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My father’s men were not prepared for the attack. I see their bodies lying on the ground with little protection. They’re alive, but they’re also badly hurt. It will take a long time for any of these men to heal properly.
This is crazy. Why didn’t Edoardo wait for the police to arrest my father? Why did he jump the gun like this? It doesn’t make sense to me, but I know that I need to find him and I need to convince him to call it off.
But I don’t see him, and I do not see my father. And that only makes my panic feel so much worse. I turn a corner and am relieved to see Mattia. He is in the middle of choking someone out, and his face is bloodied and bruised from the fighting.
But one of my father’s men is sneaking up on him from behind.
“Mattia! Look out!” I call from where I’m standing.
He drops the man in his arms and turns just in time to block the swing of a knife, but I’ve given my position away.
“Aria is escaping!” one of my father’s men shouts.
Mattia looks back at me with panic in his eyes. “Run! Hide!” he shouts.
He’s right. If they catch me now, I’ll likely be locked away somewhere much worse than the garden cottage at the end of the property. They will put me in the basement, I am sure of it.
So, I run as fast as I can before they can go after me. From what I can tell, the fight is happening outside the mansion. My best bet is to get inside, there I can hide easier, and there will be fewer of my father’s men after me.
I run to the farthest end of the mansion and find an open door. I let myself in and wait to see if anyone followed me. Nobody comes in after me.
Inside the mansion is still quiet. My feet carry me lightly through the rooms and halls. I have found where Mattia is and I know that it means Edoardo is near. Those two wouldn’t leave each other’s side, not even in a fight this big.
I need to get back to the other side of the house, perhaps I can spot him through a window. I need to get to Edoardo.
As I sneak through the house I come across countless of my father’s staff as they hide. Maids and chefs are tucked under tables and in closets. Some of them are crying with fear. They don’t understand what this fight is about and I don’t blame them for being so afraid.
“Don’t worry,” I whisper as I pass them. “You’re going to be just fine.”
“Please, Aria,” the housekeeper says through soft sobs. “Stay here. You need to be safe. It’s too dangerous out there.”
I smile kindly at her. “I need to put an end to this. Don’t worry about me. Just keep yourselves away from the windows.”
I sneak low as I pass a long section of window, and it slows me down. The slower I move, the more panicked I feel. I am almost at the other end of the mansion now, and I can hear the sound of the chaos getting louder.
I pass a broken window, with an unconscious body lying beside it. Someone must have thrown him through the window. I would be lying if I said I am not impressed by the strength of Edoardo’s men. There have been many attacks on my father over the years, but none of them have been quite this overwhelming.
The bodies of his men lie scattered all over the place, and it is clear that Edoardo’s men have the upper hand. But they have not met my father yet, and he has not lost a fight yet. This is far from over, and the pain and suffering will only become worse.
I push open the door to my father’s study. It is on the furthest end of the house, and the fight seems to be happening on all sides of the room. This is the best place for me to try and locate Edoardo, or my father. I see that my father’s gun safe has been opened, and it is completely empty.
He’s going after Edoardo, I know that for certain. He wants to kill this beast by cutting off its head. That’s how he has always won his fights. He takes out the leader, and waits for the rest of them to fall. And that’s what he will try to do today, if I let him.
I need to find Edoardo, but avoid my father. If my father finds me, I wouldn’t put it past him to use me as blackmail. I can’t take that risk.
“Edoardo!” I hear my father’s voice shout.
My heart rate spikes and I can hear the blood rushing in my ears. My father has found Edoardo before me, and I need to act fast. But where are they?
I sneak closer to the windows, one at a time, peering out desperately to see if I can find them. My father sounds angrier than he has ever sounded before and I know that he will not hesitate to kill Edoardo.
I can’t stay inside any longer. I pick the window with the least amount of people on the other side, and I crawl through it as quietly as I possibly can. Thankfully, most of the guards around me are engaged in combat and cannot come after me just yet.
When I turn around I see Edoardo and my heart skips a beat. I watch as he raises my father’s body into the air before dropping both of their weights onto the ground. I hear the thud as their bodies make contact with the wet concrete.
I start toward them, but by the time I have taken another step, they have their guns pointed at each other’s heads. I am dizzy with fear as I wait to hear the shot go off. I can see the anger in both their eyes and I know that either one of them would happily pull the trigger.
I need to stop them, but how?
