Her Capture, His Desire

Chapter 19

A/N ; the beginning of this chapter contains description of blood, killing and heavy violence overall.

                   A Crack In The Glass; Pt2
                                            ★
"Who the fuck is that?" Anthony practically growled,his gaze flicked to Louis, his expression betraying his confusion.

He never took his eyes off the man with the bleeding shoulders, but he expected an answer. Louis shrugged, his expression a mirror of Anthony's confusion.

"No idea," he said, his voice casual. "Never heard the name before." Anthony turned back to the man with the bleeding shoulders, his eyes narrowed.

"Who is this Luciano Martinelli?" he repeated, his voice harsh. "He someone I should know?" The man gritted his teeth, the pain clearly excruciating, but his eyes still defiant.

The silence was deafening, the man's heavy breathing the only sound in the room. Anthony's patience was running thin. He stepped closer to the man, his body tensed.

"I asked you a fucking question," he snapped, his voice like steel. "Who is Luciano Martinelli? And why do I keep hearing his name?"

The man finally spoke, his voice rough and labored. "He's the head of the Martinelli family."

The Martinelli family...it sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He'd probably heard the name somewhere, maybe during one of his 'conversations' with other crime bosses. It was a powerful name, a name that instilled fear and respect in equal measure.

"Then how come I haven't heard of him?" he repeated, his words sharp. "If he's the head of the Martinelli family, I should have known by now. I'm not exactly a stranger to the underworld."

The man's voice was rough, his breathing labored. But his eyes were still defiant, filled with pain and anger. "He's right here in New York..." he began, his voice ragged.

"He keeps a low profile." Anthony's brow furrowed, his mind processing the new information. A powerful family right here in New York, staying under the radar. That explained why he hadn't heard of them before.

Anthony's thoughts were interrupted as the man continued, "He runs his operations quietly, discreetly. There are others who do the dirty work for him." Anthony clenched his jaw, his mind working on overdrive. There were so many questions, so much he didn't know, and he hated being in the dark.

Anthony's voice was hard, his tone full of disgust. "Other motherfuckers like you, I assume... his little lapdogs" he said, his glare cold. The man's expression flickered, a mix of anger and fear in his eyes. He didn't answer, but Anthony could see the truth in his face. He'd hit the nail on the head.

"So Luciano Martinelli...," Anthony said, his mind racing as he repeated the names, "The head of the Martinelli family, right here in my New York. He stays out of the spotlight, uses other people to do his dirty work." His eyes darted back to the man with the bleeding shoulders. "And he's the one who sent you." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

The man's face was pale, his breath shallow. But his eyes were still defiant, refusing to surrender. Anthony watched him, his gaze unwavering.

"You don't seem too eager to deny it," he said, his voice cold. "In fact, you're not denying it at all." The man's silence was just as telling as his earlier words.

Anthony's mind was reeling, the pieces of the puzzle slowly falling into place. Luciano Martinelli...a powerful family right here in New York, someone he'd never heard of until now. And now Emily's life was somehow tangled up in this mess. The thought sent a fresh wave of anger through him. Nobody threatened Emily, nobody targeted her. Not as long as he was alive.