Chapter 12 - THE CHOICE
Vittorio’s men dragged me forward.
A gun pressed against my back.
Luca stood twenty feet away.
Another gun at his head.
Massimo was between us.
His face went empty.
Vittorio smiled.
“Now you understand power.”
Massimo said nothing.
“You can’t save everyone.”
Still nothing.
“Choose.”
Luca shouted, “Don’t listen to him!”
The gun hit his temple.
He stumbled.
Vittorio looked at Massimo.
“Your brother or your woman?”
Massimo lowered his gun.
My heart stopped.
“Massimo, don’t.”
He looked at me.
“I’m sorry.”
Vittorio smiled.
Then Massimo dropped his weapon.
“I choose neither.”
“What?”
Massimo raised both empty hands.
“You want me.”
“Yes.”
“Then take me.”
Vittorio laughed.
“So noble.”
“No.”
Massimo’s eyes hardened.
“So distracting.”
A shot rang out.
The man behind me dropped.
Elena stood near the doorway holding a gun.
“I have hated that man for twenty-five years,” she said.
Chaos erupted.
Luca drove his elbow into his captor.
I hit the floor.
Massimo grabbed his gun.
Vittorio fired first.
The bullet hit Massimo’s cane.
He fell.
Vittorio walked toward him.
“You will always be weak.”
Massimo looked up.
“No.”
He pushed himself to one knee.
“You just never understood strength.”
Vittorio raised the gun.
Luca fired.
The bullet hit Vittorio’s shoulder.
He spun.
Massimo lunged.
They crashed onto the concrete.
Vittorio was stronger than I expected.
Older, but brutal.
He punched Massimo across the jaw.
Again.
Again.
Massimo’s damaged leg twisted.
He cried out.
I ran forward.
“Stay back!” he shouted.
Vittorio wrapped both hands around Massimo’s throat.
“You were my greatest disappointment.”
Massimo’s face turned red.
He reached blindly.
His hand found the broken cane.
He drove it into Vittorio’s injured shoulder.
Vittorio screamed.
Massimo rolled free.
Police sirens sounded outside.
Luca had called them before we entered.
Vittorio looked toward the doors.
Then toward me.
His face changed.
One final act.
One final punishment.
He grabbed his gun.
Pointed it at me.
Massimo screamed my name.
The gun fired.
May you like
I felt the impact.
Then everything went black.
