Crimson vows

Chapter 25: Blood Ties

Luca's POV

The drive to the address Marco gave me is long and quiet, winding through darkened roads and under shadowed trees. I'm alone with my thoughts, a mix of cold determination and a flicker of fear. Fear not for myself, but for Valentina. For the life we've built, the dreams we've dared to entertain.

As I pull up to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, I can feel the familiar weight of danger settle over me, sharp and unrelenting. I step out of the car, the gravel crunching beneath my boots, and scan my surroundings. This place is desolate, yet somehow, the silence is thick with anticipation.

I push the door open, slipping into the shadows as I enter. Inside, the vast space is dimly lit, industrial lights casting long shadows across the cracked concrete floors. Every step echoes, reverberating off metal walls and empty crates. I don't see anyone, but I know he's here.

A voice cuts through the silence, deep and taunting.

"Luca DeLuca," it sneers, dripping with mockery. "You really thought you could escape your past?"

I turn slowly, facing the figure emerging from the shadows. Viktor stands across the room, his face twisted into a smug grin. He's younger than Matvey, but there's a cruelty in his eyes, a thirst for power that's unmistakable.

"You should've stayed in hiding," he says, his tone amused, like he's already won. "Now, I'm going to enjoy finishing what Matvey started."

I smirk, though my pulse is thrumming. "Funny. I was thinking the same thing."

Viktor's smile fades, his expression hardening as he realizes I'm not here to beg or to run. I'm here to end this.

Without another word, he signals to his men. Shadows emerge, guns aimed, and the room erupts in chaos. I dive behind a stack of crates, bullets ricocheting off metal and stone, my own weapon cold and steady in my hands. The air is thick with smoke and adrenaline as I move, each shot a calculated strike.

One by one, Viktor's men fall, their bodies slumping to the ground. I move with precision, a skill honed from years of survival, each movement deliberate and deadly. Soon, it's just Viktor and me, the room silent except for the ringing in my ears.

Viktor stands across from me, his face twisted in fury, his gun raised. But he's breathing hard, a sheen of sweat covering his forehead. He knows he's lost. And he's desperate.

"You think this changes anything?" he snarls, his voice unsteady. "There will always be someone else. You can't erase the blood on your hands, Luca."

I take a step forward, my gun steady, my gaze locked on him. "I'm not here to erase anything. I'm here to protect what's mine."

With one final, calculated pull of the trigger, it's over. Viktor crumples, his body hitting the ground with a dull thud, the echoes fading into silence. I let out a slow breath, the tension draining from my shoulders as I stand there, alone in the aftermath.

It's done. It's finally done.

Valentina's POV

I spend the day in restless silence, pacing back and forth in the small kitchen, my mind filled with images of Luca. I don't know where he is or what he's facing, but a part of me can feel it, a pull deep in my chest that tells me he's fighting to come back to me.

Hours pass, each one feeling like an eternity, and as evening falls, worry gnaws at my resolve. I keep looking at the door, willing him to walk through it, to tell me it's over.

Finally, I hear the familiar sound of his car pulling up outside, and relief floods through me. I rush to the door, throwing it open just as Luca steps out, his face tired but victorious.

"Luca," I breathe, crossing the distance between us in seconds. I throw my arms around him, feeling his warmth, his solid presence. "You're safe."

He pulls me close, his arms wrapping around me with a fierce protectiveness. "It's over," he murmurs against my hair, his voice filled with a mixture of exhaustion and relief. "It's finally over."

I pull back, looking up at him, searching his face for any signs of injury. His eyes are weary, but there's a light in them that wasn't there before, a sense of peace that fills me with hope.

He leads me inside, and we settle onto the couch, his arm wrapped around me as he tells me everything. I listen, my heart aching for him, for the man who's carried so much darkness but has fought so hard to bring us to this place of safety.

When he's finished, he turns to me, his gaze steady. "I did this for us, Valentina. So we could finally have a life—a real life."

I reach up, cupping his face in my hands. "And now we do."

A Few Days Later

The house feels lighter now, the shadows lifted, and we settle into our new routine with a sense of ease. The nightmares that once haunted us are gone, replaced by a quiet peace that fills each day with promise.

One evening, as we sit on the porch watching the sun dip below the horizon, Luca takes my hand, his fingers lacing through mine.

"I've been thinking," he says, his voice soft. "About everything we've been through. About what comes next."

I look at him, a small smile playing on my lips. "And what do you see?"

He turns to me, his gaze intense, filled with a vulnerability that makes my heart ache. "I see a future, Valentina. A real one. One where we don't have to hide."

The words hang between us, filled with hope and a quiet determination. And in that moment, I know that we've finally broken free from the past, that we've found something worth fighting for.

He leans in, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips, and I feel a warmth spread through me, a sense of rightness that's impossible to deny. We've been through so much, faced down every demon, and come out the other side stronger.

As the stars begin to fill the sky, we sit there in silence, hand in hand, watching the future unfold before us. And for the first time, I know that we're ready for whatever comes next.

Together.