Page 26 of The Brat's Bargain

It was time to take matters into his own hands.

Damien crouched in the shadows outside the warehouse, every muscle coiled tight with tension. The night air was thick with the promise of violence, the calm before the storm.

"Teams in position," Gina's voice crackled through his earpiece. "Awaiting your signal, boss."

Damien's hand tightened on his gun, the metal cool against his palm. This was it. The moment of truth.

"On my mark," he murmured, eyes fixed on the building where he prayed Antonio was being held. "Three... two... one... Go!"

The world exploded into chaos. Flash-bangs detonated, filling the air with smoke and disorienting noise. Damien surged forward with his team, kicking down the door and storming inside.

The next few minutes were a blur of gunfire and shouted orders. Damien moved with deadly precision, taking down Rizzo's men with ruthless efficiency. But with each room they cleared, each second that ticked by without finding Antonio, the fear in his gut grew.

Where was he? What if they were too late?

A scream of pain and rage cut through the din, coming from somewhere above them. Damien's heart leapt into his throat. He knew that voice.

"Antonio," he breathed, already moving towards the stairs. "Hold on, baby. I'm coming."

He took the steps two at a time, heedless of the danger. All that mattered was getting to Antonio, making sure he was safe.

The scene that greeted him on the upper floor made his blood run cold.

Antonio was there, alive but clearly worse for wear. His face was bruised, lip split and bleeding. But it was the fire in his eyes, the defiance in the set of his jaw, that made Damien's heart clench.

Rizzo had Antonio in a chokehold, a gun pressed to his temple. But even as Damien watched, Antonio drove his elbow back into Rizzo's solar plexus. The larger man wheezed, his grip loosening just enough for Antonio to slip free.

"You little shit," Rizzo snarled, raising his gun. "I'm gonna?—"

The crack of Damien's pistol drowned out the rest of Rizzo's threat. The mob boss crumpled, a neat hole between his eyes.

For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. Then Antonio's legs gave out, and Damien was there to catch him.

"I've got you," he murmured, gathering Antonio close. "I've got you, baby boy. You're safe now."

Antonio clung to him, trembling. "You came," he whispered, voice hoarse and disbelieving. "You really came for me."

Damien's arms tightened around him. "Always," he growled, pressing a fierce kiss to Antonio's temple. "I'll always come for you, Antonio. No matter what."

The tender moment was shattered by a shout from below. "Boss! We've got company! Looks like Rizzo called for backup!"

Damien cursed, already moving towards the exit with Antonio in his arms. "We need to go. Now."

But as they reached the stairs, a hail of gunfire erupted from below. Damien shoved Antonio behind him, returning fire even as he searched for another way out.

"There!" Antonio pointed to a window at the far end of the hallway. "Fire escape. We can make it if we run."

Damien nodded grimly. "Stay close to me. On three, we run. One... two... three!"

They sprinted down the hallway, bullets whizzing past their heads. Damien felt a sharp sting as one grazed his arm, but he ignored it, focused solely on getting Antonio to safety.

They burst through the window onto the fire escape, the cool night air a shock after the stuffy warehouse. Damien went first, helping Antonio down the rickety metal stairs.

They were almost to the bottom when a shot rang out, louder and closer than the others. Antonio cried out, stumbling. Damien's heart stopped as he saw the bloom of red spreading across Antonio's shirt.

"No," he breathed, gathering Antonio into his arms. "No, no, no. Stay with me, baby. Stay with me."

Antonio's eyes were glassy with pain, his breathing labored. "Damien," he gasped, fingers weakly grasping at Damien's shirt. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

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