Mafia Last Surrender: A Heart Changed by Love

Chapter 14: Fires Drawn in Lines

The intensity of the explosion shook the walls of the safehouse and sent a shower of dust and trash falling from them. Dante saw the vibrations in his bones, a warning that the fight he had trained for had invaded his house rather than at his door. The yells and anarchy outside verified what Giovanni already knew: his troops had started their attack.

"Move!" Dante barked, eyes darting to Marco and Elena, who stood shocked by the abrupt assault. Marco sprang to protect the door, Elena's eyes strayed from Dante to Luca, whose face was twisted with remorse and anxiety.

Dante's chest constricted with fury, but time was not to linger on treachery. His eyes flaming, he turned to Luca. "This is your chance to display your loyalty right now. Support our defense of this place.

Luca nodded, a trembling racing through him and swallowed hard. His remorse battled with the determination that stiffened his jaw. " I will."

Elena moved forward gently stroking Dante's arm. "What's the scheme?"

Dante continued, addressing her eye, "We hold the line." Though he knew it would be useless, he wanted to advise her to hide and back off. She participated just as much now as he did.

The safehouse screamed with the noises of battle-gunfire, men's yells, the splintering crash of wood yielding under constant pressure. Dante fired deadly precisely and moved like a shadow, giving orders. Driven by the speech that had raised their spirits only hours before, his men sank into formation, their motions precise and practiced.

Marco's voice sliced through the cacony. Dante!" They are seeking east side breachability. We need backups right now!

Dante nodded, telling Enzo to reroute some of their might. Giovanni's men were supposed to be kept under control utilizing the strengthened architecture of the safehouse, but the explosion had undermined their approach. The struggle was sliding toward anarchy.

Elena positioned herself next to a boarded window and fired at persons moving across the shadowy street. Her hands trembled, the weight of the rifle strange, but will sharped her spine. She turned to Dante, who gave her a quick, approving nod, then turned her attention back to the struggle.

She looked at a quick movement-a figure slinking around the side wall with trained ease-slip-through the darkness. As Elena yelled, "Dante, to your left!" her heart shot into her throat.

Dante pivoted precisely and caught the gleam of a knife pointed at his side. He changed, the blade brushing his ribs as he grabbed the wrist of the assailant and twisted. Grunt, eyes wide with agony as Dante's gun fired a single shot silencing him. Blood colored Dante's side, but he continued; the wound was secondary in importance.

" Nice catch," he remarked, a smile pulling at his lips even as sweat ran down his cheeks.

Elena's breath came in brief bursts as the gravity of the fight sank down on her. She pushed herself to remain concentrated, to recall why she was here-not only for Dante, but also for the fight she had come to represent for the people he shielded.

The fighting persisted, turning into a relentless siege. Every minute seemed to last an hour, the air smokily and the gunpowder smelled bitter. Each shout and bullet evidence of Dante's men's resolve to survive; they battled with the desperation of people knowing there was no retreat.

Luca showed up next to Dante, his face pallid but resolved. His jaw tight as he fired at an incoming wave of attackers. "I wanted nothing like this, manager. I promised, thinking I could control it.

Dante answered slowly, eyes darting the room for the next threat. Now, control is not very important. Fighting makes sense. Show us still one of us.

Luca nodded, the remorse in his eyes flickering with something fiercer now: atonement. Covering Marco's flank as they fought back an attack at the front door, he moved with fresh intent.

The chamber fell still suddenly, the shooting stopping just long enough for them to breathe. The silence was a warning, a forerunner to something worse.

"Fall back to the main corridor," Dante said, his voice firm even with the hammering in his chest. He turned to Enzo, cleaning a cut on his temple of blood. How is the east side holding?

"Barely," Enzo said. But we are keeping them off. for now.

Dante turned to look at Elena, who was shaking hands reloading her revolver. Pulling her aside, he walked three paces across the room.

"You have to stay in the back room," he stated, his voice devoid of opportunity for debate.

Eyes fixed on his, she murmured, "I'm not leaving you." Remember we are in this together?

He took a long gulp, her words stranding something in his chest tighter. "This goes beyond you or me now, Elena. Everything collapses if we miss this spot. You seem safe. I need to know.

A sound like thunder tore across the safehouse before she could debate. From the outside, a battering ram thudded against the shuddering back wall, breaking the plaster. Dante's eyes became wide with understanding.

"They're going to breach," he stated, his voice sharpening everyone to focus. " Marco, Enzo, back and strengthen the rear! Right now.

Men scrambled to rearrange themselves as the beating against the wall grew louder, more forceful. The room sprung alive. Elena hesitated for just a moment before turning to join Enzo, staring back at Dante with a glance that suggested everything words could not.

Giovanni's men poured in, weapons blazing, the wall giving way with a tremendous smash and dust and trash flooding the space. Dante shot into the mist, the sound of combat devouring every other note. Every breath a struggle for survival, the conflict that ensued was merciless, close quarters and ruthless.

Heart pounding, Elena pushed herself up against the rear corridor's wall. Fighting sounds got louder. She could see Dante through the cloud, moving with the exact and deadly force of nature. Still, the sheer volume of attacks overloading him was pushing him to his limits.

A knife shining in his fingers, a man broke through the smoke and pounced at Dante's back. The planet seemed to halt, the yells and gunfire receding into a muted rumble. Elena moved forward without thinking, snatching a splintered piece of wood from the floor and smashing it on the assailant's side. The man stammered, allowing Dante the opening he required to turn and quickly end him.

Their eyes locked, and the anarchy all around vanished at that instant. Dante's expression combined shock, thanksfulness with something deeper.

Breathless yet firm, he said, "Stay close."

She nodded, the moment linking them even more than before.

Though the fight continued, the tide was turning. Dante's warriors battled with a ferocity only found in those defending something worth dying for. Gradually, agonizingly, they started to drive Giovanni's soldiers back, recovering the territory lost.

The shooting slowed, then ceased as the first light of morning stole into the heavens. Only the survivors' ragged breathing and the cries of the injured shattered almost deafening silence that followed.

Bloodied but bowed Dante stood in the middle of the room. His eyes strayed over his men, noting the injuries and the toll the combat had taken. But they were alive; Giovanni's men were dragging their dead away like shadows melting with the early light.

Enzo came over, dabbing at his brow from blood. "They're pulling back. We put them off.

Dante nodded, the triumph sour given awareness that it was just transient. Giovanni was not done-not very nearly.

He glanced to Elena, who was standing close by, relief and weariness fighting on her face. Approaching her, he ran a hand over the dirt splattered on her cheek.

"We survived," she murmured, her voice rough but steady.

"For now," he said, still clearly seeing the shadow of the conflict. But something inside him moved, confirmed as he gazed at her. This went beyond just survival these days. This was battle; he would fight it with all he possessed.

Marco came over before he could speak more, his face set with grim purpose. "Boss, we located something." One of Giovanni's men that we photographed... Giovanni's next action is already under way, he says.

Dante's jaw tightened, the little respite broken. The battle lines were more obvious than ever, and the storm was far from done.