Chapter 22 – No Mercy, No Escape
The faint hum of generators filled the underground vault. Red emergency lights bathed the room in a hellish glow. The maps displayed on the central screen pulsed with blips—locations of ongoing fires, gang movements, police barricades... and one signal glowing brighter than anything else.
The Raven.
A yacht. Docked at Palermo Harbor.
Luciano's eyes burned with something darker than rage—purpose. Cold, calculated, merciless purpose.
"Are we ready?" he asked, voice sharp as a blade.
Sergio slammed a loaded magazine into his rifle. "Fully loaded."
Marco grinned. "The boys are itching for blood."
Valentina's voice crackled through the comms. "Confirmed. The Raven's yacht is surrounded by a private security force. Ex-military. Snipers on the cranes. Drones in the air. It's a fortress."
Luciano's lips curved into a smirk. "Good. Makes it more satisfying."
---
Ariana gripped his arm, pulling him aside. "Luciano... are you sure about this?"
His hand cupped her face, thumb brushing her lips. "This doesn't end until he's dead."
Her voice trembled. "Then come back to me. Alive."
"I always do." He pressed his lips to her forehead. "You stay here. Vault's sealed. No one gets in."
"I should be with you."
"No." His grip tightened. "If anything happens to me… you survive."
She caught his wrist. "Nothing happens to you. You hear me? Nothing."
Their eyes locked—promise, fear, love, and fury swirling between them.
Luciano kissed her hard, as if it were the last time.
Then he turned—face of stone, eyes of a killer.
"Let's go."
---
Palermo Harbor – 3:47 AM
Smoke curled from distant fires. The harbor was lit by the orange glow of chaos. The Raven's yacht, a sleek black leviathan named Oblivion, sat in the water like a predator waiting to pounce.
Sergio clicked the safety off his rifle. "Snipers on the north crane. Drones circling west."
Marco scanned through his binoculars. "Ground patrol, twelve men, rotating every sixty seconds."
Luciano stood still, watching it all. "Then we move fast."
---
The Assault Begins
Valentina's signal flared over comms. "Drone jammer active."
The buzz of enemy drones faltered—then died.
Pop—pop—pop. Silenced shots. Snipers dropped one by one, their bodies tumbling from the cranes like rag dolls.
Marco and Sergio flanked left, cutting through ground patrol with surgical precision.
Luciano moved like a ghost. One man stepped into his path—snap. Neck broken before the man even realized he was being attacked.
Another raised a gun—pop. A bullet between the eyes.
---
Aboard Oblivion
The Raven stood by the panoramic glass window, swirling whiskey in his hand, watching the flames lick the city.
A guard burst in, panicked. "Sir! We have contact—multiple hostiles—"
Pop. The guard's head exploded before he could finish.
Luciano walked through the blown doors, gun smoking. His gaze locked on The Raven.
"Didn't think I'd come, did you?" Luciano growled.
The Raven set his glass down, completely calm. "I knew you'd come. You're predictable."
Luciano stalked forward, boots echoing against the marble floors. "Then you also know you won't leave this yacht alive."
The Raven laughed softly. "You think this ends with me? You kill me, ten more will take my place."
Luciano's eyes glinted. "Then I'll kill ten more."
---
Gunfire erupted.
Guards flooded into the room—pop-pop-pop. Luciano's pistols barked, dropping them in rapid succession.
Sergio stormed in from the side—shotgun blast—BOOM. Three men hit the wall.
Marco fired from the doorway, covering fire precise, controlled.
Smoke. Blood. Screams.
When the dust cleared—only one man remained standing.
Luciano.
---
Face to Face
The Raven backed toward the desk, pulling a sleek pistol. "You won't shoot me."
Luciano leveled his gun. "Why?"
"Because you need me. You think you end me, but you still don't know the real secret." The Raven's smile twisted. "I'm not the top. I never was."
Luciano's brow ticked. "Lies."
"Check the folder on the desk." The Raven's hands lifted. "Do it."
For a split second, curiosity won. Luciano flicked open the leather-bound folder.
Inside—photos. Names. Bank accounts. A network sprawling beyond The Raven. A shadow syndicate that even The Raven answered to.
Luciano's jaw tightened. "...You're serious."
The Raven smiled. "You kill me… the real demons come knocking."
Luciano's gun stayed level.
"I don't care."
The Raven's smile faded. "Wait—"
BANG.
The bullet punched straight through The Raven's forehead. His body crumpled backward, glass shattering behind him as his corpse fell.
Luciano stood over him, breath steady. "I said... this ends with you."
---
Fire Consumes the Yacht
Luciano planted charges. As he and his men exited, flames roared behind them. The Oblivion became a floating inferno.
Sergio exhaled. "It's done."
Marco grinned. "Damn right it is."
Luciano stared at the burning ship. "No... it's just begun."
---
Back at the Vault
Ariana waited—pacing, hands trembling. The sound of approaching footsteps made her spin.
The door opened—and there he was.
Luciano.
Alive. Blood-splattered. Bruised. But alive.
She ran. He caught her mid-sprint, lifting her off the ground. Their mouths crashed together—desperation, relief, love—all tangled.
"You're okay," she whispered against his lips.
"I promised, didn't I?"
She gripped his face. "Tell me it's over."
His gaze darkened. "It's over... with The Raven."
A pause.
"But there's a bigger war coming."
Her heart pounded. "Then... we fight it. Together."
Luciano smiled against her lips. "Damn right we do."