Made of Steel

58. Fear

 Adriano Di Lauro

I move from one place to another without leaving the fucking phone. I look at the watch on my wrist one more time and clench my jaw to keep from throwing the damn device against the wall. It's three in the morning, twelve hours since my wife disappeared.

That rat has hidden her very well, but there is no hole so deep that I can not find him.

"I got it", my enemy pronounces and such a statement unnerves me more.

"What are you still doing here?". I hiss through my teeth. My head is exploding and if it weren't for my wife's disappearance I would have already broken his neck.

"I have the location, Di Lauro."

I feel the beating of my heart in my mouth.

How did he find her before me?

'There is no time for this'

"Time is ticking, do you want it or not?"

We get into the sheriff's office and agree on the plan. The subject is waiting for my arrival. He wants to play with us, to be face to face to make his play.

At dawn, we left quickly for the Livorno port and in extreme silence. Just thinking about how she is right now... There is a new feeling unknown to me: fear. I can't lose her, I refuse to.

I jump out of the car to get to the dock and then... I see her.

I look at her from feet to head and a great weight is lifted from me as I see her intact. The feeling doesn't last long, though, for almost instantly I spot the gun above her head.

I approach cautiously until I find the opportunity to take her in my arms.

The rest of the team shows up and I get ready to get her out of there no matter what. However, the idiot comes out with another surprise.

'Explosives'

This is not the end. I'm not going to allow it. Yes, I made a mistake in the past and I will carry it until the last of my days, but I am not going to let go of this new opportunity which life offers me.

Stella already destroyed me once, she won't do it again. I'm not going to give her that power. My grudge against her will never go away and I only hope that her despicable mistress will make her company in hell.

I thought all women were the same by default. I mistreated them, used them as I pleased and underestimated them. I still maintain the same criteria... but Cassandra Reid is the exception to that rule. For her and for my children I am capable of anything. I'm not going to lose them.

I watch the deranged who once called himself my friend pull the trigger and I don't move an inch. I receive the bullet's impact falling to the ground. From afar I hear my wife's voice, but I can't react.

I'm in a daze, a loud ringing filling my ears as the sharp pain in my ribs immobilizes me.

'Wake up', I force myself to open my eyes.

Pietro comes up to me with one of my bodyguards to help me up.

'Fuck, this hurts like hell!'

I think I've broken a rib. However, I don't have much time to process the situation. Boccaccio has taken my wife, who's screams I can hear from my position.

I run to the end to get on the boat already previously prepared.

The gun is still over my wife's head, I'm getting desperate at the distance that separates us and I have an immense desire to blow up this fucking world.