In the chaos, I hit the ground, scraping my body, and rolling behind a stack of crates. The gunshots were unstoppable. Men were shouting, bodies dropping. Through the chaos, I caught sight of a familiar figure storming through the warehouse doors.
Santino.
He emerged through the chaos as Lorenzo, Seraphina, and Enzo stood in the middle with Santino's men circling them and aiming their guns at them.
"Mr. Santino," Lorenzo greeted, trying to keep his voice steady but the tremble was evident, "What are you doing here?"
Santino smirked, cold, cruel, and manipulative.
"Protecting what's mine."
Lorenzo's expression flickered. "Yours?" He let out a dry laugh, attempting to mask his unease. Meanwhile, I staggered up on my feet. "I don't understand, Mr. De Luca." Lorenzo knew who the authority was and that relieved me a little. Santino must've noticed me struggling to stand as he walked over to me and scooped me up in his arms.
"She was your prisoner, Lorenzo Ricci." Santino's voice dropped to something lethal. "And from now on? She belongs to me. Do you understand?"
Lorenzo's hands curled into fists. "You can't just—"
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?"
The words weren't shouted. They were loud and commanding. And Lorenzo obeyed. "Yes, sir."
For the first time in years, Lorenzo Ricci—the man feared by everyone—felt powerless. He was outnumbered. Exposed. If Santino wanted to, he could kill him right here. Right now. And Lorenzo knew it.
A whimper broke the silence, Seraphina's. She crawled towards Lorenzo, sobbing. "Lorenzo, please help me." Lorenzo barely looked at her. His attention was on the ground, but his mind was definitely on Santino.
But Santino was looking at her. And he didn't like what he saw. With zero hesitation, he raised his gun and shot her in the leg. Seraphina's scream tore through the warehouse, high-pitched and agonized.
Lorenzo didn't move. Neither did Santino's men. Only I flinched. Not because I pitied her, but because Santino didn't hesitate even a little. Santino twirled the gun in his hand, completely unfazed as he glanced at Lorenzo.
"This was for hurting Valeria." Santino's voice was flat. Final. While Lorenzo's jaw locked, hands clenched at his sides, but he didn't move, because he couldn't.