The Gangster's wife (When love crosses boundaries)

9

In the dimly lit room, the air was heavy with a foreboding silence. The only source of illumination was a single flickering candle, casting eerie shadows that danced across the cracked, peeling wallpaper. In the center of the room, the once-vibrant and fiery Phoenix now sat, bound tightly with frayed ropes that cut into her wrists, leaving them raw and bleeding.

Her wounds told a brutal tale of torment. Deep gashes marred her arms and legs, tracing a map of suffering on her delicate skin. Blood trickled down her trembling hands, forming crimson pools on the worn, dusty floor. Her mouth, once known for its defiant words, was now a twisted canvas of pain, as if someone had showered cruelty upon her, leaving her lips swollen and oozing blood.

Phoenix's face, a stark contrast to her name, bore the marks of abuse. Red slap marks adorned her pale skin, a stark reminder of the violence she had endured. Her usually fierce and determined eyes were vacant, devoid of their usual fiery spark, replaced by an emptiness that spoke of the depths of her suffering. Her expressions were null, a mask of despair and resignation.

The door creaked open, and in walked the same Italian-looking handsome man, his presence filling the room with an air of casual indifference. He strolled over to the old, dimly lit bulb hanging from the ceiling, and with a flick, it burst into life, revealing the gruesome scene that had been hidden in the shadows.

"Phoenix, Are you hungry or... or do you want anyth…"

As his eyes fell upon Phoenix's battered and bloodied form, his handsome face turned pale in an instant. His nonchalant demeanor vanished as if it had never been, and he was now faced with the brutal reality of her condition. Sweat began to bead on his forehead, and his hands trembled as he hurried over to her side.

"Thi…this…" he stuttered, his voice filled with anxiety as he took in the sight of her broken body.

Phoenix remained silent, her vacant eyes fixed on him, as if she had seen the depths of cruelty and despair, rendering her incapable of speech.

The man's initial fear gave way to anger. His face turned red with a mixture of frustration and helplessness. He stormed towards the door and, with a shout, called for his guards who had been standing outside.

"Get in here, now!" he yelled,

As the guards rushed into the room, the Italian-looking man, was now consumed by an overwhelming rage. He approached Phoenix, his eyes blazing with anger, and his voice shook with intensity as he demanded answers. "Who the hell did this to her? Do you have any idea who she is?" His voice was filled with a chilling intensity as he considered the consequences of what had been done to Phoenix. "Do you know what Drew could do if he finds out about this?"

His thoughts of Drew, had him trembling with a profound fear of retribution. He couldn't fathom the repercussions that would follow if Drew discovered Phoenix's condition.

In his fury and panic, he lashed out, delivering a powerful punch to one of the guards' faces. The guard staggered back, holding his injured jaw, but fear still welled up in his eyes.

Finally, one of the guards, catching his breath, mustered the courage to speak. "Mr. Luca, we didn't do anything. It was your right-hand man, Antonio, who last came here."

Luca's anger flared even further. "Antonio? Why didn't you keep an eye on him?" he shouted, frustration and guilt washing over him.

Antonio, with his striking Italian features, stood before Luca, his face marked by a bloody nose and bruised cheek. The room still bore the eerie, dim lighting, casting shadows on Antonio's battered face.

Luca, consumed by anger and frustration, couldn't hold back. He delivered another powerful punch to Antonio, causing him to stagger and wince in pain. "Do you even remember who Drew is and what he's capable of?" Luca's voice was filled with both anger and desperation.

Antonio, despite the pain, grew aggressive and defiant. "If you're beating your own brother because of Drew, you're a fool!" He spat out, his own temper flaring. "If he's a Mexican mafia, then we're not any less than him. If he rules Mexico, we rule Italy. We're Romano! We have power, Luca!"

Luca's fear intensified, and his face turned ashen. He knew that Antonio had just made a grave mistake by underestimating the wrath of Drew, especially in the brutal state Phoenix was in. Luca's hands trembled, not just from the physical violence he had unleashed on his brother but from the realization that their actions might have set off a chain of events that could bring a dangerous storm upon them all.

Amidst the tension and the heated exchange between Luca and Antonio, one of the guards cautiously attempted to interject, but his voice was barely a whisper in the cacophony of emotions.

