Page 46 of Bound to the Enforcer

My breath comes in shallow gasps as I reload, the weight of the gun in my hands steadier than I expect. I peek around the crate, spotting Domenico slipping toward the far exit, flanked by two guards.

"He's getting away!" I shout.

Alessio curses under his breath, firing off another shot before turning to me. "We'll cut him off—go!"

I nod, adrenaline driving me forward as I sprint through the maze of crates, dodging bullets and shouts. My legs burn, my lungs ache, but I don't stop. I can't stop.

Domenico's footsteps echo ahead of me. This time, I'll finish it.

The pounding of my boots against the concrete drowns out everything else. The echo of gunfire fades behind me as I sprint through the warehouse.

"Domenico!" I shout.

He doesn't answer.

I round a corner and skid to a stop just in time to see him step through an open doorway, disappearing into the alley outside. Two of his men flank him, their weapons raised as they move with practiced precision.

I raise my gun, firing a quick shot. One of the guards stumbles, collapsing onto the concrete with a sharp grunt. The other spins toward me, his gun aimed square at my head.

Before he can fire, Alessio's shot rings out from somewhere behind me. The man drops, and I don't waste a second. I push forward, bursting through the door and into the open air.

The alley is dark, narrow, the glow of a single streetlight throwing shadows against the walls. Domenico stands at the far end, his posture unhurried as he turns to face me.

For a moment, everything else fades.

It's just him. The man who destroyed my sister. The man who tore my family apart. The man I hate more than anything in this world.

"Do you really think you can stop me,piccola?" Domenico's voice carries down the alley, calm and almost mocking. "You're in over your head."

Domenico reaches inside his jacket, and I fire before he can pull his weapon. The shot rings out, sharp and final, echoing down the narrow alley.

Domenico stumbles back, his hand clutching his shoulder as he curses under his breath. He's not dead—not yet—but he's bleeding. Vulnerable.

"Nice shot," Alessio says beside me, his own gun trained on Domenico.

Domenico's eyes shifts between the two of us, his face pale and twisted with anger. "You think this ends here?" he growls, voice tight with pain. "Killing me won't save you, Sophia. It won't save your family. It won't bring them back."

"As far as I can see I'm the one holding up the gun, and you're the one oozing blood from your wound. So I would say I win this one, Uncle."

Domenico smirks faintly, even as blood drips down his arm. He takes a step closer, and Alessio shifts beside me, his gun steady.

"One more step," Alessio warns.

"You can't stop what's coming," Domenico continues, his stare locked on me. "Even if you kill me, you'll never win. You don't have the stomach for this life, Sophia."

I can't breathe. My vision blurs as his words cut through me like glass, ripping open wounds I thought had started to heal.

My sister.Her face. The way she looked when they found her. The broken pieces Domenico left behind.

"Don't listen to him," Alessio murmurs low and steady beside me. "He's trying to get in your head."

I force a shaky breath into my lungs, my eyes never leaving Domenico. "You're wrong," I whisper. "About all of it."

Domenico sneers, his mouth opening to respond, but Alessio doesn't give him the chance. He fires a shot into Domenico's leg, and the man collapses to his knees with a sharp cry of pain.

"I told you to shut up," Alessio says coldly.

For a moment, I consider pulling the trigger—ending it right here, right now. But something stops me. Alessio's words, maybe, or the realization that killing Domenico in a dark alley won't change what he's done. It won't undo the pain. The families will need to see him stand before them and see that I am truly the better choice.

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