He could feel the blood dripping from his arm, wetting the cold sweat that had soaked through his shirt. His pulse pounded in his ears as he struggled to his feet, the weight of the gun in his hand strange but reassuring. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, but he didn't have time to feel the pain.
The men were closing in. They came for him Renzo Marino and if he didn't move, if he didn't fight, he was dead. Simple as that.
"Don't just stand there, kid!" Arturo shouted, his voice panicked as he ducked behind a pillar, returning fire at the masked men who had stormed in. "Move your ass!
His brain was firing on all cylinders now, just his instincts taking over. He scrambled low to the ground behind a large marble column, just setting himself off to one side. His eyes scanned the room. At least six of them. Armed. Dangerous. And closing in.
This is it, Jake thought, bitter. This is how I die. Not as some high school kid, but as some fucking' mafia boss.
One of the men in the corner yelled, "Get him! He's hiding like a little bitch!"
A bullet ricocheted off the pillar beside Jake's head, sending a shockwave of panic through him. He could feel the heat of it, the sharp whiz of it slicing through the air, and it was only a split-second warning before the next shot would come. He wasn't stupid he had to move.
Without thinking, Jake pushed himself off the wall, gun raised. He fired blindly, just hoping to catch one of them off guard.
The man in the front, a tall figure with a jagged scar running across his face, went down with a sickening thud, his body jerking before crumpling to the floor. Jake barely registered it before he was ducking behind a large, overturned wooden table, his breath coming fast.
"You shot him!" Arturo shouted, barely avoiding a spray of bullets from one of the attackers. "What the hell, kid?"
"I didn't sign up for this, okay?!" Jake yelled, clutching his shoulder as if to stifle the pain.
"None of this is f*cking normal!"Another round of bullets tore through the air, one grazing Jake's side as he dove for cover. His teeth clenched against the searing pain as he pulled himself behind the table, his hands shaking from more than just the physical exhaustion.
"Goddammit," he muttered under his breath. "I'm going to get killed, aren't I? "
Another man emerged from the left side of the room, his boots echoing across the marble floor as he advanced, pointing a high-powered rifle directly at Jake.
He pulled the trigger, but before the bullet could reach its target, Jake fired off two shots in quick succession. The first shot missed, but the second tore into the man's shoulder, causing him to stumble back. He let out a scream, blood spraying from the wound, his rifle falling from his hands as he fell to the ground.The room had gone mad. Bullets ricocheted off walls, and fragments of glass and marble exploded around them.
The scent of blood, sweat, and gunpowder hung thick in the air. The men were closing in, each taking their shot, their confidence building as Jake's cover grew thinner."Kid, you'd better fucking start running!" Arturo yelled again. "I'll keep them distracted. Get the hell out of here!"
Jake's eyes flicked toward the door at the far end of the room. That was his shot. His one chance to get out alive.
But just as he was about to make a break for it, a body exploded from the shadows—a giant of a man, wearing all black, stepping into the chaos with the calm of someone who'd been born into it.
His eyes were cold and calculating, and the second he stepped forward, his men fell in line, their rifles aimed at Jake and Arturo."Enough of this crap," the man snarled. His voice was gravelly, grinding in a storm. "You're outgunned, Renzo. You don't stand a prayer."
Jake's heart sank. This wasn't some faceless thug it was him. The one who had set all this in motion. The one who'd been pulling the strings from the shadows. His name was Vito, and he was the real kingpin in this godforsaken world.
Vito," Jake spat, his voice raw from the adrenaline. "Didn't take you for the type to get your hands dirty."
Vito smiled darkly, showing yellowed teeth. "I'm not here to waste time, kid. You're not leaving this room alive."
The man's men closed in, their weapons trained on Jake and Arturo. But Jake wasn't about to die in this fucking room. Not like this.
"Arturo, I swear to God, if you don't get me out of here."
He didn't get to finish the sentence. Vito barked an order. "Kill him."
The world slowed as the men pulled the triggers, the gunfire filling the air in deafening bursts. Jake dove forward, hearing the whiz of bullets zip past his ear. The heat of the explosion from the gunfire pushed him forward, but he didn't stop. He couldn't.
He wasn't going to die like that.
Jake slammed into the ground, rolling sideways as the bullets flew. He fired back blindly, hitting one of Vito's men in the chest. Blood erupted from his body in a grotesque splash. The man crumpled to the ground, his rifle skidding away as life drained from his body.
One down. Five to go.
"Get the fuck down!" Arturo shouted, tackling Jake to the floor as another round of bullets came raining down. The table they'd been hiding behind splintered, shards flying everywhere as the impact tore it apart.
One of the bullets caught Arturo in the side, and he let out a gurgling scream before collapsing next to Jake, blood oozing from his wound."Arturo!" Jake bellowed, but the man's eyes filmed, his breath feeble. The battle was done with him.
Just me now, Jake thought grimly.
With adrenaline pumping through his veins, Jake sprang to his feet, his movements sharp and precise. He grabbed Arturo's dropped gun and fired off a series of shots, hitting two more of Vito's men before they could react.
They went down in a heap, their bodies twitching as blood pooled on the floor around them.Under his breath, Vito cursed while twisting his face in a mixture of anger. "You little bastard. You think you can take me down? You think you can play this game?"
Jake did not hesitate anymore. He had played enough games and was fighting to survive now. With his top speed, he charged ahead and raised his rifle to Vito's chest to fire away.
But Vito was quicker. Ducking, the bullet missed by inches. And in the same movement, he fired back. Jake felt a sharp pain rip through his leg and went down, screaming as the world spun.
The room turned. His vision blurred. But one thing was clear Vito was walking towards him, his gun raised, his smile wide.
"You're done, Renzo," Vito said, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "This is the end."
Jake's heart was pounding, and everything inside him screamed to get up, to fight. But the blood pouring from his wound, the burning pain in his leg he couldn't move. He was done.
But then, just as Vito raised the gun to finish him, a sound echoed through the room. A shout. A screech. A roar.
Another voice?
And then, the door behind Vito exploded open.