Page 39 of Marcello DeLuca

We move through the compound with lethal efficiency, cutting down anyone who stands in our way. My focus is a razor’s edge, slicing through the chaos, driving me toward Safia.

We reach the main building, a fortress within a fortress. Vito signals the men, and they set charges, blowing the doors wide open. We storm inside, the corridors a blur of violence and urgency.

Every room is searched.

But there no Paleto or Safia.

I abandon the house and begin to search around the property, finding an old warehouse in the back. I enter with my gun cocked and at the ready.

Then I see her.

Safia. Bound and defiant, her eyes blazing with a fury that matches my own. Paleto stands over her, a smug grin on his face.

“DeLuca,” he sneers, trying to hide the fear in his eyes. “Are you here for our nuptials? Sorry, you’re too late.”

I don’t give him a chance to speak again. I move forward, faster than he thought, and land a blow that sends him sprawling.

“Touch her again, and you die,” I hiss, my voice a low growl.

Paleto scrambles back, but he’s surrounded. There’s no escape. I turn to Safia, my hands shaking as I untie her, pulling her into my arms.

“Marcello,” she whispers, her voice cracking. “You’re here.”

“I’ll always come for you,” I promise, holding her tight.

Then, I feel her pull away slightly, her body tense with a different kind of energy. She looks up at me, eyes blazing. “Let me have him,” she demands, voice filled with a fierce determination. “I need to do this. For my family.”

“Safia,” Vito protests, stepping forward. “It’s too dangerous. We need to get out of here. We don’t know what’s coming behind this ambush.”

“Let her have this. She needs it,” I say, my voice steady as I meet Vito’s gaze. “Take away his weapons. Let them fight.”

Vito hesitates, then nods, signaling to the men. They move quickly, disarming Paleto and forming a tight circle around us. Paleto’s eyes dart around, panic flickering beneath his defiant mask.

I step back, giving Safia room. She squares her shoulders, every muscle taut with focus.

Paleto smirks, trying to regain his bravado. “You think you can take me, little girl?”

Safia doesn’t respond. She moves like a coiled spring, exploding with a precision and ferocity that takes Paleto by surprise. Her fist connects with his jaw, snapping his head back.

Paleto staggers, then lunges at her, but she’s already sidestepped, landing a kick to his ribs. He grunts, the wind knocked out of him, but he’s not giving up. He swings wildly, but Safia ducks under his arm and delivers a punishing blow to his stomach.

I watch, my heart pounding with pride and fury. Safia is a force of nature, channeling her grief and rage into each strike. Paleto stumbles, blood trickling from his mouth.

“Is this what you wanted?” Safia shouts, her voice trembling with emotion. “You killed my family for this? For money?”

Paleto tries to answer, but Safia cuts him off with a brutal punch to the side of his head. He crumples to the ground, gasping for breath. She stands over him, fists clenched, chest heaving.

Vito steps forward, ready to intervene, but I hold up a hand. “Let her finish.”

Safia kneels beside Paleto, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him close. “Was it worth it?” she hisses, her voice cold and steady. “Was any of it worth it?”

Paleto’s eyes flicker with fear and pain. He tries to speak, but no words come. Safia releases him, pushing him back onto the floor. She stands, looking down at him pure rage in her eyes.

“Enough,” I say softly, stepping to her side. “It’s over.”

Safia nods, her eyes meeting mine. There’s a fire there, a strength that makes my heart swell. She’s not just a survivor. She’s a warrior.

“You’re right baby. It’s over.” And in one quick movement, she takes the gun from my waist and fires a shit into Paleto’s right eye, putting him to eternal rest.

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