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I buckle over as an unexpected fist slams into my stomach. For a moment, I enjoy the pain, knowing it will fuel my counter attack. When I look up, I look directly into the eyes of the man that hit me and smile.
I reach out and slam my open hand into his jaw, before stepping as hard as I can on the side of his ankle. I feel the give as his ankle buckles and breaks beneath my foot. Then I clench my fist and slam it right into his rib cage. I watch his hand reach for a knife, but I won’t give him the chance to get it. I beat him to it and bend down, his blade in hand, to slam the knife through his foot. The man yells out in pain as I stand back up, towering over him while blood drips down from his weapon. I can see the fear in his eyes right before I take the butt-end of the knife and bring it down on his skull.
He drops to the ground at my feet. He’s alive, but I’ve ensured that his recovery will take some time. My adrenaline rush only grows stronger, and so does my need for violence. I look around to see that my men are still fighting. Some of them even smile as they attack Gabriele’s men.
There is one thing that has made my army stronger than his today. We knew we were walking into a fight, whereas Gabriele’s men never saw it coming. Most of them have no protective gear on, which means our blows do more than theirs. And none of them were psychologically prepared. That matters even more.
I see a gathering of bodies around us and it makes my heart skip a beat. What a beautiful sight to witness. This is the beginning of Gabriele’s downfall. As intense as this is, it really is only the beginning, and he has no idea what still awaits him on the other side.
I take on any assailant that comes my way as I make slow progress toward where Aria is. We aren’t moving as fast as I’d like, but we are moving. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, or how many of us make it out of here. I will not leave without her.
This was never her fight to fight. The only reason she is in this position is because of the hatred between her father and I, and I am sure she shares my hatred for her father now. I’m the only one with the power to put a stop to this. Even if it is the last thing I ever do, I will get her out of here.
I move out of the way just in time as another knife comes swinging at me. The tip of the knife just barely touches my cheek, and I feel the sting as it slices me. I know the damage isn’t bad, but I feel a small drop of blood roll down my cheek.
I reach up and touch it, and admire the blood red on my finger. Funny how we all bleed, even us Dons. I only look at it for a split second.
The man swings again. This time I duck and reach my hand out. I grab his wrist with my one hand before my other hand slams into his elbow. I feel the crunch as his elbow cracks beneath my blow and his hand releases the knife. When it falls to the ground with a clatter, I waste no time reaching for it. His other hand swings at me with a clenched fist and I raise the knife just in time.
He pushes his fist into the blade and it lands perfectly between his knuckles, pushing deep into the muscle. I don’t even need to fight anymore, it seems. With one cracked elbow, and some severed fingers, there isn’t much that this man can do to me in his condition. I push him off me and walk away before his body even hits the ground.
I must get to Aria. It’s the only goal that I still have.
The rain is pouring now, and small red puddles are forming all over the driveway. There’ve been too many gunshots for my liking, but I can’t turn back now. The police will get here soon. I won’t let this all be for nothing.
I push on, wiping the water from my face as I walk. I move behind columns and plants to draw as little attention to myself as possible while my army keeps Gabriele’s force occupied. Once I get Aria, then we can retreat. The police can handle the rest.
If they are not alerted by the gunshots, then they will be sent as a result of the confession that has just been sent to him. Time is of the essence; I want to get this over with.
“Edoardo!” I hear a growl behind me.
I know who it is before I even turn around. Gabriele stands in the pouring rain. He is strapped into a bullet proof vest but his gun is tucked away in its holster at his hip. If he wanted to kill me, he would have fired the shot already.
No, he feels the same way that I do. He wants the fight.
And I want to give it to him.
I walk up to him, not losing my pace and I take the first swing. He ducks, but not far enough and the edges of my knuckles make contact with his face. I feel as one of his fists slams into my ribcage and a blinding pain sears through me.
He is wearing knuckle dusters. How did I not see that? I am blinded by the pain and unable to see the next blow that lands right on my jaw. It makes a cracking sound and immediately my mouth fills with blood.
“You aren’t here for me, are you?” Gabriele shouts.
My vision slowly returns and I lift my eyes to see that his men are heading back toward where Aria is. He knows what I’m doing, but I still refuse to give up the fight. My men are still standing and so am I, and we aren’t leaving here without you.
“As it turns out, I stopped caring about you years ago,” I say, straightening out.
I reach for my knife and arm myself. I cannot afford to lose this fight. There is a contingency plan if Gabriele dies, and right now, that is looking like my only option. He has no intention of leaving me alive, I see that anger in his eyes.
I wait for Gabriele to make the first move this time. He takes a step forward and swings and it just misses me. I duck down and swing my blade but he moves, and I only scratch his leg. But it is enough to draw blood.
I waste no time slamming my heel into his foot as I push my open hand up against the bottom of his chin as hard as I can. It does a good job of stunning him, but only for a moment before his elbow comes down on the back of my neck.
He hits me hard and I feel as my body hits the wet tar. From the ground, I see bodies lying everywhere and I pray that not all of them are dead. If they are, then there is no returning to this country once we’ve escaped.
Gabriele stands over me and smirks.
“You’re getting old,” he says with a grin. “Look at you down there, grayed, and bleeding. It’s pathetic.”
