As soon as they filed out of the study, the guard waited till he heard the elevator ding close before slipping out. He immediately dialled Luca’s line.
“Hello? Are you here already? Hold up, I’ll meet you at the reception.”
“No! The mansion is being raided. Diavolo…”
Luca, who was already walking out of the waiting room, halted.
Oh shit… what perfect timing!
“What’s going on there?”
The guard proceeded to fill him in on everything he had heard, and Luca patiently took them in, some familiar, some new.
“What did they mean by transfer of ownership?”
“I do not know. But I think whatever it is, it has to do with Sarah, and they’re going to kill her. He already instructed that all the men in the house be killed. What do we do, boss?”
That was a question Luca wanted to ask himself. He never noticed any transfer. They were cornered, and walking into that house without a plan was suicide.
He glanced back at Miguel, who was whispering harshly over the phone. He had been doing that for a while… at various intervals since Adonis was admitted.
He’d suspected that the man was up to something.
Have they been betrayed? Could they still rely on his men?
Then Cara’s words came back to him.
As a last resort…
“The warehouse!”
“What?”
“Not you. Find our men.” He said, putting a strain on the word ‘our’. “You all stay hidden and try not to get killed. I’ll be over there soon.”
And then the line went dead. Wheeling around, he stalked over to Miguel.
“We need to leave now. But first, we’re going to that warehouse I told you about.”
Miguel’s gaze met his serious one; he didn’t need any other briefing.
“You guys get your act together. We’re coming over.” He instructed, then also hung up.
After briefing Adonis on the situation, they headed for the warehouse, each man having a grave look on his face at what was to come.
“I think it’s time you fill me in on everything,” Luca said to Miguel, who gave him an understanding nod and then proceeded to tell him of the things Cara hadn’t.
He could barely contain his joy when he came face to face with his brothers-all the men they took, including some new recruits that Miguel had trained. They were all charged, being aware of the situation and ready for battle.
“Today!” Luca roared. “We fight not just for our family, not just for our brother who neglected his life just to secure the throne; we fight for ourselves. We fight for his wife, who sacrificed a lot to get to where we are at this moment. We fight to protect the mafia. Because it is our home, our rock. And upon that rock, our parents have laid foundations; we will carry on this legacy. It is time we pay back all the Bernardi has done for us. Who’s with me?”
A loud chorus of support echoed throughout the huge warehouse.
His eyes blurred with tears at the harsh conditions his men had to face. Puffy foam mattresses and take-out bags lay on the floor for hours. They’d abandoned their comfort to prepare for this day, staying in the fumes of the waste products.
“Communication gadgets, guns, knives, every kind of weapon-you have them all! When we get to the mansion, 95% of the people in there are not on our side.” His eyes became deadly. “Kill them all. Do not be wary. Those on our side would be in hiding. And when all this is over?” He smiled, one that held so many promises. “I can’t wait to start afresh with you all.”
That was it.
They filed into buses, which Miguel had gotten beforehand, heavy silence hanging in the air as they approached their home. Diavolo’s impact could be felt from the estate gate, which was wide open, the two security men lying dead on the ground.
Echoes of gunshots and the metallic scent of splashed blood could be heard and seen as they got to the front porch.
“You all know what to do.” Luca said to his men, then turned to Miguel, “Are you people here?”
“From the very beginning. They’re in the shadows and will come out in due time. All we need is a distraction.”
Then with a silent nod in communication, the two men went their separate ways.
The fight had died down when Luca got in; people lay all around, mostly dead rather than injured, and all Adonis’s men who betrayed their family were not spared.
It was as though he had planned it from the start. They were just puppets in his game. Diavolo had no regard for life, and some of his men were victims of this.
“Why don’t you all stop hiding and come out?”
He inhaled deeply from behind the pillar and stepped out.
“I didn’t expect you to show up too early. I’m sure you’re with it; give it to me.”
“No.” A bound Sarah cried. “That’s the only thing I can give to him to make up for all I’ve done. Don’t lis-
Bang!
She fell face flat on the floor, choking on her blood as it spilt from her mouth.
“I’ve had enough of her nonsense.” Adrian hissed, turning back to Luca with a glare. “I’m not stupid. I thought you were working alone, but now I know you never stopped working for your lovely Capo. Except you want to join him at the hospital, give me the signet.”
Luca glanced around.
A distraction.
He gave a subtle signal, one only his men would understand.
“I won’t.” His gun appeared, “and there’s nothing you can do about it. Everyone now!” He yelled as multiple gunshots resumed again. Diavolo’s men began going down in heaps. They didn’t know where the shots were coming from.
That was another advantage they had. Lucas’s men knew the mansion like the back of their hand, so it made their work easy.
A roar tore out of Diavolo’s throat, as he began to get back.
“No,” Luca muttered.
He couldn’t let him get away. This is supposed to be the end. It was risky but there was only one thing to do.
“Freddie! Mario! Finish up, I’m going after Diavolo myself.”
Miguel, who was outside on a rooftop far enough not to be noticed by Adrian and his men but close enough to see what was happening, turned to the sniper guy by his side.
“What is he doing? I asked to create a charade not to go after him.” He bellowed as Luca chased Adrian with the intent of cornering him.
Has he forgotten his signature shot?
“Boss, should I shoot? It seems like Diavolo is starting to get away.”
“No. The angle isn’t clear enough. Luca might get shot.”
He had barely finished his sentence when a loud shot rang.
Bang.
“Did you hear that?”
“No-Fuck! They shot at each other.”
“What?” He snatched the gun, zooming in on the sight to see Luca and the floor. Adrian was backing away, clutching onto his injured arm.
The fucker gave up his life just to slow him down.
All the Bernardi men came out of hiding, shouting in anger at the loss of their boss, triggering a final fight between what was left of Adrian’s men and them.
He had come with a lot, nearly overpowering them, but now they were less than half a hundred. Miguel felt a tug in his heart at the loss. There was no way Luca would survive the shot in the head. He might not really have been close to the guy, but he never looked away from the men on his side.
Speaking into the walkie-talkie in his hand, he boomed, “Todos mis hombres, reunanse conmigo en el frente de la mansion (All my men, meet me in front of the mansion).
Then to the snipers, he said.
“Make sure none of them escapes. I’m going after Diavolo myself…”
****
By the time the guard was done with his narration, Cara had slumped against the wall, tears streaming down her face rapidly.
She couldn’t break down now. No. Not when she was the only one available to take control.
“So…” she sniffed, storing the tears up for later. “What’s the situation now?”
“We’re in control. The men have begun cleanup.”
“Good. Can you give the phone back to Freddie?”
The line went quiet for a minute until-
“Hey, Cara…”
“Hey, Freddie.”
They both remained silent in mutual understanding of their loss. This might be it for Luca, but not for them. They’d forever remember him. His sacrifice.
As he said, he really did lose everything…
“Arrange for a car to bring him to the hospital. There’s a mortuary here, but we won’t do anything until Adonis awakes.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He replied as they ended the call.
The strain of the last few hours fell heavily on her shoulder. Stray tears kept rolling down her face as she tried to control her emotions, like water slipping out of a full drum, but Cara refused to break down.
“For now…” she whispered to herself. “Just for now… you’ve got to see the work to the end. Be strong for Adonis. Be strong for Luca.”
She gave herself a pep talk, exhaling heavily, before deciding to go check on the progress of her husband’s surgery.
As she turned around, she didn’t expect to see Jacob and Matthew, each standing beside a sobbing Cecelia; she made no sound, just kept shaking her head in denial as she stared at Cara in shock.