Page 16 of Tormented Hearts

“I’m going to call them,” Luca says, his eyes narrowing with a fierce determination. “Let them know exactly what they’ve started.”

Gabriel’s smile was sharp, almost feral. “Give them hell, boss.”

Luca stepped away from the bar, his mind already racing with plans, with thoughts of vengeance. He pulls out his phone, his fingers moving with a precise, calculated efficiency as he dials a number he hadn’t used in a long time.

The line rang twice before it connected, a smooth, cold voice answering on the other end.

“Luca Tempo,” the man says, his tone almost amused. “I was wondering when I’d hear from you.”

“Cut the bullshit, Enzo,” Luca growls, his voice dripping with barely restrained fury. “You and I both know what happened tonight. I want to know why.”

Enzo Romero’s laugh was low and mocking, a sound that made Luca’s blood boil. “Why? Because we can, Luca. Because you’ve been getting too comfortable, thinking you own this city. It was time for a reminder.”

Luca’s hand tightens around the phone, his teeth clenched so hard he thought they might crack. “You made a mistake coming after my men, Enzo. This isn’t just a warning. This is war.”

There was a pause on the other end, and when Enzo spoke again, his voice was softer, more dangerous. “War, you say? And what about that pretty little thing you’ve been keeping locked up in your penthouse? Phoenix, isn’t it?”

Luca’s vision went red, his heart slamming against his ribs with a rage that threatened to consume him. “If you even think about touching her—”

“Relax, Luca,” Enzo interrupted, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Not yet anyway. But you should know, in war, everything’s fair game. Even your precious Phoenix.”

Luca’s hand shook with the force of his anger, his breath coming in short, furious bursts. “If you come near her, if you so much as look at her, I will tear your world apart. Do you understand me?”

“Loud and clear,” Enzo replies, his tone infuriatingly calm. “But let’s not pretend you’re the only one with something to lose. You want war, Luca? You’ve got it.”

The line went dead, and Luca stood there, his chest heaving with rage, his mind racing with thoughts of violence, of vengeance. Enzo Romero had just declared open war on the Tempo family, had threatened the one thing Luca couldn’t bear to lose.

He shoved his phone back into his pocket, his hands shaking as he turned to Gabriel, who was watching him with a grim, knowing expression.

“Get ready,” Luca said, his voice hard as steel. “It’s going to get bloody.”

PHOENIX 9

Hours later, Luca still gone, leaving Phoenix alone in the penthouse with Miguel. The tension in the air was thick, oppressive, as though the very walls were waiting for something terrible to happen. Phoenix paced the room, her mind racing with a thousand different fears. What if the Romero’s struck while Luca was gone? What if something happened to Luca? What if this war never ended?

Miguel sat on the couch, watching her with a mixture of amusement and concern. “You’re going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep that up,” he says with a grin, though his voice was soft.

Phoenix shoots him a look, but there was no malice in it. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing, Miguel. This... this is insane.”

Miguel shrugs, his easy-going demeanour doing little to hide the tension in his own body. “Welcome to the family.”

Phoenix stops pacing, her heart heavy. “Is this what it’s always like? Living with this kind of... danger?”

Miguel’s expression darkens slightly. “It’s not always this bad, but yeah. The Romero’s have been a problem for years, but this... this is different. They’re not just trying to hurt Luca anymore. They’re trying to destroy everything he’s built.”

Phoenix’s chest tightens. She had known, deep down, that Luca’s world was dangerous. But knowing it and living in it were two very different things. And now, she was in the middle of it, trapped in a war she hadn’t asked to be a part of.

Before she could respond, the sound of glass shattering echoes through the penthouse, followed by the unmistakable crack of gunfire, freezing Phoenix in place. Her breath caught in herthroat, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. For a split second, everything goes still, the world narrowing down to the jagged edge of danger that now cut through the air. And then, the sharp crack of gunfire shatters the silence, sending her heart racing with terror.

Miguel was on his feet in an instant, his easy-going demeanour vanishing as he turns into a soldier of the underworld. His gun was drawn in one smooth motion, his body moving with the kind of precision that came from years of fighting on the frontlines of Luca’s war.

"Get down!" Miguel barks, his voice sharp and commanding.

Phoenix didn’t need to be told twice. She dropped to the floor, her body shaking as adrenaline surges through her veins. She had never been in a situation like this before, never felt the cold, terrifying reality of violence this close. Her mind races, panic clawing at the edges of her thoughts, but she forces herself to stay as calm as she can.

Miguel moves swiftly toward the window where the first shots had come from, his gun trained on the entrance to the penthouse. "Stay low," he orders, his voice tense. "I’ll handle this."

Phoenix presses herself against the floor, her heart slamming in her chest as the sounds of more gunfire ring out from below. She knew the Romero’s had been a threat, knew they were coming for Luca, but she hadn’t expected them to come here—right into their home.

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