The Thorned Rose

31

Still Fabricio's POV

I was in a van just outside the safehouse where Domenico apparently was. I looked down at the blue phone, and a text just came in from Lazarro saying he was in position, meaning everyone was ready and it was time to attack. I said a quick prayer, and sent the group text for everyone to attack. I looked at Nadia, who was opposite me, and then across to Haris, and I looked at the other women and men. There were only twelve of us in this group, but they were apparently the best, so I wasn't worried. There were two men stood outside the door, and I watched as Nadia snuck up behind them, shooting them both in the head, with a silencer on her gun. She indicated for us to come, so we did. Three men went around the back, two men went around each side, and two waited on the front garden for any runners, and the rest of us went to the door. Nadia quickly unpicked the lock, and we went through each room, quietly, as this was a surprise attack.

At the last room, I thought this was it, this would be the room Domenico is in. I burst the door open, but it was empty, like every single other room. I stormed out and punched one of the walls in the corridor.

"Don't worry, we will find him," Nadia tried to assure me, but I was so angry, I couldn't be calmed. I punched the wall again and I heard a slight creak, but I thought it was my imagination. The third time I punched the wall, I heard it again, and I looked upwards. There was a part of the ceiling that was loosening. We had looked for an entrance to the attic but couldn't find one, and it looks like that's because it was well hidden. I looked to Nadia, and pointed with my head towards it, she nodded and went underneath it. I silently got all of the men ready, and on my command, we shot upwards at the ceiling, one of us in each room.

"Sir!" yelled one of the female assassins in the bathroom. I went to her and noticed that through a few of the bullet holes in the ceiling, blood was dripping.

"We made contact. Shoot it three times more, then I'm going up." The female assassin shot where the blood was coming from three times and then stopped, and I jumped up, dislodging the panel in the ceiling, which pulled down a ladder. I looked up, checked my bulletproof vest, adjusted my helmet, and started ascending up the ladder, followed by Nadia. We went into the attic, which was a dusty, gloomy place, with only a bit of light coming from cracks in the brick and the hole in the floor where the ladder was, as well as the bullet holes in the floor.

I scanned the room, and I saw a trail of blood going behind a pillar.

"Domenico show your face you coward, it's over," I called out. From behind the pillar came a shot, missing us all. I looked at Nadia, and she nodded at me, going forwards, gun in hand. Just as she was running forwards, the gun shot her.

"NADIA!" I yelled.

"It's in the vest, go, go, go!" she shouted back.

This was it. This twat had done enough to my friends and my family. I ran over to the pillar, and I got him in view, shooting him three times in each arm so he could no longer lift his gun. I kicked the gun away, and I grabbed his face with one of my hands, looking at his cold, murderous eyes, and all he did was laugh.

"If only your father could see you now," he laughed, "he would be so proud."

"Shut the fuck up about my father!" I yelled.

"But he isn't here is he," he continued chuckling, "because I killed him." He was keeling over in hysterics. I let his face go, and I grabbed my gun, shooting him dead, right between the eyes, mid-laugh.

I ran over to Nadia to check if she was okay, she had already ripped her shirt open and was trying to get the bullet out of her bulletproof vest. I let go of my gun, which was on a strap around my body, so it just hung, knelt down beside her and reached into her vest, pulling out the bullet.

"Mission accomplished," she muttered, with a smile on her face. I let her lean on me as we went down the ladder and back into the car. We met Haris outside and told him the news.

"Burn the whole building," I said, he nodded his head and started the clean-up, dragging the bodies of the two dead guards inside, and pouring gasoline all over the house.

I continued to help Nadia into one of the vans. I dropped her off at the hospital, to make sure she had no broken ribs or anything, with one of her men, and drove the others to the warehouse that was being raided by Dimitri and a hybrid group of men by various different mafias and assassin groups.

I met Dimitri outside, as he was barking orders through the walkie talkie in his hand at the soldiers inside.

"Need any help brother?" I asked going up to him.

"Got it under control, did you find Domenico?" he asked.

"Dead."

"Good," he nodded at me, before barking more orders in the walkie talkie. "I'm about to send another group in, you want to lead them?" he asked me.

"Yes."

"Over there," he pointed, and I followed to a group of men and women standing around, "just go in, kill everyone you see, any hostages, obviously not, forget about money or drugs, we will sort that out later."

I led the group of men through the warehouse, most guards had already died from the other groups that had gone in before us, we were more of a sweeper team to make sure there was no one left. We checked every room, and every possible hiding place, and all was clear. I checked my phone, which beeped, and got a text from Lazarro, saying their warehouse had fallen. We went back outside to meet Dimitri, and we began the clean-up, dragging all of the bodies into a pile and setting it alight. Some men had been spared, as they pledged allegiance to the Russos, and, although I didn't want them because they were clearly disloyal, I didn't kill them. I was expecting most of the drugs warehouses to surrender, and luckily most of them did, as many of the people working in those warehouses were just working for the highest power, which was now me. Only this warehouse and the warehouse that Zaccaria's group was raiding were the two that put up a fight. I understood there was a lot of bloodshed from our men in Zacarria's group, but I also understood that they had taken control, which was at least a positive.

We had the complete element of surprise, so in general, it was an easy task. Pretty quickly the texts all came in saying they had taken control, and Domenico's main men were all assassinated. We all met back at the house, leaving, of course, guards in each of the warehouses to protect the goods, and Aleksander's men began the extraction process of the trafficked people, finding out where their homes were and sending them back, so he nor his men joined us back at the house.