Page 22 of Tormented Hearts

Luca’s eyes darken, his jaw tightening as he steps closer to her. "That’s not going to happen."

"But what if it does?" Phoenix presses, her fear getting the better of her. "What if they—"

Luca’s hand cups her face, cutting off her words as he leans in close, his voice low and fierce. "I told you before, Phoenix. I don’t lose. Not to them. Not to anyone."

Phoenix swallows hard, her heart pounding in her chest. She wants to believe him, wants to trust that he would come back. But the fear is overwhelming, suffocating.

"I’ll come back for you," Luca whispers, his thumb brushing lightly over her cheek. "I promise."

Before Phoenix could respond, he leans in, pressing a hard, possessive kiss to her lips. It is a kiss filled with all the emotion he rarely allows himself to show—the fear, the protectiveness, the desperation to keep her safe. Phoenix melts into him, her body trembling as she clings to him, not wanting to let go.

But then Luca pulls back, his expression hardening once more as he turns away. He grabs his jacket and his gun, sliding it into its holster with the kind of ease that reminded Phoenix just how dangerous he is.

"I have to go," he says, his voice firm. "Stay here. Miguel will be with you."

Phoenix nods, her chest tight as she watches him walk toward the door. She wants to call out to him, to tell him to be careful, but the words catch in her throat. All she can do is watch as the man she is in love with, walks into a battle that could very well take him from her forever.

LUCA 12

The docks are already a battlefield by the time Luca arrives. His men had mobilized quickly, meeting the Romero’s head-on in a clash of gunfire and violence that echoes across the water. Luca’s car screeches to a halt at the edge of the dock, and he steps out, his eyes cold and focused as he surveys the chaos.

Gabriel is waiting for him, his gun in hand, his expression grim. "They’re hitting us hard, Luca. It’s not just the Romero’s. They’ve got back up from some outside group. Mercenaries, maybe."

Luca’s jaw clenches. This wasn’t just a typical turf war—it was a full-blown assault. The Romero’s had pulled out all the stops, and if Luca didn’t crush them here, it would be the beginning of the end for his control over Palermo.

"Where’s Miguel?" Luca asks, his voice sharp.

"With Phoenix," Gabriel replies. "She’s safe."

Luca nods, though the thought of her back at the penthouse, vulnerable to another attack, gnawed at him. But he couldn’t afford to be distracted. Not now.

"Let’s end this," Luca growls, pulling his gun from its holster as he marches forward into the fray.

Gunfire erupts around him as Luca moves through the chaos with deadly precision, his men following his lead. Luca has never asked his men to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself, which has built the respect that he has. The Romero’s were fierce, but they were no match for Luca’s fury. One by one, they fell, their forces crumbling under the weight of his assault.

But even as the battle rages on, Luca’s mind is elsewhere—on Phoenix, on the promise he had made to her. He would end this war. He would come back to her. And he would protect what was his, no matter the cost.

The air is thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder and blood as Luca moves through the chaos, his focus razor-sharp despite the violence erupting all around him. The docks have become a war zone, with bodies littering the ground and the sound of gunfire echoing across the water. But Luca barely registered the carnage—his mind was singularly focused on one thing: ending this war.

The Romero’s had made their move, and now they were going to pay the price.

Gabriel was at his side, covering his flank as they pushed deeper into the heart of the dockyard. The Romero’s were falling back, their lines breaking under the relentless assault of Luca’s men, but they weren’t defeated yet. Not by a long shot.

“They’ve dug in near the warehouse,” Gabriel calls over the roar of gunfire, his voice tight with concentration. “It looks like their leader’s holed up there with the last of their men.”

Luca’s jaw clenches. The leader of the Romero Familia, Enzo Romero, had been a thorn in Luca’s side for years—always scheming, always pushing the boundaries of their fragile truce. But this attack, this blatant attempt to dismantle everything Luca had built, was the final straw.

“Good,” Luca growls, his eyes dark with fury. “That’s where I want him.”

They advance swiftly, the ground slick with rain and blood as Luca’s men clear a path through the remaining Romero forces. Luca moves with deadly precision, his gun trained on every target that dares to challenge him. He has no time for mercy, notime for hesitation. Every shot he fires is a promise—one that would be fulfilled with the fall of the Romero family.

As they near the warehouse, the fighting intensified. The Romero’s were making their last stand, their gunmen positioned in the shadows of the tall containers stacked along the dock. Bullets whizz past Luca’s head, but he barely flinches, his mind already calculating his next move.

Gabriel took down two more Romero men with quick, precise shots, his expression grim as he turns to Luca. “They’re running out of men, but Santino’s holed up inside the warehouse. He’s not going to go down easy.”

Luca’s lips curl into a dark smile. “He doesn’t have a choice.”

Together, they push forward, weaving through the containers and taking cover behind the large crates scattered across the dock. The warehouse looms ahead, its steel doors closed tight, but Luca can see the shadows moving behind the windows. Enzo was inside, waiting for them.

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