Page 37 of The Price of Mercy

Julian’s heart slammed against his ribs. He knew Enzo would come for him.

The only question was; how much blood would be spilled in the process?

???

Enzo was in his office, a glass of whiskey in hand, trying to drown out the thoughts that had plagued him for weeks. Thoughts of Julian; of his touch, his fire, his maddening defiance. The way his lips had felt against Enzo’s, the way his presence lingered even when he wasn’t there. He told himself he could bury it, ignore it, pretend it wasn’t unraveling something deep inside him.

The moment of forced peace shattered when Luca burst into the room, his expression grim, his knuckles white from how tightly he gripped his phone.

"Enzo." Luca’s voice was tight, controlled, but there was something beneath it, something raw and urgent.

Enzo straightened immediately, the ice in his glass clinking as he moved. He didn’t need to ask. He already knew something was wrong. "What?"

Luca took a breath, but it was clear he was barely keeping himself together. "I just got a call," he said, voice strained. "From one of De Luca’s people."

The name alone sent a slow, insidious rage curling in Enzo’s chest, poisoning the air in the room. "And?"

Luca hesitated, just for a fraction of a second. But Enzo saw it.Feltit. And that was all it took.

Enzo surged forward, grabbing Luca by the collar, dragging him closer. His heartbeat roared in his ears, drowning out everything but the pounding fury building in his veins. "And what, Luca? Spit it out."

Luca exhaled sharply, his own anger simmering just beneath the surface. His voice was quieter this time, but it cut through Enzo like a blade. "They have Julian."

The world stopped.

A silence so deep, so consuming, that it swallowed everything inside him.

They have Julian.

For a moment, there was nothing. No sound, no movement, no thought, only the slow, creeping realization that something inside him had just snapped.

Then the whiskey glass slipped from his fingers, crashing against the floor in an explosion of shattered crystal and amber liquid. The rage struck like lightning, searing through him, wild and all-consuming. His pulse pounded at his temples, his vision blurring at the edges with something dark and violent.

Julian. Taken. Hurt. Terrified.

The thought sent something primal surging through him. He turned abruptly, sending everything on his desk flying in a brutal, sweeping motion. Papers scattered like dead leaves, glass shattered, the heavy wooden lamp hit the floor with a sickening crack, but it wasn’t enough. None of it was enough to quell the fury clawing its way through his ribs, threatening to consume him whole.

Luca flinched slightly at the outburst, but he didn’t move. He had seen Enzo angry before. Had seen him furious, merciless, bloodthirsty. But this? This was different.Thiswas personal in a way nothing else had ever been.

Enzo turned back to him, his eyes dark, merciless, burning with a fury that could set the world ablaze. "Where?"

"They haven’t said yet. But we’ll find him, Enzo. We always do."

Not fast enough.

Enzo wasn’t going to sit back and wait. He wasn’t going to let them dictate the terms. He would tear the city apart if he had to. There would be no negotiations, no compromises, onlyblood.

His fingers curled around the cold steel of his gun, yanking it from the drawer. He checked the magazine with practiced ease, his movements precise and controlled despite the wildfire raging inside him. The sharpclickof the clip locking into place was deafening.

"Get everyone ready," he ordered, his voice eerily calm. "We’re going to war."

Luca nodded; his own fury evident. "I’ll make the calls."

As Luca stepped out of the office, Enzo braced his hands against the edge of the desk, breathing heavily. His muscles were tight, coiled like a predator on the verge of striking. Every fiber of his being screamed for action, for blood, for vengeance.

His enemies had taken the one person they shouldn’t have touched.

They had no idea what they’d just unleashed.

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