34. Adriana

Chapter thirty-four

Adriana

I leave Ale with Aldo in search of Daniel. He'll help me keep Beatrice safe.

I'm running as fast as I can, pulling Beatrice with me, to find Daniel by the front yard of the building. The noise has reduced as I reach there to meet several bodies on the ground. I spot Daniel punching a man before ending him with a bullet to his chest.

"Daniel! Daniel!" I yell breathlessly as I run to him.

He stops to stare at me and pushes the body in his grip to the floor.

As I run to close the distance between us, the entire building comes to the ground. Every fucking thing, in flames.

Daniel is quick enough to move before a large piece of wood hits him. My eyes widen with shock and disbelief. He grabs me from falling, shocked at the scene before me.

I watch as the woods pile on one another, the entire building destroyed in a blink of an eye. My heart clings tightly.

"I have to go back to Ale, Daniel. I need to save Ale." Fresh tears stream down my eyes as I am overwhelmed by the whole situation.

"Adriana, stop."

I wish Daniel would let me go but he doesn't budge. I keep pulling, fighting his grip as I cry harder. But he doesn't let me go and Beatrice tries to talk me down.

"Daniel, please. We need to help him."

"Adriana, please," Daniel says as he pulls me to his chest.

I hit his chest repeatedly to get him to let go of me. He is stupidly stronger than I am and I fall helplessly in his arms, crying my eyes out. I can't breathe.

"Please. Let me go."

He squeezes me in his arms and doesn't let go. He lets me cry on his chest and I don't hold back any tears. "I just want Ale in my arms and this nightmare to be over. This is all my fucking fault."

"He's strong. He can handle himself," Daniel whispers.

I have no idea how long I hold onto Daniel, crying, until the sound of a gunshot breaks us. It came from behind, just where we left Ale.

Oh fuck, Ale.

"Ale!"

I let go of Daniel and surprisingly he lets me go. The three of us run frantically back to where we had left Alessandro.

I'm not thinking straight as I run back to him. I love him so much; I'm not letting Aldo take him, too.

Aldo is on the floor with a bullet through his shoulder. Alessandro turns to look at me. He staggers on his feet, dropping his gun by his side. Daniel tries to help him but he puts out a finger to stop him.

"I'll kill this fucking bastard myself. Get the fuck up and fight me, Aldo," Alessandro says as he turns back to face Aldo. He holds his wounded shoulder and groans as he struggles to stand to his feet.

"Alessandro, you're hurt," Daniel warns.

There are more cuts on Alessandro's body. His shirt is covered with blood.

"I said I'll fucking handle this, Daniel."

Aldo grunts to his feet, picking up the pocketknife he has dropped to the ground. "I'll kill you. All of you."

He moves forward with the knife and tries to strike Alessandro. Ale dodges his strike and counters with an uppercut.

Aldo grunts loudly as his mouth starts to bleed. He cleans the stain with the back of his hand and returns his palm to his wounded shoulder.

"You'd rather die for this little bitch?"

Alessandro gets pissed at his words and catches him by surprise with another punch in the face.

"You don't get to fucking call her that." He punches him again and Aldo falls to the ground.

Aldo smiles with a bleeding mouth and spits out some of his blood. He stares past Alessandro at me. "Bitch. You should be dead," he laughs.

I try to run to meet him and put a fucking bullet through his head, but Beatrice stops me before I can. "You old bastard."

Alessandro kicks him hard, and his body gets suspended in the air for a split second with the impact of the kick. He coughs out more blood and has the same fucking smile back on his face.

"Let me go."

Beatrice wraps her arms around my waist and stops me completely from moving. She drags me backward instead.

With Alessandro's attention on me, Aldo shoves a knife into his thigh, laughing maniacally as Ale screams. He takes advantage of the distraction and presses his finger into the cut in Ale's hand.

"Ale!" I yell, afraid. Beatrice doesn't let go of me, nor is Daniel doing anything to help him, and it's starting to piss me off.

Aldo's hurting Ale and I just can't watch it. Not again. "Help him," I yell at Daniel.

"He doesn't want me to. Stop worrying, Adriana. He can handle this himself,"

"Stupid child!" Aldo grunts. He glances to look at us and back at Alessandro. He twists the knife into Alessandro's flesh.

Beatrice lets go of me this time, and I pick up the gun Alessandro had dropped before, shooting Aldo in his second shoulder.

"Fuck, Adriana," Alessandro says, raising a hand to stop me from taking another shot. Daniel moves towards me, holding my arm still.

Alessandro pulls the knife out of his thigh with one hand and growls as he holds Aldo up by the neck with the other.

"This is for Adriana." With that, he slits Aldo's throat. He drops his body to the ground violently.

I pull the trigger again, even though I know he's dying, shooting him in the head. His breath stops instantly and his eyes become static.

I return my gaze back to Ale after a few moments. Daniel is already by his side.

"Stay with me, Ale. I'll get you some help," Daniel says, rising to his feet. He leaves us to get some help.

"Don't you fucking die," I whisper to Alessandro. He takes my hand and squeezes it gently.

"I need you, Ale. I'm not letting Aldo have his wishes. Mother would have wanted to see Father's legacy continue. I can't let it die... because of her."

All my life, I've kept telling myself that I never wanted any part of Father's business. I was too scared to come to terms with my identity: Manny Gustavo's daughter. Mother did all she could, made all the sacrifices when all I did was try to run. Not anymore.

"Please stay with me."

Alessandro grunts ruggedly.

I look up to see Daniel coming back to us with some men with him. "Please hurry," I yell, holding Alessandro's fingers tight. His grip on me has grown weaker. He's breathing heavier now.

Just before Daniel gets to us, my ears are filled with screams as I hear a gunshot. It takes me a moment to realize they are mine and Daniel is falling to the ground, with a bullet wound in his chest. Beatrice drops to the ground covering her head as more bullets fly.

I look back to see Piero lying dead on the ground with multiple bullet holes in his body. The men with Daniel had shot him back. Daniel has fallen to the ground, bleeding.

"Daniel!"

Two of the men are kneeling beside him, holding his arms up. His green eyes stare at me as he groans.

I let go of Alessandro's hand to run to him. But he stops me instead, with a little shake of his head, and signals for the others to help Alessandro.

"What the… fuck is happening?" Alessandro grunts.

I'm staring at Daniel, completely terrified. I have no idea.