Veil of Shadows

Chapter Ten- Lucas

The storm raged on, the kind of tempest that felt like the world was ending. Rain hammered the streets, turning the asphalt into a slick, reflective surface that mirrored the chaos brewing inside me. Every drop that hit my skin was a reminder of what was at stake, a countdown to the carnage I was about to unleash. Evie's plan was a fucking masterpiece of brutality—a perfect reflection of the cold, ruthless woman she'd become. And tonight, we were going to send a message that the Morettis weren't to be fucked with.

But it wasn't the rain or the mission that had me on edge. It was her. Evie. The way she looked at me before she walked out of the training room, her eyes like shards of ice, cutting right through me. There was something beneath that cold exterior, something that twisted me up inside. I wanted to rip through her defenses, break down those walls, and claim what was mine. But that wasn't going to happen tonight. Not while the Giovannis were still breathing.

"Lucas, we're in position," one of my men whispered through the earpiece. His voice was steady, but I could hear the underlying tension.

"Good. Let's fucking do this," I growled, shaking off the thoughts of Evie that were clawing at my mind. I couldn't afford to be distracted, not here, not now. Distractions would get me killed, and then where would that leave her? Alone, with those sick fucks breathing down her neck. No fucking way.

We moved like shadows through the rain, blending into the darkness. The warehouse loomed ahead, a massive structure that reeked of the Giovanni scum we were here to take down. The guards were nothing but obstacles in our way, and we removed them with the kind of cold efficiency that left bodies on the ground before they even knew what hit them.

I grabbed one by the throat, slamming his head into the concrete with enough force to crack his skull. The sound was drowned out by the storm, but the satisfaction of watching the life drain from his eyes was all mine. I wiped the blood off on his shirt and kept moving, the adrenaline pumping through my veins like a fucking drug.

As we reached the warehouse, I felt that familiar itch, the one that told me shit was about to hit the fan. This was too easy. Too fucking quiet. And I hated being right.

Inside, the air was thick with the smell of oil and sweat, the kind of stench that clung to your clothes and followed you home. We moved through the shadows, slipping past the few men patrolling the area. But as we neared the center, where the crates of weapons were supposed to be, I knew we were walking into a trap.

"Lucas," one of my men hissed, his voice tight with fear. "This doesn't feel right."

"Shut the fuck up and keep moving," I snapped back, but my gut was screaming at me that something was off.

And then I saw him. Marco Giovanni. A fucking monster of a man, built like a tank, with a face that looked like it had been carved out of stone. He stepped out of the shadows with a smirk that made my blood boil.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Moretti lapdog," Marco sneered, his voice like gravel, dripping with condescension. "Did you really think you could just stroll in here and take what's ours?"

I felt the rage building inside me, a dark, violent thing that I barely kept in check. "You're already dead, Marco. You just don't know it yet."

He laughed, a deep, guttural sound that made me want to shove my fist down his throat. "Big talk from a little dog. Let's see if you can back it up."

I didn't need any more provocation. I lunged at him, and all hell broke loose.

The fight was savage, a brutal clash of flesh and bone that echoed through the warehouse. Marco was strong—stronger than I remembered—but I wasn't about to let him take me down. Not tonight. Not with Evie depending on me.

He landed a punch that sent me staggering back, my vision going white for a second, but I shook it off. Pain was just part of the job. I felt the warm trickle of blood down my side where he'd slashed me with a knife, but I pushed it aside. I didn't have time to bleed. I had to end this.

With a snarl, I drove my knee into his gut, forcing the air out of his lungs in a wheeze. He staggered, and I took the opportunity to grab his knife and plunge it into his side. The look of shock on his face was fucking priceless.

"You think you can touch her? You think you can even fucking look at her?" I snarled, twisting the blade. "You're nothing, you piece of shit. You don't get to breathe the same air as her."

Marco gasped, blood bubbling up from his mouth as he crumpled to the ground, the life draining out of him. I stood over him, panting, the storm outside raging as violently as the storm inside me. But I wasn't done yet.

I yanked the knife out of his body and looked around the warehouse. The crates, the men still standing, they were all just pieces in a game that was about to end in flames.

"Burn it all," I ordered, my voice hard and cold. There was no room for mercy tonight. No room for anything but destruction.

The team moved quickly, setting the place ablaze, the flames licking at the walls and consuming everything in their path. But before we left, I had one last thing to do.

I crouched down by Marco's body, the knife still slick with his blood, and carved a message into the floorboards. Stay the fuck away from her.

It wasn't just a warning. It was a death sentence for anyone who thought they could come for Evie. She was mine to protect, and I'd fucking kill anyone who thought otherwise.

As we walked out into the storm, the warehouse engulfed in flames behind us, I knew this wasn't over. The Giovanni's would retaliate, and things were going to get bloodier before they got better. But as long as Evie was safe, as long as she was still standing, I didn't give a shit how many bodies I had to drop.

I had to survive this. For her. No matter how much blood I had to spill along the way.