Don In Battle

With the life he led, Gio was used to danger. He had been in, and come out of some pretty hectic situations with only a few scratches, and a good story for the boys. He knew fear, knew its ins and outs and how to push it aside and keep doing what needed to be done despite it. But it turned out, for all Gio knew about fear…he did not know terror. Had never felt it before, up until the moment he heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire, followed swiftly by Elle's panicked screams. Then the line cut and Gio felt as though his world was imploding.

Calm. Steady. Breathe.

"Boss, what do you need?" Benji's voice cut through the fog, and Gio let it.

Calm. Steady. Breathe…act.

Elle was under attack. Elle was in danger. She needed his help, she had been screaming when the call disconnected, that meant she was most likely still alive. He had to act fast or that would no longer be true.

"Send whoever is closest to Big L's position. Tell them to go in hot, and go in fast. She He is under attack. The rest of you, get busy. Get rid of any evidence, double and triple clean this place," Control settled over him, smoothing out the disarray that fear had brought upon his normally calm mind. Once every shred of panic was securely locked away deep within him, Gio felt more capable of dealing with the situation.

He watched the men work, as he made his way to the door. They were moving efficiently, the bodies already stuffed into trash cans were being rolled outside, the cleaning crew swooping in right after the corpses were removed. The first crew had been there to make things look presentable, now they would be getting rid of any DNA.

He left the club barking instructions that he forgot as soon as they left his mouth. Gio was the don, he led his family through wars and got them out. A panicked leader meant a sinking ship. So he held it together. Loading his gun as he drove speeding through the streets. 

He was the first to arrive. Gio knew he was at the location before he even saw it. The sound of gunfire loud in the street, echoing. It would be sure to draw attention, the legal kind.

They had to be done before spectators came. People whose curiosity was greater than their self preservation. People who would see them and then talk to the wrong people about what they had seen. Later, that would be the reasoning Gio used for his actions.

When it came to skirmishes, he usually stayed back. Giving orders from a safe place where he could see the big picture and give an appropriate action to remedy things. But if the situation called for it, Gio could go toe to toe with a raging bear if he had to.

Looking over to where Elle's car was sandwiched between two cars, tires flat, bullets raining down on it. Gio did not hesitate.

To shoot into the car, they had rolled their windows down. Two of the attackers hanging out the window, arms on the roof as they shot.

One breath, Gio reached for his gun and took aim. Two breaths, he squeezed the trigger, the recoil moving through him as he held steady. Three breaths, there were two dead bodies on the street. Blood spattered everywhere, half hanging out of the car.

Four breaths, the remaining attackers in the other car realized reinforcements had come. A bullet whizzed past his head. Five breaths, the shooter joined his comrades, a hole in his chest.

At some point Gio must have left the safety of his car because by the time he got to ten breaths, he was standing over the body of the last assailant. His gun smoking.

Checking one more time to ensure that no one was still standing, Gio made his way over to the car Elle had been in.

It was a wreck.

The windows were gone, the metal body full of holes. He did not want to go closer. The doors remained closed, Elle could either be alive or dead. But if he opened them, he would know for sure.

Schrodinger's cat.

He forced himself forward anyway. Hands steady only through years of practice as he pried the passenger door open.

The first thing he saw was her hair. Fanned out across the seat, shards of glass spread all over it, and his heart sank, eyes roving over her. Searching for the red that would end him. Trying and failing to see if there was blood mixed in with the hair.

"Elle?" He called, voice soft, unsteady.

She moved then. Wide green eyes locking on his and Gio nearly wept. She smiled up at him, beaming like he was the most wonderful thing ever.

"Gio," She breathed, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"Boss," Big L's voice brought him back to his surroundings. And he quashed the soft thing trying to leap out of his chest. Now was not the time.

There was a screech of multiple tires. The reinforcements he had called for finally arriving. Gio did not waste any time. He nodded to the men, then turned to help Elle out of the car, hand settling around her waist. Keeping her close.

"Clean everything up, how long will our guys be able to hold back the police?" It was a tried and tested method. A broken down truck in the middle of the road, slowing the cops while they made their getaway.

"Six minutes," They were looking around at the bodies in shock. Gazes falling on him and then moving to Elle, eyes lighting up like her presence somehow explained everything. Gio did not know what they were thinking and did not care.

"Good, then you have five, to make sure none of this leads to us,"

Still holding Elle close, he led her to his car, and within seconds the bloody street was behind them.