"Mr. Luca," he began tentatively, "there's something you ..." His voice trailed off, barely audible, as Luca remained engrossed in his thoughts about the impending storm Drew might bring upon them.

The room was filled with palpable dread, and the guard's words were lost in the chaos of the moment. Luca's mind raced with the looming threat of Drew's retribution, and he couldn't hear the guard's attempt to convey a crucial piece of information.

The silence in the room was heavy with fear and anticipation, as everyone present grappled with the dire consequences of their actions and the impending storm that Drew, like an ominous shadow, was poised to cast upon them.

As the guard's attempts to speak went unnoticed, Antonio's short-tempered nature got the better of him. He delivered a quick, furious punch to the guard, causing him to reel back and then yelled, "You imbecile! Spit it out!"

Stuttering and with fear in his eyes, the guard finally managed to get his message across. "I was just telling you to take Mrs. Castillo to the hospital or see a doctor. She's pregnant!"

The words struck like a bolt of lightning, sending a shiver down Luca's spine. His eyes widened with realization and regret. "How could I forget about Phoenix's pregnancy?" he muttered to himself, his voice filled with self-reproach.

The gravity of Drew's looming threat continued to weigh heavily on Luca's shoulders, and he knew that involving Phoenix in any form of retaliation would be playing with fire. As Antonia suggested using Phoenix as a bargaining chip against Drew, Luca's fear escalated.

"Are you insane?" Luca's voice quivered with a mixture of fear and anger. "You don't know Drew, Antonio. We can't risk our life like that."

Antonia, his face a strange mix of laughter and concern, couldn't help but chuckle at his brother's fear. "Luca, you worry too much. We have power, and we can handle this. Just trust me."

But Luca remained insistent and concerned for his brother's safety. He gestured to the guards and said, "Take Antonia away from Mexico, get him underground, and make sure he stays out of sight."

Antonia, despite the situation, found humor in Luca's overprotectiveness and continued to chuckle. "Fine, brother. I'll disappear for a while, but remember, we're Romano, and we'll handle Drew together."

As the guards began to usher Antonia away, Luca turned his attention back to the half-conscious Phoenix, wondering how he could protect Antonio and Romano from the impending storm that Drew's wrath would bring upon them all.

Antonia was nearly at the gate, ready to leave the scene and heed his brother's advice. But just as he reached out to open the gate, it suddenly burst open with an ominous force, slamming into his chest. Antonia was thrown back, crashing to the ground, the impact knocking the wind out of him.

Luca's eyes widened in shock as he witnessed the sudden and violent entrance. Within the blink of an eye, Drew, the source of their fears and nightmares, strode in with an air of ominous authority. He was a formidable figure, exuding an aura of power and menace.

Drew's eyes, cold and calculating, locked onto Luca, and his voice cut through the tension in the room. "Luca Romano,"

Luca's heart raced, and he realized that the storm they had feared had now arrived, and they were all at the mercy of Drew,

A tense silence hung in the air as Drew, with an imposing presence, confronted Luca and the chaos that had unfolded in the dimly lit room. It didn't take long for the situation to escalate into a violent clash.

Drew moved with the precision and skill of a seasoned fighter. His every movement was calculated, and his blows were lethal. Luca, fearing for his own life and the safety of Phoenix and her unborn child, fought back with equal determination.

Their battle was fierce and relentless, a clash of power and strategy. The room became a battleground, with shattered furniture, splintered wood, and the echoes of grunts and thuds. The guards, who had been mere spectators to the chaos, tried to intervene, but Drew's prowess kept them at bay.

As the fierce battle raged on, Drew's attention was drawn to the figure of Phoenix, who was still bound and injured. The room had grown even darker as they fought, and her presence had gone unnoticed in the chaos.

Drew's sharp eyes finally fell upon her. He was taken aback by the sight of Phoenix in such a brutal state, her face bearing the marks of violence and her body battered and bruised. The realization of her condition filled him with a mixture of shock, anger, and concern.

He stepped away from the ongoing skirmish, his expression darkening. Drew's reaction was a mix of anger and a sense of duty, as he contemplated the horror that had been inflicted upon Phoenix. In that dimly lit room, he knew that something needed to be done, and he couldn't simply stand idly by.