Synopsis:
In the pulsating heart of Chicago, where the streets hum with the rhythm of life, a tale of intertwining destinies and forbidden love unfurls. Serafina, radiant and hopeful on the day of her wedding to Danilo, finds her world shattered whe...
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Remo, Savio, and I were seated on the sofa in the gaming room, watching the live stream of the race. Adamo was, as usual, absent. Lately, he'd been spending time at Sugar Trap, specifically with CJ, a prostitute there. Both Savio and Remo seemed to notice this.
"Don't tell me Adamo is actually falling for a whore," Savio said, amusement filling his eyes.
"You don't know the whole story, Savio. Maybe he just likes her skills," I said, trying to defend my youngest brother.
"I mean, she's okay. But there are better options out there," Savio said with a shrug.
"Let's focus on the race. The last thing I need to hear today is about who's the better whore." Remo muttered, raising the volume of the television.
While we were engrossed in the race, Fabiano suddenly burst into the room.
"There's been an attack on our territory," he announced urgently.
"What? Where? When did that happen?" Remo jumped up from the sofa.
"The Outfit attacked the race in Kansas. It happened about an hour ago, but no one knew until now," Fabiano explained.
Remo looked furious, and rightfully so. This was the second attack on our territory. When would they learn?
My phone started ringing. It was from an unknown number. I answered, and a voice came through.
"Hello, Falcone. This is Danilo. We have your brother, and we're going to enjoy his screams, just like you enjoyed Serafina's. Log in to the darknet; we'll be streaming it live."
Before I could reply, he hung up. I immediately asked Savio to contact Sugar Trap to see if Adamo was there while I asked Fabiano to prepare the jet.
As expected, Adamo wasn't at Sugar Trap. He went behind our backs to race, and now he was taken. Damn it!
We all boarded the flight, then logged into the darknet and clicked on the video.
"Remo Falcone, we hope you enjoy the show," Samuel grinned like a madman.
Danilo started by cutting Adamo in several places slowly and painfully. Soon, the jet was filled with Adamo's agonizing screams. Remo clenched his hand around the sharp edge of the blade, causing blood to ooze out. Savio was gripping the armrest, while I was digging my fingers into Remo's shoulder.
Samuel soon stepped up, bringing a light to his forearm, burning the tattoo away.
Suddenly, a blonde woman entered the camera frame, forcefully pushing Samuel aside. I recognized her immediately – Hope Emily Nightingale, a constant presence in my thoughts since we parted ways. As Samuel raised his hand to strike Hope, a wave of seething rage swept over me. Not only for what she did to Adamo but also for his audacity to lay a hand on my woman. However, I knew she was more than capable of defending herself. With swift skill, she seized his hand and twisted it behind his back. In that moment, I couldn't have been prouder of her.
She was clad in black jeans, with twin blades sheathed at her belt, and wore a black crop top, revealing her toned abs.
"Stop! He isn't Remo Falcone, and I won't allow you to harm him because of his brother's mistakes. If you intend to hurt him, you'll have to deal with me first."
She stood defensively in front of our brother, confronting the men from the outfit with unshakable confidence. Her eyes transformed into a much brighter blue, reminiscent of the way they looked when she was in Serafina's presence.
"Did her eyes just change color?" Savio asked, not missing that detail.
"It's probably the lighting," Remo said, unbothered.
"No, her eyes changed color like that from time to time," I admitted. If I wanted Hope to have a shot at being with me, I had to be honest with my brothers, and this was the start.
The Outfit members seemed not to notice as Serafina walked behind Hope. She kneeled down in front of Adamo and cupped his face.
"Adamo?" she called out softly. Both Savio's and my eyes diverted to Remo to see if he was losing his cool, but he just seemed surprised.
"Hi, Serafina," he smiled at her through the pain. Remo had told me that he and Serafina got along well during their captivity.
His eyes cautiously moved towards Hope, who turned around to look at him.
"You must be Hope."
"The one and only," she said jokingly, winking at him and giving him a wide grin.
"Is she the same person that kidnapped you and sent us threats?" Savio asked, dumbfounded.
"Yes. I told you she wasn't bad and only wanted to get Serafina released faster," I defended her.
When she turned back to face Dante and the others, her face had a cold expression, the one she wears for her enemies.
"Get out of the way, you traitor. How could you side with someone who raped Serafina?" Dante screamed, making Serafina flinch. Hope looked completely unbothered. She opened her mouth, presumably to humiliate Dante, but Serafina cut in, speaking up.
"Enough! This cycle has to stop. I paid for your sins. I won't let him pay for his brother's."
Then suddenly, the live stream ended, leaving us all equally stunned.
"Why would Hope and Serafina stand up for Adamo?" Remo asked, looking confused.
"Same reason why she kidnapped me and not Savio and Adamo, even though they were easier targets. They were kids, and also I think Serafina must've told her she wasn't raped, so she has no reason to hate us."
Remo grabbed his phone and called Dante, putting it on speaker.
"Let my brother go, and I'll give you what you want."
"Come to Minneapolis at 8 am tomorrow. If you're even a second late, I'll make sure you won't be able to recognize your brother's face."
As soon as he hung up, Savio spoke, breaking the deadly silence.
"They're going to kill you, Remo."
"They'll cut me, skin me, torture me, cut off my balls. Then maybe kill me."
I had a sinking feeling in my gut. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd lose my older brother.
