Indebted to the Mafia King

*Angelo*

Sweat drips from my forehead into my eyes as I run through the streets, in too much of a hurry to even consider finding a car or waiting for someone to come and pick me up. Traffic would only slow me down, and I can't afford to lose a single second.

My heart beats so fast that my chest hurts. My legs grow weak as I try to push forward, shoving away the worst case scenarios in my head. I force my lungs to take in as much air as possible because I certainly need it.

More than that, I need to be able to focus. I can't risk making a single mistake.

The streets are empty, proving everyone that says that New York City never sleeps wrong.

I round a corner and see my final destination-but I'm too late.

The air is thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood. Several bodies litter the ground. I step over them, afraid to look down in case I recognize some of them.

I can guarantee the person I'm looking for doesn't lie among them.

Some of the Saints men arrive right after me. I was nearby, so I got here first. But instead of waiting for orders, or for my boss to arrive and tell me what the plan is, I followed my instincts.

They should have predicted this would happen.

They should have seen this ambush coming.

They should have guarded this safehouse better.

I should have seen it coming, for that matter. I should have protected my brother. The time for planning has slipped through our fingers, and now, all we can do is react.

I need to find Luca before it's too late.

"I'll take a look inside," someone whispers behind me, but I'm already moving forward.

However, as soon as I turn into the alley, hoping to get inside through the back door, I stop dead in my tracks, too horrified of the sight I encounter.

My baby brother's eyes meet mine, filled with unshed tears, so terrified that my blood instantly turns to ice.

Oleg Romina, the motherfucker who runs the Romina Empire, the Russian mob, grips Luca's hair, forcing his head backward. When Oleg spots me, he forces my brother down to his knees, causing a whimper to escape his mouth.

I clench my jaw so hard that I hear a cracking sound. "Let him fucking go," I snarl through gritted teeth, hoping my voice doesn't reveal how on edge I am right now.

But Oleg only smirks at me, clearly enjoying the leverage he has over the situation. I have no idea why he thinks my brother is worth anything to him, but he is an asshole, a cold-blooded monster, so I doubt he even cares who he has under his control now. He just wants the Saints to be over with and done. The bastard gets off on seeing other people suffer.

"No can do, muy drug," Oleg retorts, his raspy voice and thick accent making me feel sick to my stomach. How dare he call me his friend? "The boy has seen too much. Can't risk it. You know how it works in our line of business."

"Let him go, or I'll rip your fucking head off," I threaten, striding in their direction.

Luca looks at me with pleading eyes, but even in this situation, he's so brave. He doesn't utter a single word. He doesn't try to do anything that could cause the situation to worsen. This is exactly what I taught him to do should he ever got caught.

Oleg smirks at me again, but when I try to lunge at him, something holds me back. Strong hands wrap around my arms, forcing me to stay put.

"We have to get out of here, Angelo," someone informs me, but they must be out of their fucking minds if they think I'll simply run away and leave my brother here to die. "Let me fucking go!" I roar. I clench my jaw harder, struggling against their grip, not even bothering to look over my shoulder and see who the bastard is holding me back .My eyes are glued to my brother and Oleg. I study every single movement of theirs, racking my brain to come up with a strategy to take Luca out of his control and away from him.

"They will blow this place up," someone else warns me on my other side.

"Shut the fuck up," I growl back. "I'm not leaving him behind."

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As if I should have to tell them that. Luca is my only family. He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't be in this situation. The only reason he is here is because of me. This is my fault. All of this is my fault. I should have protected him, and yet, the enemy managed to get to him before I could. I know my fellow capos have lost loved ones, and we probably have had casualties from today's fight judging by the amount of bodies I walked over a moment ago, but my only family is still alive and right in front of me. There's no way I'm turning my back on him.

I'd rather die.

I have to get Luca out of here. Even if it costs me my life.

"You Saints boys have always been so stubborn, never knowing when to take a step back,” Oleg snarls, a cold and calculating gaze emanating from him as he watches me and my men arguing. Then, as if tired of the little show, he takes a gun from the holster and points it at Luca's head, his eyes still on me.

Bile threatens to climb up my throat, but I force it down. I need to stay strong. "Let him go," I try again, this time forcing my voice to sound less threatening and more... pleading. "He has nothing to do with this. He's just a kid."

Reasoning with a monster is useless. I know that much, but I can't do anything from here. If I take a step forward, Oleg could pull the trigger before I have the chance to even take a breath.

A chuckle escapes the monster's throat, and I can sense what's to come. But I have no chance to say anything else before he cocks the gun.

"Consider this a lesson, Messina," Oleg replies, his eyes hungry for more blood.

"Maybe next time your boss will teach you not to fight those you can't beat."

The gunshot sound rips through the night, and my entire world shatters as I watch my baby brother's body fall to the ground, lifeless.

My knees buckle beneath me, and I let out the most raw and desperate scream.

The same scream jerks me awake.

It takes me a second to realize I'm staring at my bedroom ceiling instead of the dark sky of that fateful night. Cold sweat pours through my every pore, and I shiver, my hands trembling uncontrollably. My heart pounds against my ribcage, and the walls of the room press in around me, stealing my air and making my vision darken. "Fuck," I hiss, forcing myself not to vomit. The smell of blood is so strong in my nostrils that it's like I'm still in that alley.

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I grip the soaked sheets, forcing myself to inhale and exhale slowly. My throat is dry,

my chest hurts, and my head is pounding as if someone is bringing down a hammer on my fucking skull.

It was just a nightmare, I tell myself.

But that's the stupidest thing I could say to calm myself down.

Because it wasn't just a nightmare.

It was reality-coming back to bite me in the ass. Again.

I've lost count of how many times I had to relieve this scene over and over. Most nights, I'm too terrified to even attempt to fall asleep. I lay awake until I can't stop myself from falling into a fitful slumber, knowing the dreams will come.

I probably need professional help to deal with this-as has been suggested to me several times before-but I've always been too proud to admit I have a problem. Maybe I need to admit I'm not always the hard ass I pretend to be.

But I don't want to see a shrink because, the truth is, they will try to make me believe

I'm not to blame, that what happened was a tragedy, that only Oleg is to blame. After

all, he's the bastard who killed an innocent kid because of his greed and god- complex. They'll try to tell me that I couldn't have done anything differently. But that's not the truth.

The truth is that Luca died because of me. Because I joined the mafia. Because my

gang faced an enemy that we couldn't beat.

Because I was too late.

And no one will ever be able to convince me otherwise.

I'll have to live with it for the rest of my life.

But maybe that's the punishment I deserve.

Maybe I should simply accept that this is what I get for not finding a way to save my

baby brother's life.noveldrama