The night he took me away

Chapter 48

Matteo

"I didn't."
The way she said was so...confidently that made me believe that her feelings for me are definitely gone. Probably I had lost her years ago and I'm finally seeing it until now.
The words made my heart bleed that something inside of me changed. All these four years that I've been beside her when she takes care of Kiara, I saw the Ava I used to know. The gentle. The kind one. The innocent and pure one.
But there were a few lapses when I saw the hint of anger and cravenness for killing in Ava's eyes, I realized that Francesco was responsible. He made her that way.
       Sometimes I caught them practicing in the basement when they got locked in there, over and over again. But I must admit that she looked stronger and fearless.
      Yet I still didn't trust Francesco with her no matter how many times he hid his feelings or over-showed his protectiveness for her, there was something in him that unsettled me.
      "They need you on the dwelling. Some motherfuckers want to take our guns and drugs. Antonio is already there, you'll have to take Francesco with you. We need men." One of Alfonso's guard, can't remember his name, said aggressively.
        "Where's Erik?"
    He handed me a gun.
        "Handling other matters with boss."
   I nod and turned my back on him to look for Francesco. "Careful with him, Matteo. Keep your eyes open, " he said as I walked away.
'Careful.'
   Ha-ha yeah right.
      I run towards Boss office and gladly found him there.
      "We need to leave."
    I returned to the main door at a quick pace as he followed. "What's wrong?"
       "They are stealing your father's drugs and guns." I glance at him. "We need to stop them."
     His eyebrows furrow and twitch as he looks at me with doubtful and hateful eyes. He gives a simple nod and begins to walk away.
        "Is Erik going?"
        "No," I said firmly as I walked at his side after following him from behind.
     I glance at the stairs as we passed them at our side.
       "You're not worried about leaving them alone?"
  I ask referring to Ava and Kiara.
       "Ava can defend herself and Kiara. She's well trained and can maneuver skillfully any object to kill any men that get near her."
       "But what if it doesn't go as a plan?"
   I clench my jaw, annoyed that he didn't even protest or argue to stay instead to watch over them. Even though Ava protects herself and her daughter, I wouldn't even let them out of my sight.
For God's sake, we are living with murderous people. That want her. Desire her. Crave for her blood. And yet here he is unworried.
        "Then I'll kill them all. Kill all who attempt to harm my wife or my daughter, " he said bitterly but confidently.
Good. Cause if he doesn't then I will.
         We entered the car and I began to drive through the dark streets, empty and filled with fear. We remained silent and I began to wonder why he hadn't asked me to give him a gun or something.
      I don't mind actually, because I'm afraid he might use it against me. As they say, he is the best one of us all. But what surprises me is that he hasn't done anything.
Absolutely nothing against his father or his men. Me?
Just a few things but always to defend Ava, not even himself. I'm beginning to think that he is too susceptible. I haven't even seen anything similar to the man they have told me. That murderous and insensitive man.
Yet I must admit that I have seen a few glimpses of it, but not all.
      The whole drive was completely silent. I kept glancing at him a few times but he just kept a critical face on the road.
    A few minutes passed by, and from the distance, I could see that the motherfuckers actually started a fire on one side of the cellar. A few cars arrived and our men began to shoot through the air, making both of us, lower ourselves to avoid any bullet going through our skull.
     "Do you even know how to use a gun?" Francesco humorously says as he notices my trembling hands on it.
One thing I will always hate are guns.
     "I'm better at fighting."
     "We'll see about that."
   Suddenly he opens the door and skillfully takes the gun out of my hands and aims at three men running towards him. He points at them, kills them all in a matter of seconds.
     "Try not to get killed." He nods at me and runs in the opposite direction, making me lose track of him.
     I try to see where he goes but a bullet makes me jump in my seat from the sound.
      "We hold more power than you!" someone yelled. "And now here we are after you stole fucking stocks from us!"
    I quickly open my door and hide behind the car. My heart pulsing as fast as it can.
       "We are going to take everything from you as you did with us!"
