"I survived but I paid for it,"
- Unknown

𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗼

She offered me a glass of water which I gladly accept. The car is still parked out there and I still have the lighter and fluids. I take a gulp of water almost drowning myself in the coolness of it.

"What happened? Why are you.... A Romano here? Can you just explain this to me?"

Ruby, Moretti's ex wife looks at me with a mix of concern and doubt. "What do you want me to say to you?"

She and I knew what kind of person he is—the silence slowly crept in, almost comforting us in blanket. What do we need even say? That bastard ruined our lives and still dictates the world of the underground with an iron fist.

𝓛𝓲𝓼𝓪 𝓒𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓸

Bang. Bang. Bang. Each bullet shatters each glass—hitting the body of it precisely, raining dark green shards everywhere.

I watch as Marco replaces them with the next set. How many empty beer bottles do you need to get your anger out?

I stood behind Enzo, who is positioned like a trained assassin. "I've never seen Boss this way ever... you're lucky he's not punching glass, ma'am," Marco says as he walks up towards the inside to get more empty bottles. Okay, whatever that means I guess.

"M-Marco?" I say, my voice a foreign entity amidst the heat of things. How do I word this question? Even in my own brain it sounded smooth.

Before he took another step he turned, "Yes, ma'am?"

"The Romano's.... I wanna know... you know?" I ask, albeit a little awkwardly. My eyes plead with him but the way my t-shirt clung to me—wet and sticky, made it even harder to think.

𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗼

The silence was thick, and tight. I stare out at Moretti's car—blood boiling just at the mere thought of his hands on me. "What are we gonna do about that car? Sell it?"

"Maybe not sell it..." I start, taking the lighter, and fluid—examining them side by side. I throw it back and forth in my roughed up palms.

"We are gonna go something far better..."

Ruby's cheeks curled upward into a wicked grin. That's right... we're gonna go burn it like it's Rocco's soul. I smile too knowing what our plan is. And sure as hell it's hella cool.

𝐄𝐧𝐳𝐨 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐨

Up until this point, my focus was on those bottles—Moretti's face visible on them. As each bullet whizzes past me and shatters them into shards a weight lifts off my shoulders. That face of his is gonna get it.

I don't hear Lisa asking Marco about my family's reputation or about me. If she found the real reason I've brought her here in the first place will she crawl back to him?

Once the fire inside me dissipated, I activate the safety and remove the magazine—which of course was one I could take off.

I bought this years ago, at the huge black market they held two years ago. I walk back in and down to the gun room to inspect it carefully.

I could hear Lisa and Marco talking—barely audible since my first priority was to put this away properly. As I inspect the chamber, a familiar leg and shoes came into view—the vans converse around her feet sitting perfectly. I got it for her didn't I?

I pause when her question hits me like a thousand bricks. She wasn't supposed to know yet. When I find Marco he's gonna get it.

𝓛𝓲𝓼𝓪 𝓒𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓸

Standing in front of him, I cross my arms and ask, "What happened at the docks? And why... did you kidnap me? Was it revenge?"

The hand on his rifle tightens—jaw clenching and grinding. Was he hoping I didn't ask? There is no way I'm letting him off the hook.

"He... he told me everything."

I uncrossed my arms and cautiously took a seat next to him. God why do I have this much fucking patience for him?

  A thin line of silence falls on us. Marco has told me everything and I wanted the truth from Enzo himself.

𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗼

We watch as the flame eat up Rocco's perfect car—crackling and screaming, each section going into its belly feeding its ever growing hunger. Goodbye mother fucker, goodbye forever.

Ruby Kane, stood next to me, her hands touching mine slightly—a small electric line going through my entire body. I've never thought of kissing a girl before but hell why not?

I unintentionally pull her in and press my lips against hers in the excitement of erasing every part of Rocco off of me. She wraps her arm around me and leans in, accepting it. I moan against her delicate lips.

My hands find her ass—big balloon of it and grab it in the process. This feeling is new that I forget myself in it.

This is the first time I've felt like this. So I don't let go of it and lean into it—a fire about consume me and her as the flames eat away at the remaining parts behind us.

𝑹𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒐 '𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕' 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊

I was gonna find her no matter what it took. I sent my men out while I paced my room like a caged animal. My phone sat there—ringing. Probably Giovanni calling to see I've got Lisa. A scream rips through my chest.

I pick it up and answer it, calmly of course. "The Beast speaking,"

"Is Lisa there? She's not picking up our calls," he said, gruff with zero nonsense.

"No, but I plan on dragging her back to me. And that wedding is happening whether she likes it or not!"

"Good," he says before cutting the call. Staring at the phone my grip tightens to the point of it breaking—her body is what I see as my grip tightened. She's gonna be brought back by any means necessary.

"Boss! We've got news!" One of my goons I sent comes back.

  Trembling he says, "I know where she is."

Bingo. I've got you know. My grin widens and I let out a chuckle—a dark and untamed storm released from its depths.