CHAPTER 12
Antonio sat on the couch, cradling his glass of Baron in his hand, the amber liquid glowing softly in the dim light. He took a sip, the smooth whiskey warming his throat as he awaited Viktor's arrival.
Their mission to retrieve Luciana was mere hours away, and Antonio's mind was consumed by thoughts of the elusive woman.
He couldn't believe she'd managed to escape him. The memory still burned in his mind like a branding iron.
He'd underestimated her, thinking her weak and timid. But Luciana had proven to be a worthy adversary, outsmarting his men, Ms. Grace and slipping through his fingers like sand.
Antonio's mind wandered to Alessandro's notorious reputation, and a flicker of fear danced in his chest.
He knew what that man was capable of. If Luciana were to get killed, the entire operation would be for nothing, and he would never avenge his mother's death at the hands of her father.
He took another sip of his drink, steeling himself against the creeping doubts. Fear was a weakness, an emotion the Moranos never entertained. He was a Morano, after all – ruthless, cunning, and unstoppable. Fear was an abomination.
His grip on his glass tightened as anger simmered in his veins. How dare she defy him? He was Antonio, the one who always got what he wanted.
And now, what he wanted was Luciana brought back to his villa with chains on both her hands and legs.
Just as he was about to take another sip, Sophia burst into the living room, her face contorted in a fierce scowl, reminiscent of a maddened lioness whose pride had been threatened.
Sophia marched up to Antonio, her arms folded across her chest. Antonio looked up, confusion written on his face.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I heard what happened," Sophia said.
"What are you talking about?"
Don't pretend you don't know," Sophia spat.
Antonio rose to his feet, and walked to the bar in the living room. "Look, Sophia, I don't have time for your dramas right now. As you can see, I'm in the middle of something."
Just then, Viktor walked in.
"So it's true. You took her out to shop for designer dresses." She kept pestering.
"Who told you that?" Viktor asked.
"Shut up, I wasn't talking to you." She snapped.
Antonio's hand shot out, grasping Sophia's neck, his fingers closing around her throat, as he choked her. "You won't speak to him like that," he whispered, his breath hot against her ear. "Not while I'm here. You understand that?"
Sophia nodded, fear crawling from her skin to her eyes, and Antonio released his grip.
"what I do with her, is none of your business. If I decide to take her to Maldives for vacation, it's on me. If you're not comfortable with that, you can return my ring."
She opened her mouth to talk but her tongue felt heavy, as if anchored to the floor, preventing her from speaking, like a ship stuck in the mud, unable to set sail.
The thought of breaking the engagement scared her to the moon and back.
Losing the power and respect that came with being Antonio's fiancée was unthinkable. The privileges, the admiration, and the envy of others had become intoxicating.
She couldn't afford to let it all slip away.
"is everything ready?" Antonio asked Viktor.
"yes boss. Viktor replied. "Everything is in place. We're waiting on your order to proceed."
"Alright, let's move," Antonio said, his voice curt, before turning to walk away. Viktor followed behind him, leaving Sophia standing alone, her pride and ego lying bruised and battered in their wake.
* * * * * * * * *
They arrived at Alessandro's house, and Antonio hesitated in the car, his eyes fixed on the mansion. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, wrapped brown paper package.
Unfolding it, he revealed a tiny pile of white powder. He dipped his finger into the powder and brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply.
The cocaine hit his brain like a lightning bolt, coursing through his veins and energizing his senses.
He shook his head, his focus sharpening as the familiar rush of confidence and power surged through him. He was ready to face Alessandro now.
As Antonio stepped out of the car, he turned to Viktor and asked, "Do you think we should have brought extra men?"
"I think we can take him out ourselves." Viktor replied, cocking his pistol.
They walked to the gate, where a uniformed security guard answered their knock.
"What may I do for you?" the guard asked.
"We're here to see Mr. Alessandro De Santis," Antonio replied.
"On what grounds?" the guard asked.
"For business," Antonio said.
"Do you have an appointment with him? Can I see your identity cards?" the guard requested.
Antonio forced a smile. "You don't understand, sir. He's expecting us, and we're running out of time."
The guard hesitated. "I'm sorry, but without an appointment, I can't let you in."
"we understand that senor, maybe you can be kind enough to go ask him for us. Tell him Elmero and Salvador, from Mexico, wants to see him." Antonio said.
The security man nodded, but as he turned to go, Viktor pulled out his gun and shot him at the back of his head. Antonio looked at him and smirked.
Antonio looked at Viktor and smirked. "You've been watching a lot of movies lately, huh?"
Viktor shrugged. "Didn't need to. I have the best boss to follow."
Viktor shot the padlock and made their way inside the mansion. As they approached the house, two more guards jumped out to attack them, but Antonio saw them and shot them both.
Antonio and Viktor exchanged a brief, knowing glance before proceeding cautiously into the mansion.
Viktor peeked inside, but the darkness obscured his view. Suddenly, the lights flickered on, and Antonio heard a faint groan from Luciana.
Without hesitation, he burst through the door, ignoring Viktor's attempt to restrain him.
His gun trained on Alessandro, who was trying to make a call, before he saw Luciana stumbling, on the verge of collapsing and he rushed to her. As he caught her, she looked up at him with weak recognition.
"Antonio?" she whispered before her eyes closed.
Viktor and Alessandro exchanged gunfire, the sound echoing through the room. Alessandro dodged Viktor's bullet and returned fire before fleeing to the basement.
Viktor gave chase, but when he got to the basement, he couldn't find Alessandro.
"Did you kill that son of a bitch?" Antonio asked, as he saw Viktor approaching them.
Viktor shook his head. "He escaped. There's a hidden tunnel in the basement. He vanished into thin air."
Antonio gnashed his teeth. "I swear I'll return to burn this house to the ground." He scooped up Luciana and carried her to the waiting car.