Page 155 of My Sweetest Temptation

"Take cover!" I yelled. Matteo and Luca returned fire. "Hold your fire!" I commanded. "We need to pinpoint their location."

The sound of gunfire continued, and then I spotted it—the glint of sunlight off their rifle scope.

"The second target is making a run for the truck. Sneaky bastard," Lo commented.

More chaos ensued as Matteo shouted, "Nico! Black sedan, heading this way at high speed!"

The beast inside me was ready to be unleashed as I watched the asshole hop into the driver's seat and start the engine.

"Let's move! Now!" My voice was hoarse from all the yelling as the gunshots ceased. But I knew it wouldn't last when the sound of screeching tires was heading our way. If we stayed here, we'd be sitting ducks, and there wasn’t time to call for backup.

I burst out of the building, my gun at the ready, and fired. The men in the car were caught off guard as Luca and I shot multiple rounds into the front windshield. The glass shattered, and bullets tore through the metal. Matteo and Lo provided cover.

"Keep your damn heads down!" I bellowed, throwing myself to the ground as a bullet flew past, dangerously close. Luca joined me, and we watched as the car swayed out of control, slamming into the brick wall and bursting into flames.

Then we turned our attention to the truck.

"Get your asses out of the truck!" I roared, getting to my feet and striding toward them with my gun aimed at the two men who were trying to steal my shipment. My finger tightened on the trigger, and I fired a warning shot. The driver jumped out, hands in the air.

"Who the fuck sent you?" I demanded.

"Nico! Get back!" A second later, the men were blown up into pieces.

The blast knocked me on my ass, and I slammed into the ground. My ears rang, and my vision blurred. I could hear Luca nearby, coughing

"You okay?" he called out

I nodded, pushing myself up and wiping the dust from my face. "Yeah, I'm good."

The truck was intact, but our men lay scattered across the ground.

"Lo, call for backup and tell them we need a cleanup crew." I spat the words, my anger threatening to consume me.

"Already on it," he said.

Matteo came over and stood beside me. "The fuckers blew themselves up. What now?"

I took a steadying breath, my eyes scanning the destruction around us. “We have a fucking rat," I said through clenched teeth. "Let's flush him out."

The warehouse was quiet now, but the war was far from over.

I slammed the front door shut, the echo reverberating through the house like a thunderclap. My mother and uncle jumped at the sound. Mom stood there, brown eyes wide and filled with concern. I hated that our life put that expression on her face, a constant reminder of what I did.

My men and I stormed past her, my heart pounding with frustration. I shoved my door open, the wood slamming against the wall with a violent crack, and marched straight to the bar. I grabbed the whiskey bottle and five glasses, knowing my uncle would follow me.

"Nico, what the hell happened?" Uncle Alessandro gasped, breathless as if he had sprinted to catch up with me.

"Shut the door," I snapped to no one in particular.

He shut the door, sealing us in. I poured the dark liquid into the glasses. Grabbing my own glass, I downed the whiskey in one go, the burn igniting a fire within me.

"We were ambushed, and I lost eight of my men!" I roared, the room spinning around me as anger coursed through my veins.

"What? How did they know?" Shock etched into my uncle's features as he sank into the chair by my desk.

"We have a rat," Matteo interjected as he leaned against the wall, flipping his knife open and closed.

"Fucking hell," Alessandro muttered, his brow furrowed. "Do you know who it could be?"

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