ARMANDO
The chauffeur’s words hung heavily in the air, but I wasn’t ready to believe it.
My mind refused to let it sink in even as he stood there stammering.
“What the fuck did you just say?” I asked, my voice low, sharp, and deadly calm.
He shifted on his feet nervously, both hands trembling at his sides. “B-boss… I said… Miss Eleanor, s-she’s been taken. And Mr. Enzo…” He swallowed hard, unable to meet my eyes. “… Mr Enzo, he didn’t make it.”
I barely managed to keep my composure after hearing him say that again.
I turned my gaze towards Matteo who stood stiffly by the door. My patience was already on a razor’s edge and this wasn’t helping.
“Why the fuck,” I said, my tone dangerously low, “would you let this fool say such nonsense to you outside, and then bring him in here to spew the same shit to my face?”
Matteo didn’t answer right away, his lips pressed into a thin line as if weighing his words carefully.
“At first I hoped it wasn’t true boss,” he said finally, his tone steady but cautious. “Believe me, I didn’t want to bring him in here. But the way he drove back into the compound, speeding like he was being chased, and with everything he told me, it all checked out.”
I stared at him, the vein in my temple pulsing as I clenched my jaw.
“And how the hell does this shit check out?” I asked, my voice rising.
Matteo raised his head slightly but still wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Because of the timing boss. You tried making some calls earlier didn’t you?”
Although I didn’t answer to that, the look I gave him must have said enough.
“I noticed,” Matteo continued, “the calls weren’t going through. Or maybe they were but the person on the other end just wasn’t picking up. If I had to bet, I’d say it was Enzo you were trying to call.”
I didn’t respond. Matteo was right and we both knew it. But that didn’t make this any easier to swallow, neither did it make it any true.
“I know this isn’t easy to hear,” Matteo said, his tone softer now, deliberate. “but maybe you should listen to the him. Just hear what he has to say… see if it adds up.”
I stared at Matteo, my anger simmering just below the surface. “The only reason you’re not nursing fucking bullet wounds in both knees right now,” I said, my voice cutting through the room like a blade, “is because of how far you’ve come under my service. Because of how much of my respect you’ve earned.”
Matteo flinched slightly but didn’t back down.
“You stand there,” I continued, “telling me to my face that the same Enzo I sent out a few hours ago is dead? How’s that even possible to you?”
Matteo lowered his head, his voice quieter now but still steady. “Maybe you should try calling him again boss, just to see what happens. If it doesn’t go through, then… please, at least listen to this man.”
I didn’t respond immediately. I just stood there staring at him, my chest rising and falling as I tried to rein in my temper. Then, without a word, I pulled out my phone and dialed Enzo’s number again.
The first call rang. No answer.
I ended it and dialed again.
The second call rang. Still no answer.
By the time I dialed a third time, I could feel the weight of Matteo’s gaze on me, but I didn’t look back at him just yet.
The call went through again, but once more, there was no response.
I let the phone drop to my side, my grip tightening around it. For the first time, I allowed a sliver of doubt to creep in that maybe, just maybe, the chauffeur wasn’t lying.
I turned back to Matteo, my voice quieter now but no less sharp. “This better be good, Matteo,” I said. “Because if it’s not…” I paused.
Matteo nodded, taking a small step back as if to let the chauffeur speak. The man was still trembling, both his hands wringing nervously.
“Speak.” I ordered, fixing him with a glare, my voice stiff and cold.
The chauffeur looked like he wanted to melt into the floor. He took a deep breath, holding it for a moment as if arranging his words carefully, before he finally started talking.
“It all started when we hit some traffic on the regular route,” he began, his voice trembling slightly. “Mr. Enzo and Miss Eleanor were talking but not really talking much. They’d speak for a bit and then stop. So Mr. Enzo, he directed me to take a shortcut that’s not, uh, normally used much.”
I narrowed my eyes-saying nothing, but my stare must’ve told him to keep going.
“I… I didn’t like the idea,” he admitted, looking down at his shoes. “But he insisted. Said we needed to get Miss Eleanor to the new location as quickly as possible. He told me it was important. I could tell he noticed I wasn’t comfortable with it, but he assured me it was for a good reason.”
“So you just listened,” I said flatly.
“It was more of an order boss,” he stammered. “I didn’t have a choice.”
I clenched my fists at my sides, but still managed to remain quiet.
He took another deep breath like he needed to steady himself just to keep talking. “The road was mostly empty like I expected. We were driving for a while when it happened. Two vans came out of nowhere and blocked us in.”
My jaw tightened.
“They jumped out all armed with guns everywhere.” he said, his voice cracking. “They surrounded the car. And then, after a few minutes, another car pulled up. Someone else got out. He looked like their leader.”
“And?” I asked, my voice cold and clipped.
“Enzo…” The chauffeur faltered, his voice dropping. “Although Mr. Enzo tried to fight them off, their leader… h-he stabbed him first. Then they all shot at him repeatedly just to make sure.”
I froze, the words hitting at me like a brick wall. “They what?”
“They killed him sir,” the chauffeur whispered, his voice barely audible. “Right there. And then they took Miss Eleanor.”
I stared at nothing in particular, the room around me fading into the background as I couldn’t believe my ears.
My cousin, dead. Just like that.
I turned away and started pacing, my head down with my eyes fixed on the floor. My thoughts were a storm, but I couldn’t let it show yet.
