Taken by the Mafia ✧⁠*⁠。

Episode 25

Perth sat in the passenger seat of Jeff's car, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, but his mind was racing. He couldn’t shake off the gnawing feeling creeping over him, a sense of dread that something was terribly wrong. His heart pounded harder with each passing moment, and finally, he couldn’t stay silent any longer.

"Jeff," Perth’s voice was tight with worry, "I feel like something bad is going to happen."

Jeff glanced over at him, concern flickering in his eyes. "What do you mean? What’s wrong?"

Perth’s gut twisted. He didn’t know exactly what it was, but the unease only grew stronger. "I don’t know...but I need you to drive faster."

Without hesitation, Jeff pressed down on the gas pedal, the car speeding down the road. The mansion was only minutes away now, but for Perth, it felt like an eternity.

As they rounded the corner and pulled up to the front of the mansion, Perth’s worst fears were realized. His breath caught in his throat. In the dim light, he could see a group of men dragging Santa and Barcode out of the mansion, their struggles futile against the force of their captors.

"Shit!" Perth cursed under his breath.

Without thinking, he and Jeff jumped out of the car, moving in sync as they both reached for their guns. The evening air was thick with tension, but there was no time for hesitation. They had to act fast.

Perth raised his gun, his hand steady as he fired off several shots at the workers restraining Santa and Barcode. One by one, the workers dropped to the ground, but more were coming, surrounding them.

Jeff, barking orders into his phone, called for backup. "Everyone, to the front door now! We’ve got enemies at the mansion!"

As Jeff’s workers rushed in to support them, the scene erupted into chaos. Perth moved like lightning, holstering his gun for a moment as he switched tactics. He charged at the nearest worker, his fist connecting hard with the man’s face. The worker staggered back, but Perth didn’t give him a chance to recover. He slammed him into the ground with brutal efficiency.

Jeff, meanwhile, was locked in his own battle, taking down one of the intruders with a swift kick to the ribs, knocking the wind out of him. The fight was fierce, and though Jeff and Perth were outnumbered, they fought with the ferocity of men defending everything they cared about.

Perth felt a surge of adrenaline as he spotted the worker holding Santa. Without hesitation, he pulled out his knife and charged at the man. The worker saw him coming and pushed Santa away, preparing to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Perth didn’t slow down. With a deadly precision, he slashed at the worker’s arm, forcing him to drop his weapon. The man tried to punch Perth, but Perth dodged easily, retaliating with a brutal knee to the gut, followed by a blow that sent the worker crashing to the ground.

Santa, breathless and shaken, staggered back, watching Perth as he fought like a man possessed. Perth glanced over at him briefly, his voice rough but gentle. "Go inside, Santa!"

Meanwhile, Jeff had managed to free Barcode, but not without cost. The worker Jeff was fighting pulled out a concealed knife and plunged it into Jeff’s side. Jeff’s breath caught in pain, but he didn’t retreat. He gritted his teeth, grabbing the man by the collar and slamming his fist into his face, again and again, until the worker crumpled to the ground.

Perth, catching sight of Jeff’s injury, felt a flash of panic, but there was no time to check on him. Another worker rushed at Perth, but before the man could reach him, Perth raised his gun and fired, taking him down with a clean shot.

The fight was nearing its end, but suddenly, a hissing sound filled the air. Smoke bombs. Thick clouds of smoke billowed through the front yard, obscuring everything. Perth coughed, his vision blurring as the smoke surrounded him. He could barely see Jeff through the haze, and panic gripped him as he realized what was happening.