The air thickened with a suffocating tension as Castellano's men filed into the casino, their movements deliberate and methodical. Each man carried an unmistakable air of violence, their dark eyes scanning the room like predators stalking prey. My heart pounded in my chest as I instinctively took a step back, bumping into Ethan, whose body had tensed, ready for a fight.
"Stay behind me," Ethan whispered, his voice tight, his hand already reaching for the gun hidden beneath his jacket. The casino's dim lights flickered ominously overhead, casting long shadows across the dusty floors. The room that had once felt silent and hollow was now filled with the weight of impending violence.
Ferraro stood, his expression a mask of cold calculation as he eyed the men. His lips pressed into a tight line, but he didn't seem surprised. "Castellano's faster than I thought," he muttered, his voice barely audible.
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my fear from overwhelming me. My mind raced, desperate to understand what had gone wrong. Had Ferraro betrayed us? Or had Castellano's men found us on their own? I couldn't tell, but the sense of impending danger was undeniable.
There were at least six of them—armed and clearly ready for trouble. The man at the front, with dark hair slicked back and a scar running across his jaw, stepped forward, his eyes fixed on Ferraro. "Dominic," he said with a sneer, his voice thick with disdain. "You didn't think you could have a meeting without the boss finding out, did you?"
Ferraro didn't flinch. Instead, he leveled a cold stare at the man. "Gallo. I should've known Castellano would send you."
Gallo's grin widened, his hand resting casually on the gun holstered at his side. "You always were a snake, Ferraro. But the boss thought he could trust you. Looks like you're not as loyal as you used to be."
Ferraro's lips curled into a cold smile, but there was no humor in it. "Castellano's made too many enemies. His time's up."
The tension between the two men was palpable, but my focus was on the guns strapped to the waistbands of Castellano's men. Every instinct screamed at me to run, but there was nowhere to go. The only door out was blocked, and we were cornered.
Ethan took a small step forward, positioning himself between me and the men. "We don't want any trouble," he said, his voice steady but laced with an edge. "We'll leave. This doesn't have to get ugly."
Gallo's gaze shifted to Ethan, his eyes narrowing. "You think you can walk out of here, huh? Sorry, but that's not how this works."
I could see Ethan's fingers twitch, his body coiled and ready to react, but we were hopelessly outnumbered. I wasn't sure even he could get us out of this one.
Ferraro stepped forward, his eyes cold as they locked on Gallo. "Let's not turn this into a bloodbath. Tell Castellano that his days are numbered. There's no reason to kill anyone tonight."
Gallo laughed, a dark, cruel sound that echoed through the room. "No reason? You've been planning to turn on Castellano for months, Ferraro. The only thing that's keeping you alive right now is the fact that the boss wants you to explain yourself—to him. You and your friends are coming with us."
My heart pounded in my chest, the walls of the casino seeming to close in around me. Ethan's hand moved toward his gun, his body tense as he prepared for the worst.
"We're not going anywhere," Ethan said, his voice low and dangerous.
Gallo's smile faded, and his eyes flicked to his men. "Then we do this the hard way."
Everything happened at once.
Ethan moved first, drawing his gun and firing a shot before Gallo could react. The bullet hit one of Castellano's men square in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground. Chaos erupted as the rest of the men scrambled, guns drawn, and Ferraro dove behind a nearby table for cover.
I ducked, my heart hammering in my chest as bullets ricocheted off the walls around me. The sound of gunfire was deafening, and I could feel the cold rush of air as a bullet whizzed past my head, narrowly missing me. Ethan fired again, taking out another one of the men, but we were still badly outnumbered.
Ferraro returned fire, his aim precise as he took down another of Castellano's men. But Gallo and his remaining crew were still standing, and they weren't backing down.
"Move!" Ethan shouted, grabbing my arm and pulling me behind an overturned table for cover. My breath came in short, panicked bursts as I crouched beside him, the sound of gunfire echoing in my ears.
I peeked over the edge of the table, my heart leaping into my throat as I saw Gallo advancing, his gun aimed directly at us. "Ethan!" I cried, but before Gallo could fire, Ferraro stepped out from behind cover and shot him in the leg.
Gallo let out a howl of pain, dropping to one knee as his gun clattered to the floor. He clutched his leg, blood seeping through his pants, but his eyes blazed with fury. "You're dead, Ferraro," he spat, his voice filled with venom. "You're all dead."
Ferraro didn't respond. He stepped forward, his gun still trained on Gallo, his expression cold and detached. "You're not in any position to make threats, Gallo."
Gallo glared up at him, but there was a flicker of fear in his eyes now. "Castellano will come for you," he hissed. "You think this is over? You think you can take him down? You're nothing, Ferraro. You'll be dead before the week's out."
Ferraro's lips twitched into a faint smile. "Maybe. But you won't live to see it."
Before I could react, Ferraro pulled the trigger. The shot rang out, and Gallo collapsed to the ground, a pool of blood spreading beneath him.
I stared at Ferraro, my stomach turning at the casual way he had just executed the man. I had known Ferraro was dangerous, but seeing him like this—cold, calculated, and utterly ruthless—made it painfully clear that he was no different from Castellano. If anything, he might be worse.
Ethan stood slowly, his eyes fixed on Ferraro. "That wasn't necessary," he said, his voice tight with anger.
Ferraro shrugged, wiping the blood from his hands on a nearby cloth. "He was a threat. Now he's not."
The coldness of his words sent a chill down my spine. This was the man we were allying ourselves with, the man we were relying on to help us take down Castellano. And I couldn't shake the feeling that we had just made a deal with the devil.
Ethan holstered his gun, his jaw clenched as he turned to me. "Are you okay?"
I nodded, though my body still trembled with adrenaline. "I'm fine," I whispered, though my mind was far from it. The sight of Gallo's lifeless body on the floor, the sound of the gunshots still ringing in my ears—it was all too much. But I couldn't afford to fall apart now. Not when we were still in the thick of this.
Ferraro turned to us, his expression as cold and unreadable as ever. "We need to move. Castellano will send more men when he finds out what happened here."
Ethan nodded grimly, but I could see the tension in his eyes. He didn't trust Ferraro any more than I did, but we had no choice. We needed him—for now.
As we made our way out of the casino, I couldn't shake the feeling that we had just crossed a line—one that we might never be able to come back from.