AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Civilians are all around us. They don’t seem to notice the group of intimidating men standing near the fountain.
At the front and center of it is Lorenzo Fontana. He’s younger than Salvatore but not by much. His hair is turning gray, and wrinkles crease his forehead and eyes as he smiles.
“Theo Williams, I presume?” he asks, approaching me.
“I am. Where’s my mom?”
Lorenzo holds up a hand. “She’s safe. For now. But if you want her to live, you’re coming with us.” His eyes flick to Antonio. “Alone.”
“Wait for a second,” Antonio says, stepping forward. “Can’t we strike a deal, Lorenzo? You and me? Think about it, Theo did you a favor. He killed your cousin, which made room for you to take over. We can make a deal.”
Lorenzo rubs his chin. “Mmm, I’m intrigued. What could you offer me? Another one of your sisters?”
“No,” Antonio says immediately. “That’s off the table. I’ve learned my lesson. But I could offer you a seat at my table. You could have more power and influence in this city because of me. That’s something no man would ever pass up.”
“You’re right,” Lorenzo says. “It’s not something I want to pass up. I’ll make a deal with you, Antonio. I won’t come after you because we all knowyou’rethe one who messed up by letting your family’s bodyguard kill my cousin. So, I’ll leave you be. We can work together.”
“Great.” Antonio holds out his hand. “Do we have a deal?”
Lorenzo holds up a finger. “Not quite. I still want Theo dead for killing my cousin. Theo dies, and you and I can make a deal.The rest of your family will be safe from me. Even your sister who scorned my cousin by running off with another man.”
Antonio tenses at this. “Don’t threaten my sister. Any of them.”
“Give me Theo, and I won’t have to.”
“I’ll go,” I say, stepping forward. “But you have to let my mom go.”
Lorenzo shrugs. “Deal.”
Antonio grabs my arm. “Theo, are you sure about this? You’ll die, and Cecilia will be miserable.”
“She knows I love her. She knows I’m doing the right thing.”
Antonio nods and steps back. Killian gives me a nod as well as I follow Lorenzo out of the park.
He leads me to his car and takes me to a rundown warehouse on the opposite side of the city. “Go on,” he says, motioning me inside with his gun.
I do. I refuse to be afraid. I faced death more times than I could count in the military. But back then, I didn’t have anything to live for. Now, I do.
And yet, I still won’t be afraid. I won’t do that for Cecilia. She needs me to be strong, even in the face of death.
Inside the warehouse, my mom is tied to a chair, her mouth duct taped. She sees me and starts struggling with her ties. I rush over to her. “Release her,” I demand.
Lorenzo takes his time walking over to my mom. “Okay. A deal’s a deal.” He nods at one of his men to untie her …
But then he holds up his hand. “You know what? On second thought, might as well kill her, too.”
“What?” I growl, lunging for Lorenzo. His men grab me and pin my arms down at my sides.
“You see, Theo. You killed my cousin. You have to be punished for it. And what better way to be punished than by killing your mother right before your eyes.”
“Don’t! No!” I try to pull myself free but there are too many men holding me down.
My mom begins to cry as she watches me. Lorenzo walks over to her, puts his gun to her head, and pauses.
“This is what punishment is like, Theo,” Lorenzo says.
The door to the warehouse bursts open, and Lorenzo jerks back, turning to see who it is.
