Chapter 19 - The Blood Tie
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The blinding glare of the halogen spotlights turned the rain into a curtain of silver static. Matteo instinctively threw his right arm across Lena, pushing her down in her seat.
“Stay down,” he commanded, his voice devoid of panic, operating entirely on lethal instinct. He drew the heavy automatic pistol from his hip.
The doors of the black SUVs swung open, and heavily armed men stepped out into the rain. They didn't fire. They simply formed a barricade.
A figure emerged from the center of the blockade. He walked slowly, leaning heavily on an ornate silver cane. He wore a tailored European suit, completely unfazed by the downpour.
Matteo opened his door and stepped out into the headlights, keeping his pistol leveled at the man’s chest.
“Luca,” Matteo said. The name tasted like ash in his mouth.
Luca Rossi smiled. It was a charming, aristocratic smile that looked completely out of place on a dark highway. He looked older, his hair silver at the temples, a pronounced limp in his right leg—a permanent reminder of the bullet Matteo had given him ten years ago.
“Little brother,” Luca called out over the rain. “You look terrible. Retirement doesn't suit you.”
“You set Victor up,” Matteo shouted back, refusing to lower his weapon. “You sent those thugs to the diner. You gave him the address to my house. Why? If you wanted me dead, you could have hired a sniper three years ago.”
“I didn't want you dead, Matteo!” Luca laughed, leaning on his cane. “Death is too easy. You stole my throne. You drove me out of my own country. You got to play the hero and retire with a beautiful wife, while I lived in exile, limping like a crippled dog.”
Luca gestured to his armed men. “I didn't want to kill you. I wanted to drag you back into the mud. I wanted to force you to become the monster you pretended to hate. And look at you. Covered in blood, pointing a gun at your own flesh and blood. You're a killer, Matteo. Just like me.”
“Let my wife go, Luca,” Matteo said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “She has nothing to do with our family’s sins.”
“She has everything to do with it!” Luca snapped, his smile vanishing. “She is your weakness. You think you can just walk away from this life? The life always claims its due.”
Luca raised a hand, signaling his men to raise their rifles.
“Drop the gun, Matteo. Or we shred the car with the waitress inside.”
Matteo looked back at the sedan. He could see Lena through the rain-streaked windshield. She wasn't cowering. She was looking at him with absolute trust.
Matteo slowly lowered his pistol, dropping it onto the wet asphalt. He raised his hands.
May you like
“Good boy,” Luca sneered. “Now, get on your knees.”
Matteo slowly lowered himself to the wet pavement. He had played every card. He had run out of options.
