The Shadow of Valerio

The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder and tension. Luca stood by the table, loading a magazine with sharp, calculated movements. Across from him, Dante leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching with that ever-present smirk.

"You look like you're preparing for the end of the world," Dante mused.

Luca didn't look up. "Maybe I am."

Elena was at the window, her fingers gripping the curtain as she peered outside. Every car that passed made her heart jump, every shadow stretching across the pavement felt like a warning. He's coming.

She turned to Dante. "How much time do we have?"

Dante exhaled, pushing off the wall. "A day. Maybe two."

Luca's head snapped up. "And you're just telling us this now?"

Dante shrugged. "Didn't want to ruin the mood."

Luca slammed a magazine onto the table. "You son of a—"

Elena stepped between them. "Not now."

Dante smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Relax, princesa. I have a plan."

Elena folded her arms. "Let's hear it."

Dante tilted his head. "Simple. We don't wait for Valerio to come to us. We go to him."

Luca's jaw tightened. "That's suicide."

Dante grinned. "Only if we're stupid."

Elena felt her stomach tighten. "Where is he?"

Dante's smirk faded. "The old club. Inferno."

Luca cursed under his breath. "Of course he'd be there."

Inferno had been their sanctuary once—before it became a battlefield. It was where Elena had first met Valerio. It was where she had first learned what real fear felt like.

Elena's voice was steady, but her hands curled into fists. "Then we go tonight."

Luca turned to her sharply. "Elena—"

"No." She met his gaze, unwavering. "I'm not running. Not anymore."

Dante chuckled. "Now that is the woman I fell for."

Luca moved so fast that Dante barely had time to react before he was shoved against the wall, Luca's forearm pressing against his throat.

"Say something like that again, and I swear to God—"

"Enough!" Elena's voice snapped through the air like a whip.

Luca's grip tightened before he finally let go, stepping back with a glare.

Dante coughed, rubbing his throat. "You're fun."

Elena turned away, grabbing a gun from the table. "We leave in an hour."

Dante grinned. "I do love a good reunion."

Luca exhaled, gripping the edge of the table. He wasn't sure who he hated more—Dante or the man they were about to face.

But one thing was certain.

By the time the sun rose, Inferno would be covered in blood.

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Next Chapter: Inferno Burns—Elena, Luca, and Dante walk into the lion's den. But Valerio has been waiting for them, and nothing will go as planned.