Chapter 10: An Acknowledgment of Risk
1217 Words
The shot was fast and final, echoing across the room. The anarchy seemed to stop for a minute, every heartbeat stretching into eternity. Dante's vision grew narrower as he saw the scene: the intruder's gun remained elevated, and the man's expression changed with realization he had missed his target. Dante's body jerked on instinct, diving sideways as the man lifted his rifle once again and wrath twisted his features.
Dante snarled and squeezed the trigger on his own weapon, not today. The invader slumped, the sound of his fall lost in the rebuilt chorus of gunshots.
Dante turned to face his left with a piercing gasp. Elena was crushed against the wall, her eyes wide, a smear of blood marring her cheek from where a shard of broken glass had cut her? His heart faltered at the sight, but Enzo was there, positioned between her and the tumult before he could act.
The battle raged all around them, Marco yelling commands as Dante's men drove the assailants back; the little safehouse became a war zone. Driven through Dante's veins, adrenaline sharpened his attention to a razor's edge. He moved with trained accuracy, every shot intentional, every movement planned to guard Elena's area.
Still, the chances were uneven even with their training. Giovanni's troops were unrelenting, their will evidence the impact of their master. Dante could see the tide turning, the weight of the conflict like a vice pushing down on them.
"Elena!," he yelled, his voice nearly drowned in commotion. She met his gaze, and in that instant he felt the defiance that had pulled him in mingled with dread she could not quite suppress. "Get to the back room." Currently!
She objected, "I'm not leaving you!" and Enzo grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door.
"Go!," Dante's demand sliced through her opposition, his voice's power leaving no space for debate.
She let Enzo lead her away, vanishing into the little hallway leading to the rear of the building, with a last, reluctant glimpse. His moment of relief was fleeting as another round of gunfire broke the window next to him and caused him to duck. They had to stop the escalating war before they lost more than just territory.
Elena's pulse thung in her ears in the small rear room. Enzo watched from the door, his body clearly tense but his face unreadable. The area was gloomy, lit only by one flickering bulb creating lengthy shadows on the walls.
Elena responded, her voice quivering but firm: "I should be out there." She moved about the small area, the weight of hopelessness weighing down her.
Enzo maintained his tone strong even as his eyes softened. "You are here since Dante wants to know you are secure. Not make things more difficult for him or us.
Her breathlessness from the admittance left. She had not realized how profoundly she had entwined herself in a world she could hardly grasp, nor how much her presence burdened Dante until now. But the idea of him out there battling with his life on the line made her gasp of terror uncontrollable.
Both of them jumped at a quick, hefty thud against the door. Enzo's palm clenched on his firearm, eyes flying to her with a subtle command: stay behind me.
Once more the door shivered, then sprang open. Elena saw a swirl of motion and noise for a heartbeat. Enzo was faster than a figure that shot into the room. He struggled with the assailant; their fight in the limited area was wild and merciless.
"Elena, get back!" Enzo yelled, his voice suddenly strained.
Her heart thumping, she hurried to the far side, eyes darting to the strewn tools and boxes across the space. Her fingers wrapped around a substantial, weight-bearing wrench. She went forward without thinking exactly as the assailant shoved Enzo against the wall. The man pivoted, predatory glare locked on her.
Elena swung the wrench with all her might before he could forward, the impact causing agony up her arm. The assailant faltered, a look of startled astonishment flashing across his face before Enzo grabbed the chance and delivered a last, incapacitating blow.
The hush that followed choked me. Enzo slumped against the wall, blood slicking his brow and heaving his chest. With her fingers numb and adrenaline still pumping through her veins, Elena dropped the wrench.
"Good hit," Enzo said, a tense breathless smile bursting through. Not sure her voice would come, she nodded.
The release was fleeting. The brawl was far from finished, according to a yell from the front room.
As Dante removed another interloper, the room whirled in a whirlwind of noise and motion, his vision tunneled. Though constant, the offensive was gradually making ground. As the tide changed, he could see Giovanni's soldiers stuttering and losing confidence.
One of them yelled, "Fall back!" and the directive rang across the hall.
As the last attackers withdrew, Dante's chest twisted with relief and wariness. The floor was covered with bloodstains like a map of violence, broken glass and splintered wood. His troops sagged against the walls, triumph and weariness mixing on their faces.
"Status?" he asked, eyes darting the room.
"We're clear," Marco said, although his voice sounded wary. "For now."
Dante nodded, then looked down the hall. Pulling at him with an urgency he couldn't ignore, Elena's yearning to see her reassured him she was uninjured.
She was in the rear room standing next to Enzo, both of whom had injuries but were still alive. The knowledge of how near they had come to be lost everything dampened his relief.
Elena replied, "Dante," her voice shaking as she walked near him. Their space melted, and before he could think, she was in his arms, the warmth of her body firmly rooted him in a manner nothing else could.
More to himself than to her, he said, "You're safe." Her against him, alive and whole, relaxed a knot in his chest he had not noticed.
She retreated, eyes darting over his face. "I considered-
"I know," he gently cut her off. His fingers swept a stray hair strand off her face, pausing for a moment more than required. Still, we have yet to finish. Giovanni won't stop till he owns everything.
Elena set her jaw, resolve stiffening her features. Then we deny him the opportunity.
A flutter of a smile pulled at his mouth, pride and something more mixing in his eye. "Exactly."
Enzo cleared his throat, a subdued reminder that the moment was ephemeral. "We have to get together and decide what our next action is. Giovanni's message was unambiguous: this was a starting point.
Dante nodded, the weight of obligation once more falling over him. But Elena's hand met his as he turned to face the chamber, a silent pledge he wasn't facing alone.
The chamber was suffused in a pale, doubtful glow as the early light trickled through the cracked boarded-own windows. Though the war had left its mark, the understanding that followed was that they were stronger together, connected by a fight that was now about safeguarding what they loved rather than only survival.
And Dante knew that the actual struggle was only just starting as the city outside whirled with the echoes of their combat flowing through it.
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