Chapter 192 

The warehouse district looked like a graveyard in the pre–dawn darkness. Empty buildings stretched in every direction, their broken windows staring down like dead eyes. Perfect place for an ambush. Perfect place to die. 

I killed the engine two blocks away from Nico’s location, the silence that followed feeling heavy and final. My men had taken positions around the perimeter–Luca on the north side, Santos covering the rear exit, Tommy watching the main approach. If this went south, at least some of them might 

make it out alive. 

The Glock felt familiar in my hand as I checked it one final time. Seventeen rounds. Enough to put Nico down and maybe a few of his men if I was lucky. If I wasn’t lucky, well–Julian would have to pick up the pieces. 

My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number. 

Come alone. Building 47. Any backup and she dies screaming. 

I looked at the massive structure ahead of me–old cement factory, four stories of crumbling concrete and rusted metal. Too many windows, too many angles of attack. Even with my men positioned outside, I’d be walking into a kill box the moment I stepped through those doors. 

I typed back: On my way. 

The walk to the entrance felt like a funeral march. Each step brought me closer to either saving Aria or joining her in whatever hell Nico had prepared. My hand stayed close to my weapon, though I knew it wouldn’t matter much. Nico had home field advantage, superior numbers, and the one thing I couldn’t fight against–Aria’s life hanging in the balance. 

The main entrance stood open, a black mouth waiting to swallow me whole. No guards visible, but I could feel eyes watching from the shadows. Snipers, probably. Nico was too smart to rely on just surprise. 

I stepped inside. 

The first thing that hit me was the smell–damp concrete, rust, and something else. Something metallic that made my stomach clench. Blood. 

“Welcome to my parlor,” Nico’s voice echoed from somewhere above, distorted by the cavernous space. “Though I suppose that makes you the fly, 

doesn’t it?” 

I looked up, scanning the catwalks and support beams. He could be anywhere. “Where is she?” 

“Safe. For now.” His laughter bounced off the walls, coming from multiple directions at once. “Did you really think you could waltz in here and just take her back? Like some kind of fairytale prince?” 

Red laser dots appeared on my chest–three of them, perfectly steady. Sniper sights. I was already dead if Nico wanted me to be. 

“I came alone, just like you asked,” I called out, keeping my voice level despite the rage building in my chest. “Let’s finish this.” 

“Oh, but we haven’t even started yet.” 

A spotlight blazed to life, blinding me temporarily. When my vision cleared, I saw him–Nico standing on a catwalk twenty feet above, casual as if we were meeting for drinks. He’d changed clothes since the video call, now wearing all black like he was going to a funeral. Mine, probably. 

“You know what your problem is, Dominic?” He leaned against the railing, completely relaxed. “You never learned how to lose properly. Al the king, the boss, the man in charge. But everyone falls eventually.” 

“Enough games.” I kept my hands visible, but ready to move. “You want me? Here I am. Let Aria go.” 

“See, that’s where you’re wrong. I don’t just want you dead–any amateur could put a bullet in your head. I want you broken first. I want you to understand what it feels like to lose everything that matters.” 

He pulled something from his pocket. A tablet. The screen lit up, and even from this distance, I could see what was displayed. 

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08.07 

Tue, 24 Jun 

Chapter 192 

Aria. Tied to a chair. Blood on her face. 

“Shall we watch some home movies?” Nico’s finger hovered over the play button. “I think you’ll find them… educational.” 

“Don’t.” The word came out harder than I intended. 

“Oh, but I insist. After all, you missed so much while you were planning your dramatic rescue.” 

He tapped the screen. 

The video began, and every muscle in my body turned to stone. Aria’s face filled the display, bruised and defiant, but I could see the fear in her eyes. Then Nico’s voice, off–camera, saying things that made my vision blur with rage. 

“Stop the recording if you’re uncomfortable,” came Nico’s mocking voice from above. “Though it gets much more interesting from here.” 

The sound that came from the tablet next wasn’t something I’d eve 

strong even as- 

“Turn it off.” My voice was barely human. 

wanted to hear. Aria’s voice, sharp with pain, trying not to scream. Trying to stay 

“But we’re just getting to the good part!” Nico cranked up the volume. “Listen to that. Such a fighter, your little dancer. But everyone breaks eventually.” 

Another sound from the video. Aria trying to muffle her cries, the sound of something striking flesh. My hands clenched into fists so tight my knuckles 

went white. 

“I said turn it off!” 

“Or what? You’ll shoot me?” Nico gestured to the red dots still dancing across my chest. “Go ahead. Pull that gun. See how far you get before my boys turn you into ground beef.” 

The video continued. More sounds I couldn’t bear to hear. Aria’s voice getting weaker, more desperate. And through it all, Nico’s laughter, both from the recording and from his perch above me. 

“You did this to her, you know,” he called down. “If you’d just minded your own business, stayed in your lane, she’d be safe at home with her dying mother. But you had to have her. Had to own her. And now look what your selfishness has cost.” 

Something snapped inside my chest. The careful control I’d maintained my entire adult life, the cold calculation that had kept me alive through countless wars–all of it evaporated in an instant. 

“Where is she?” The words came out like broken glass. 

“Close. But not close enough for you to help her.” Nico paused the video on a frame that showed Aria’s face, streaked with tears she was trying not to shed. “Want to know the beautiful part? She’s still defending you. Still believing you’ll save her. Even after everything I’ve done, she thinks her knight in shining armor is coming.” 

The rage building in my chest felt like molten metal, burning everything in its path. I could feel my heartbeat in my temples, could taste copper on my 

tongue. 

“But here’s the thing about knights,” Nico continued, his voice taking on a philosophical tone. “They always die for their causes. Very romantic. Very 

stupid.” 

He tapped the tablet again, and a new video began. This one was live–I could tell by the timestamp in the corner. Aria, in a different room now, still tied up but conscious. A man I didn’t recognize stood behind her, something metallic glinting in his hand. 

“Say hello to your boyfriend,” Nico called to the camera. 

Aria looked up, and even through the tablet’s small screen, I could see her trying to be brave. Her lips moved, but no sound came through. 

“She’s trying to tell you she’s okay,” Nico translated helpfully. “Sweet girl. Always thinking of others, even when she’s about to–” 

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Chapter 192 

“Enough.” The word exploded from me with enough force to echo through the warehouse. The red laser dots wavered as the snipers adjusted their positions. 

“Oh, now we’re getting somewhere.” Nico’s grin was visible even from this distance. “There’s the monster I’ve been waiting to meet. The real Dominic De Luca, stripped of all pretense.” 

I looked up at him, and whatever he saw in my expression made him step back from the railing. 

“You want to see a monster?” I said, my voice carrying clearly through the cavernous space. “Keep that video running. Keep hurting her.” 

“Is that a threat?” 

“It’s a promise.” I spread my arms wide, showing I wasn’t reaching for my weapon. Yet. “I’ll make you suffer for every second she’s in pain.” 

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