The Deadliest Betrayal

The door burst open before Luca could react. Armed men flooded the cabin, their guns trained on them.

Evelyn spun, reaching for her weapon—too slow. A rifle's cold barrel pressed against her temple.

"Don't," a voice murmured behind her.

Luca clenched his fists as Killian stepped inside, his presence sucking the air from the room. Dressed in black, his face unreadable, he carried the same calm that had made him the most feared man in the city.

Killian's gaze settled on Dante. "Did you really think you could run?"

Dante spat blood onto the floor. "Go to hell."

Killian smirked. "I already own it."

The tension in the room thickened, but Luca wasn't looking at Killian anymore. His eyes locked onto the man standing just behind him.

Henry.

His closest friend. The man he trusted with his life.

Holding a gun.

Pointed at him.

Luca's world tilted. "Tell me this is a joke."

Henry's expression remained cold. "You should've picked the winning side, Luca."

Betrayal had never burned this deep.

Evelyn inhaled sharply, her body stiffening beside him. She had fought alongside Henry, trusted him. Had he been playing them from the start?

Killian stepped closer, his voice smooth. "You've been a thorn in my side for too long, Luca. But I'm nothing if not merciful." He tilted his head. "Give me Evelyn, and you walk out of here alive."

Luca's pulse pounded in his ears. "Over my dead body."

Killian chuckled. "That was the other option."

The room exploded into motion.

Evelyn elbowed the man holding her gunpoint, twisting out of his grasp. Luca lunged for Henry, their fists colliding as chaos erupted. Gunfire tore through the cabin, wood splintering, men shouting.

Dante, still weak, barely dodged a bullet as he grabbed a fallen knife. Evelyn kicked a chair into one of the guards, disarming him in a heartbeat.

Luca swung at Henry, rage fueling his strength. "You were my brother!"

Henry blocked, his expression unreadable. "And you were a fool."

Their fists connected again. Years of friendship turned to ashes.

Killian, untouched in the mayhem, simply stepped back, watching them like a king surveying his battlefield.

Then, as if bored, he pulled out his gun.

Pointed it at Evelyn.

Luca saw the moment Killian's finger tightened on the trigger.

And time slowed.

A choice. Kill Henry… or save Evelyn.

His body moved before his mind could catch up.

He chose her.

Diving, he tackled Evelyn to the ground just as the bullet fired. Pain ripped through him.

Evelyn screamed his name.

Luca hit the floor, blood pooling beneath him.

The world blurred.

Killian's laughter echoed. "Wrong choice."

Evelyn's hands were on him, pressing against his wound, but he couldn't focus.

The last thing he saw before darkness took him—

Henry, standing over him. Expression unreadable. Gun still in hand.

—

Next Chapter: Love in the Face of Death