembling, but her mind was sharp. And walked down the stairs to see the mansion go unfold.
Author's Note :
Happy reading:)
Everything's end!
Rodriguez, Romano, Veronica. Everyone.
Or maybe...not?
Anyways Savannnah coming up in the next chapter;) it's been long
Have a good day/night <3<3