Calypso

Nico

The ringing in my ears had barely subsided, and I was in a race against time as I moved quickly with Nova in my arms. I could feel the warmth of blood pool in my palm from her side as I rushed through the backyard, ignoring the chaos around me. Many of the attendees were fleeing, and sirens could be heard in the distance. I knew the sound of gunshots wouldn't go unnoticed here. It was usually tranquil and quiet, but that quiet was shattered with the events that unfolded today. I immediately turned toward Aurelio as we reached the house, carefully placing an unconscious Nova in his arms. "Get her to the infirmary at the house. Gianna should already be on her way there. Alessandro, go with Aurelio. Dad, you're with me." Alessandro followed Aurelio out the door as me and dad wanted for Detective Perez to arrive. He was the lead detective in this area, and worked closely with us when needed. And I was going to need him to make sure this incident wasn't made public. The yells and screams had subsided, leaving a quiet stillness in the air that vibrated to my bones. Elio and Lucia were dead. Assassinated during a pivotal turning point for the Cosa Nostra. I looked over at dad, who was pale, eyes glistening as he swallowed deeply. I instantly slid to his side, offering comfort that I knew he didn't feel at the moment. His good friend was gone. We stood there for a while in silence, both deep in thought. "Domenico Mancini. Victor Mancini." I heard the voice grumbling from behind us. I

Dad and I both turned watching as Detective Perez sauntered up to us. "I'm sorry about your loss." He said, genuine sympathy evident in his gaze as he reached us, his dark brown eyes watching us closely.

I simply nodded in response. His gaze lingered on me, causing me to look down at my appearance. The blood stain on my suit jacket was a stark reminder of what happened today. I hadn't even paid attention to the condition of my clothes. I looked back up at Perez. "Came from an injured person. They're being taken care of." He nodded, seemingly satisfied with the explanation.

"I'm working on a spin story so we can keep this under wraps as you asked." He said. I had called him after the chaos somewhat died down, not wanting some low level cops coming and snooping around. "Jax has already been informed to perform the autopsies. He'll get the report in a few hours." The man shared before venturing toward the back of the house. I had a few men stay behind to help clean up the garden and the house. I fleetingly wondered where the hell Rocco was, but I honestly didn't care at the moment. Dad and I waited, opting to linger in the living room as Elio and Lucia's bodies were placed on gurneys in body bags and taken off the property. I had a few men stay to clean up the bodies of the dead gunmen and have their remains burned at another location. Soon after, me and dad were in a dark Cadillac truck headed back to our mansion not too far from the area.

I immediately called Alessandro. "How is she?" I didn't need to explain who she was.

"Nova will be fine. Gianna said she lost a lot of blood, but her injuries were grazes so she'll recover." I was relieved by the news despite the stress of everything else.

"What about our prisoner?" I asked. I had a few of my men take him to our basement in our estate at the same time I grabbed Nova after she collapsed.

"Not talking. But we do know the guy is russian." He revealed.

"Russian?" I exclaimed, aware of dad's pensive gaze on me.

"Yep. I also figured out how they got in. Security was disabled right before the incident. The person tried to cover their access code by disabling it from another device, but I was able to get a trace.

"Who?" I asked curtly.

"Romeo Barone." One of my men caused this to happen. The string of betrayal caused ice to flow through my veins.