For The Empire - Sempre

Chapter 35

I watch in disbelief as Stella gestures and signals with her hands in which direction she wants the men with her to move or go, and then she slips the mask back over her face.

"Did you know she was going there?" I question Cristian angrily.

"Of course not, but I'm not surprised." But, then, Cristian states calmly, "And you shouldn't be either, John Paul."

I hear Lucy gasp and see she's watching the other screen where Enzo and Topo are. "Is that Topo and Enzo?" Lucy asks.

We watch as Enzo wakes up after being knocked out and tries to fight off the men; it's impressive how many he fights off, considering his hands are tied up, but there are too many of them. A few hold him back by his neck and arms as several men punch and kick him repeatedly. Topo is being strapped to a chair and also beaten.

I snap out of watching the violent scene and remember the kids are in the comm room. "You all need to get out of here," I inform them, but they all shake their heads at me.

"We are not leaving," Kai says. "Mom went to help Enzo, didn't she?"

"It appears so," I state grimly, thinking of all the things I want to yell at her when she comes home, but then the dread sets in at the possibility she might not make it back home.

"Damn, look at her go," Miles states, and my attention is drawn back to her as we watch her work her way through several men. "Mom's totally holding back in training; she's a badass."

I also watch in amazement as she moves fluidly and with precision, and my mind goes to the time we sparred in the gym, was she holding back with me, too?

Her comment about my delicate head when I chose not to wear the headgear comes to mind.

She didn't want to hurt me.

"She's amazing, right?" Cristian asks, and I look over at him, annoyed. He's watching the screen with a proud look on his face.

I look back at the screen with Enzo and Topo, both sagging in the chairs they're held in; Enzo has a gash under his cheek, and Topo has blood dripping out of his mouth.

"No worry, friend, we send you home," Fatos states, "Maybe not whole, but you be returned nonetheless. First, you will tell us what we want. We need information on suppliers in Europe, specifically Montenegro and Albania."

Enzo looks up at him and spits blood on Fatos's face, and he responds by backhanding Enzo, causing him to fall off his chair.

Fatos pulls his gun and aims it at Enzo, but then a knife is thrown--lodged into the side of Fatos neck and then as Fatos turns gasping, spitting out blood, another blade impales his chest. He falls to his knees and makes a choking sound.

A crack of a whip resonates loudly through the speakers, and we watch as it wraps around Agron's neck, and he turns as he grips at the whip wrapped around his neck, trying to pry it off. But he's yanked forward and falls to the ground.

"Lower your weapons, or they both die, right now." Stella's voice comes through the sound system, followed by the clattering of several guns falling to the ground.

We hear a tsking sound, "This is no way to build business partnerships, gentlemen," Stella's voice comes through the speakers we see her remove her mask.

Enzo groans as he sits up, spitting out blood, and curses when he sees Stella. "Fuck, where dead when we go home." He groans again.

"Who the hell are you?" Agron questions as he begins to sit up, but Stella points her gun at him, and he stops.