      Suddenly I heard footsteps running towards me and before I could turn around, there was a slight pain in my arm. A traced line of blood.
      "Show what you are made of!" he yelled.
  He moved his knife sideways meanwhile, he took a few steps forward. I took advantage of the moment and landed my first punch in his jaw. He lost his balance for a bit, but his next punches got fiercely. His knife cut me on the chest and twice on the arm, but not that deeply to avoid me continuing fighting against him. As soon as he lifted it again, I made him lose air, grabbed his knife, and introduced it on his skin until he groaned painfully next to my ear.
      My eyes finally darted to the cellar, fire expanding on the ceiling.
       That's when I ran towards it, to at least save our merchandise left. Gladly, I found a few of Alfonso's men that began taking them into a truck. Drugs I mean. And a few guns, rifles, revolvers, etc.
     "Matteo get in and see if —"
   Shot.
      The guy fell in front of me, and then I was aimed as a target. The other guys left were shot as well.
      "Kill him!" a tall, bald man with a green jacket screamed.
    I began running, adrenaline going through my veins and my lungs that felt they were going to come out of my chest at any minute. Suddenly I was pushed to the ground and one of them began to choke me with a chain around my neck.
    I gasped for air and tried to hurt him with my fingers but it was impossible. My eyes widened and my vision was about to turn black but the guy behind me finally fell after the shot that came from my right side.
     I coughed heavily as I looked at my surroundings and noticed Francesco with my gun.
He shot him.
     But fell when a bullet ripped through his leg. He groaned in pain and knockdown on the ground.  Surprisingly, he still managed to shoot at the others as he bent on his knees.
    I crawled towards him as I glanced at the others running towards us.
       "Come on!" I placed his arm around my neck and helped him to stand up, which he did forcibly.
     All his went landed on my own. I didn't mind at the beginning because I was too focused on my throat pain. It was until then it hit me.
       "Let's hurry!" I said breathlessly.
    We finally hid in the grove, near our rivals, Francesco immediately falling to the floor, breathing heavily. He ripped a strip off his shirt and tighten it around his leg, the same one that was covered in dark blood.
      The smell went through my nostrils and I didn't mind cause throughout these years I came used to it.
         "I thought you ran away, " I say breathlessly as I took a seat in front of him, with more distance, leaning at a tree.
         "I wouldn't do that to my wife and daughter. I wouldn't let them live in hell for the rest of their lives." He closes his eyes and flinches at the pain in his leg.
         "I know. I just thought you ran away to get the chance of getting help from someone else. Allies maybe."
      He laughs bitterly. "Who would ever do that? Not even my own men would want to defy my father."
         "I would, " I finally say. "To save her."
     He tilts his head and smirks.
         "First true love. Never forgotten." He sighs. "It amazes me how she could made us feel. A cold-hearted capo that has been beaten for his whole life and a millionaire boy that likes to spend daddy's money."
        I sniffer. "You want me to pity you?"
          "I want you to recognize who you are talking to."
          "A boy that has been suffering in silence and always wanted to be loved or a cruel asshole that doesn't even flinch when he kills someone?"
        He smiles. "The same one that will kill you if you touch his family."
       I roll my eyes.
            "But will do anything for them."
      I furrow my eyebrows.
            "So if you are willing to help me, I'll accept it. At least if I die trying, I'll know they will be in good hands, " he continues.
            "What if I betray you? You trust me that easily?"
            "You won't." He groans as he moves into a comfortable position for his bleeding leg. "You love her way too much to do it."
      I smile. "Yeah, you're right in that."
            "Bet you're wishing for my death."
       I finally laugh and straightened at the same time. "Not yet."
      I help him to stand up. "For now I won't let you bleed out and die."
        He groaned in pain and I must admit I enjoyed it. The hate I felt towards him remained but now I felt a bit more relaxed knowing he loved Ava and Kiara at that level of even killing without hesitation.
Fucking psycho.
  I used to think of the idea. But now all I felt was relief at those words.
They are safe under his protection.
    

For now...