Page 54 of Masked Mafia's Runaway Bride

“Duck!” I yelled, grabbing Mirella and pulling her down as gunfire erupted.

The next few moments were a blur of chaos. Bullets whizzed past us, pinging off metal and cracking into crates. Mirella pulled out the gun I’d given her and started shooting without hesitation.

I took out one of the guards but ran out of bullets before I could reload. “I’m out!”

“Just get to the shipment!” Mirella’s voice was sharp, commanding. “I’ll cover you!”

I hesitated. “I didn’t come this far to lose you, Mirella.”

“Move, Sergio! I can handle this!”

I didn’t have time to argue. I sprinted toward the crates, dodging bullets and using the scattered cover to my advantage. I reached one of the men, tackled him to the ground, and wrestled his weapon from him. With his gun in hand, I fired off two quick shots, taking out the others nearby.

Turning back toward Mirella, I froze.

She wasn’t just handling herself—she was fighting like someone who’d been doing this her whole life. She moved with precision, and her every action was calculated and efficient.

One of the guards, a man twice her size, lunged at her. Mirella sidestepped him with ease, grabbing his wrist and twisting until he dropped his weapon. Before he could react, she slammed her elbow into his face and followed it up with a shot to his chest.

Another man charged at her from behind. She spun, ducked under his swing, and drove her knee into his stomach. As he stumbled back, she disarmed him and put two bullets in him without flinching.

I stood there, stunned.

This wasn’t the Mirella I remembered. The girl who used to blush when she got caught sneaking out of her father’s house. The girl who always seemed to have her head in the clouds or the girl who got stuck in trees.

No, this Mirella was a force of nature. Fierce. Unstoppable.

When the last of the guards were down, she turned to me, standing tall with the gun still in her hand. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, but there was no fear in her eyes. Only determination.

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. I was not sure if I knew who she was.

She brushed past me, heading toward the shipment. “What are you staring at, Sergio? Let’s get this done.”

I followed her in silence, my mind racing. Mirella had always been a puzzle, but now she felt like a labyrinth. Every time I thought I had her figured out, she showed me another side of herself.

By the time we got back into the car, I still hadn’t said a word.

She noticed. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?”

I shook my head, starting the engine. “You’re full of surprises, that’s all.”

She laughed, a short, humorless sound. “Just call it survival instincts.”

The drive back was quiet, but my thoughts were anything but. Mirella wasn’t the naive girl I’d thought she was. She was stronger, more resilient, and far more dangerous than I’d ever realized. This wasn’t just survival instinct when in danger. The way she moved, she was the predator, not the prey.

And yet, I couldn’t decide if that scared me or impressed me.

When we pulled up to her place, I watched as she got out of the car. She barely made it to the door before her phone rang.

“What is it, Enzo?”

My ears perked up at the name, and I narrowed my eyes.

She turned, noticing me still sitting there. “I am sorry, something urgent came up, and I need to go now. You can see yourself out, Sergio.”

Without waiting for a response, she disappeared to the garage and drove out in another car in a hurry, leaving me alone with more questions than answers.

Who the hell was Enzo? And what else was Mirella hiding? I decided to say hi to Alex and check up on him before I left.

---