Chapter 2 - The Scent Of Gunpowder And Betrayal
The world became a blur of smoke, cordite, and deafening thunder. Luca kept me completely enveloped beneath his overcoat, dragging me behind the heavy steel prep counter while Enzo kept up a relentless barrage of suppressing fire from behind the jukebox.
""Move to the back door!"" Enzo shouted over the din, the slide of his pistol locking back as he slammed a fresh magazine into the grip with practiced muscle memory. ""There’s a second vehicle pulling into the lot!""
I couldn't breathe. The sudden burst of adrenaline surged through my veins, making my heart slam violently against my chest. My hands gripped Luca’s lapels, clinging to the expensive wool I had dreamed about for two hundred painful nights. The familiar scent of cedarwood, winter rain, and expensive tobacco washed over me, piercing through seven months of grease, cheap diner soap, and paralyzing loneliness.
""Luca,"" I gasped, clutching my belly as a sharp, shooting pain coiled low in my abdomen. ""The baby—""
He dropped to his knees beside me, his large hand instantly coming down over mine, resting over the living, kicking proof of our love. His dark eyes were completely stripped of their mobster cruelty, filled instead with an agonizing vulnerability that made my tears finally spill over. ""He's alive,"" Luca whispered, his fingers trembling against my stretched uniform. ""You're both alive. God forgive me, Elena. I searched the lake for two weeks. I tore Chicago apart looking for your body.""
""You... you mourned me?"" I sobbed, the roar of gunshots suddenly fading into the background of my own crashing revelations. ""The papers said you moved on. You brought Aria here tonight!""
""Aria was a trap for my father,"" Luca growled, his jaw clenching so tight a muscle ticked violently beneath his scar. ""I knew Carmine had a hand in what happened to you. I feigned compliance, agreed to court Fontaine’s daughter to lure Carmine’s inner circle into lowering their guard. We stopped here tonight because Enzo got a whisper that Carmine’s men were trailing an off-the-books wire transfer in this county. I didn't know you were here, El. I swear to you on our son’s life, I didn't know.""
A high-pitched shriek cut through the gunfire. Aria had scrambled around the end of the counter, her pristine designer dress coated in soot and flour from overturned kitchen bins. ""Luca, you bastard!"" she screamed, her mascara running down her flushed cheeks. ""You used me as bait? My father will wipe the Caruso syndicate off the map for this!""
""Your father already sold out to Don Carmine last Tuesday, Aria,"" Luca answered coldly, not even glancing at her as he fired three precise, controlled shots around the counter frame. A heavy thump echoed from the dining room as one of Marco’s men hit the linoleum floor and went still. ""Your family signed their own death warrant the moment they agreed to help Carmine hunt my family.""
Marco’s voice barked from the dining room, retreating toward the front double doors. ""Caruso! You can't protect her forever! The whole city is mobilized! Carmine knows she's carrying his blood!""
""Enzo, clear the rear,"" Luca commanded, rising and hauling me gently but firmly to my feet. He kept his broad frame planted squarely between me and the dining room, using his body as human armor.
Patsy was trembling behind the deep fryer, clutching a rolling pin. Luca reached into his interior pocket, pulled out a thick wad of banded hundred-dollar bills, and tossed it onto the prep table. ""For the damage, Patsy. Take your truck and get out of the state for a week. Tell nobody.""
""Go, Elena,"" Patsy whispered, nodding through her tears. ""He looks at you like you're his whole world, girl. Run.""
Luca kicked open the kitchen’s back door, letting in a blast of freezing winter wind. Parked in the dark service alley was his armored black SUV, its engine idling silently. Enzo covered the perimeter, his weapon raised against the falling snow, scanning the tree line.
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Luca lifted me into the leather backseat, his touch impossibly tender compared to the violence he had just unleashed. As he climbed in beside me and pulled the heavy reinforced door shut, the glass in the rear window cracked beneath a sniper’s bullet, but the ballistic armor held.
""Floor it, Enzo,"" Luca ordered, his arm locking tight around my shoulders, pulling me into the hollow of his chest. ""Take us to the cabin in Blackwood. The war is officially on.""