I stopped suddenly and turned back to him.
“Did you see their faces?” I asked sharply.
He shook his head quickly, fear etched into his features. “No, boss. I-I didn’t. I couldn’t look at them. They had their guns pointed at us the whole time. I was too scared…”
“Of what use are you to me then!?” I snapped, my voice rising. “You come here to tell me my cousin was fucking murdered, and you can’t identify even one face?!”
He flinched, his whole body trembling. “Boss, I-I’m sorry,” he stammered. “I was just… I was so scared. I didn’t dare look up.”
“Unbelievable,” I muttered under my breath, running a hand over my face. Then I barked louder, “And the car? The one that took the girl. Which way did it go?”
“I… I don’t know, boss,” he stammered again, his voice shaking harder now. “By the time I looked up, they were all gone. The first thing I saw was Mr. Enzo lying there, dead.”
I stared at him, my rage bubbling over. And slowly, I closed the distance between us.
He just stood there with his legs shaking like they could barely hold him up.
I reached for his collar as if to straighten it, but then I tightened my grip suddenly, pulling him closer. His eyes widened, fear filling them as I stared into his soul.
“The only reason you’re still standing here,” I said, my voice low and deadly, “is because I just had my floor cleaned from the last pool of blood that stained it, and I’d rather not dirty it again so soon.”
He looked at me with his mouth slightly open, but no words came out. My threat still hung heavily in the air, suffocating him into silence as I tightened my grip on his collar even more, forcing him to stand on his toes.
“Where is Enzo’s body?” I asked, my voice sharp and cutting. For a moment, I thought he’d say it was in the car, waiting just outside.
But then he stuttered, “H-he’s still there. On the road.”
My chest tightened, and anger surged through me. “You left him there!?” I bellowed, shaking him slightly. “How the fuck do you leave him there and come back to me?!”
His voice cracked as he stammered out his excuse. “B-Boss, I couldn’t bring him back. If the police stopped me, if they found a body in the car, I’d be in trouble. I didn’t know what to do.”
I pulled him closer, my knuckles white against the fabric of his shirt. “You think I care about your fucking excuses? Huh?” I growled, my voice low but deadly. “Listen to me, if anything fucking happens to his body, I’ll make you just as lifeless as he is. Do you understand me?”
His head bobbed quickly, his lips trembling as he forced out a weak, “Y-yes, boss. I understand.”
“Good,” I said, releasing him with a shove. “Now get out of my sight.”
He staggered back, almost tripping over his own feet before turning and scrambling out of the room.
The door closed behind him with a soft thud, leaving a cold silence in its wake.
I turned away, walking back to the window where I had been standing before Matteo brought him in. My hands gripped the windows tightly as I stared out at the compound.
My chest rose and fell with each breath, the rage still burning but starting to settle into something colder, something more focused.
The silence stretched until Matteo finally broke it, his voice cautious but steady. “What do we do next boss?”
I didn’t answer immediately-still keeping my eyes on the window, forcing myself to calm down even if just a bit.
Decisions made in anger usually led to chaos, and chaos, was something I could not afford.
When I finally turned around, my voice was even, though the edge of anger still lingered. “I wanted to wait,” I said, pacing slowly across the room. “I wanted to let things cool down before we made our next move. But now? Now, it’s clear. This whole thing has Don Salvatore written all over it.”
Matteo tilted his head slightly, confusion flashing across his face. “Don Salvatore? You think he’s behind this?”
I stopped pacing and looked him dead in the eye. “I don’t think Matteo, I know. Don Salvatore isn’t an idiot. He’s already figured out that we’re onto him.”
Matteo frowned. “How could he possibly know that boss? We’ve been careful all along.”
“Careful?” I scoffed. “His men, the ones who Alessandro had arranged to steal from my warehouse, you think he wouldn’t figure out what had really happened to them?” I paused, letting the words sink in. “You and your men were too prepared that night Matteo, too precise. Not even a fool would think that it was a coincidence.”
Matteo’s frown deepened slowly as he began to process what I was saying.
“This isn’t just random,” I continued, my voice steady and cold. “Don Salvatore knows. He knows that we’re coming for him and now he’s making desperate moves. He took the girl to use as leverage, hoping it would slow me down.” I shook my head, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “But it’s too late for that now.”
Matteo shifted uncomfortably. “What do you want us to do?”
I met his gaze, my eyes hard. “His little game has taken Enzo’s life, therefore he has crossed a line he can no longer come back from. So, we’re going to hit him back hard.” I took a step closer to Matteo, my voice dropping to a dangerous tone. “Don Salvatore thinks this will stop me? No. This is just the beginning.”
Matteo nodded slowly, his expression a mix of understanding and determination. “So another war?”
“Not just any war Matteo,” I corrected, my voice firm. “This is a blood war. Since Don Salvatore has made his choice, he’ll face my judgment. I’ll take him on, blood for blood, relative for relative, and for any of the other families that would try to intervene, they’ll burn in the heat as well. Enough, is enough.”
Matteo simply nodded again, his lips pressing into a thin line.
I turned back to the window, staring out at the compound as my mind flooded. This wasn’t just about revenge. This was about sending a message-a message to other families that no one, absolutely no one, could challenge me, Armando Luca, and walk away unscathed.
The second war of the families had just begun, and Don Salvotore… he’s the unfortunate one who has to face me in the kickoffs.