Chapter Twenty

The sirens wailed in the distance, a chilling reminder that the chaos unfolding within the room was about to spill over into something far worse. Marco dragged Antonio out with a sense of urgency that even Sarah hadn't seen in him before, his eyes darting nervously between the door and Adrian. The tension hung in the air like thick smoke, suffocating, making every movement feel like it carried the weight of an inevitable end.

Adrian's eyes were locked on Rossi, whose smug smile had returned, though his posture had tensed. The two men were like predators circling each other, neither willing to break first. Sarah could sense that this wasn't a mere power play—something deeper lay beneath the surface, something she couldn't quite grasp yet.

"Adrian," Marco called out, his voice laced with frustration as he pulled Antonio along. "We don't have time for this. If those sirens get here—"

Adrian didn't move. His focus was entirely on Rossi, the gun still concealed beneath his jacket. He didn't have to say anything; the look on his face said it all. Rossi might have shown up unannounced, but Adrian wasn't going to be pushed around in his own house.

Damian Rossi, for all his bravado, wasn't a fool. His eyes shifted to Sarah briefly, and she felt the weight of his attention like a shiver crawling down her spine. There was something unsettling about the way he looked at her—not just as a pawn in this deadly game, but as if he knew something about her she didn't.

"You always did have a flair for theatrics, DeLuca," Rossi said, leaning back against the doorframe casually, as if they weren't standing on the edge of an explosive situation. "But this time, you're not the one holding all the cards."

Adrian's lips curled into a faint smile, though there was no warmth behind it. "I've never needed all the cards to win."

Sarah felt a surge of unease wash over her. The back-and-forth between these two men wasn't just banter—it was the language of people who were used to manipulating, controlling, and playing long games. She realized then that whatever had brought Rossi here wasn't just about Antonio, or even about her father. This went much deeper, and Adrian was far more entangled than she had imagined.

Rossi pushed off the doorframe, straightening up, his smile fading. "You think you've got this under control, don't you? But you've forgotten one thing. You can't protect everyone, DeLuca."

Sarah's breath caught. She didn't need Rossi to spell out what he meant. She knew. He wasn't talking about her. He wasn't even talking about Adrian.

He was talking about the people outside, the people who had no idea what was about to unfold.

For a moment, Adrian's face flickered with something like hesitation, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. His hand gripped the gun tighter.

"I protect what's mine," Adrian said, his voice colder than she'd ever heard it. "And you've crossed the line."

Rossi chuckled, low and mocking. "I'll be curious to see how long that lasts."

Without warning, the door behind Rossi burst open again, and another one of his men rushed in, panting and wide-eyed. "Boss," the man gasped, "the cops—"

Rossi didn't even turn around. "Deal with them."

The man hesitated, clearly unnerved. "There's more of them than we thought."

A flicker of irritation crossed Rossi's face. "Then improvise."

As the man scrambled back outside, Marco glanced at Adrian, his impatience growing. "We have to move, now."

Adrian finally broke his gaze from Rossi, nodding to Marco. "Get them to the car."

Sarah didn't wait for a second instruction. She grabbed Antonio's arm and began to move, Marco ushering them through the door. Her mind was racing, every thought a tangle of fear and confusion. Who was Rossi really? What was this all about? And why had Adrian seemed so shaken when Rossi mentioned protection?

The hallway outside was dimly lit, the shadows stretching long and dark like the secrets that seemed to surround Adrian at every turn. As they reached the stairwell, Sarah could hear the distant sounds of shouting and more footsteps approaching.

Marco leaned in close, his voice low but sharp. "Keep your head down, Sarah. We're not out of this yet."

They descended the stairs quickly, the weight of Antonio's injured body slowing them down. Sarah glanced back, her mind still replaying the scene upstairs. Adrian had always been controlled, calculating, but something about Rossi had rattled him. It wasn't fear, not exactly, but there had been a moment—a brief, fleeting moment—when Adrian had looked vulnerable.

And that terrified her.

By the time they reached the garage, the sirens were louder, closer. Marco shoved the door open and practically threw Antonio into the backseat of a sleek black sedan, his eyes scanning the area for any sign of trouble.

Sarah slid in beside Antonio, her mind whirling as Marco took the driver's seat. "What about Adrian?" she asked, glancing back toward the building.

Marco didn't look at her. "He'll be fine," he muttered, starting the engine. "He always is."

But Sarah wasn't convinced. There was something different about tonight. Something that told her this wasn't just another skirmish in Adrian's world of control and dominance.

As they sped out of the garage, the city lights flashing by in a blur, Sarah couldn't shake the feeling that Rossi's arrival had shifted the game in ways she couldn't yet understand. And for the first time, she wondered if Adrian truly had everything under control.

They drove in silence, the tension inside the car thick enough to choke on. Antonio groaned softly beside her, his face pale and slick with sweat. Sarah pressed a hand to his wound, trying to stem the bleeding, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Adrian and the confrontation with Rossi.

What had he meant, Sarah wondered, about Adrian not being able to protect everyone?

The car jerked suddenly as Marco swerved onto a side street, cutting through the maze of city roads with practiced precision. But just as Sarah thought they were getting away clean, a deafening screech of tires tore through the air.

Marco cursed under his breath, glancing into the rearview mirror. "We've got company."

Sarah turned to look, her stomach lurching. A dark SUV was barreling down the street behind them, its headlights like a pair of hungry eyes in the night, closing in fast.

Panic surged through her veins, but before she could speak, Marco gritted his teeth and floored the accelerator.

The car shot forward, the engine roaring as they raced down the narrow streets, but the SUV stayed close, relentless.

Sarah's heart pounded in her chest, her grip tightening on Antonio. They couldn't outrun them, and she knew it. But what was worse, she didn't know who was behind that SUV.

Adrian's enemies? Rossi's men? Or someone far more dangerous?

As the SUV drew closer, Sarah's breath caught in her throat.

And then, without warning, the first bullet shattered the rear window.