Chapter 8 :

Mafia's Nemesis

Vincenzo had struck again. Now, it was his turn to retaliate.

Meanwhile, seated in the car—Nevena heard a gut-wrenching fall, but she didn’t move nor did she look outside.

Instead, she huddled at a corner, pressing her hands against her ears, willing herself to disappear. The weight of the bloodshed outside pressing down on her chest.

The car door suddenly swung open and Antonio slid inside, the heavy door slamming shut behind him.

The Bentley peeled away from the carnage, leaving behind a street soaked in blood.

Nevena sat stiffly, fingers twisting the fabric of Antonio's jacket. Every nerve in her body still on edge.

Antonio's silence was suffocating and heavy like a noose tightened around her throat. The weight of his presence beside her—cold, calculated and dangerous.

After what felt like an eternity, his voice cut through the air.

“My house and your country. Those are the only places you’ll be safe.”

The words were simple, but the way Antonio said them didn't sound like a suggestion, rather a warning.

“T-Thank you,” she stammered, unsure if gratitude was the right response after everything that had just happened.

Blade turned slightly, his piercing gaze locking onto her, tracing the fear etched into her features.

She was trembling—her breaths shallow, her fingers twitching. But it was her eyes that caught him. Crescent-shaped and shimmering with unease.

Something about them mesmerized him, and for the briefest second, he forgot himself.

Grinch, observing the moment, cleared his throat loudly, pulling Antonio back from his imaginations.

Antonio blinked, snapping out of his trance. He clenched his jaw, as if shoving something deep into the pit of his chest.

His gaze dropped to her wrist—bruised, raw, deep red.

“Pull over,” he ordered. Grinch applied the brakes without wasting a minute and Antonio stepped out.

“I'm going to Vincenzo's.” Antonio's voice was low and controlled as Grinch joined him outside.

“I'm coming with you.” Grinch hinted but Antonio didn't react.

He leaned closer and muttered, “Take care of that.” His eyes flicked toward Nevena in the car.

Grinch sighed but didn’t argue. “Are you sure about this?”

Antonio didn’t answer. His silence was enough for Grinch to know that there are scores to be settled.

He moved through the night like a phantom until he got to Vincenzo's house. He skillfully scaled the fence in silence, landing like a predator in hunt of a prey.

The guards stood alert with the aid of tobacco and liquor—but they were watching the wrong shadows.

Antonio reached for the sole of his shoe and pulled out his weapon—a trench knife. That was all he needed.

The guards never saw him coming. One by one, his trench knife slash through their shadows, taking them down before they could sound the alarm.

By the time the last man hit the ground, Antonio was already inside.

Inside the Courtyard, the scent of burning incense and expensive liquor lingered in the air. Vincenzo lounged in his silk-covered chair, half-naked, his muscles glistening under the dim chandelier.

A naked maiden was draped across his lap, rocking his member, her lips trailing along his neck, pressing slow, lazy kisses.

The moment the woman kneaded his nipples in-between her fingers, He smirked— tilting his head back.

On a normal day, he would have just curled his grip on her waist and destroyed her kitty cat with his ruthless thrust, but then, she was only getting him ready until the boys brought in the Bulgarian woman.

There was a sudden shift in the air and Vincenzo sensed it, but before he could deduce anything, the door creaked open and a shadow stepped in.

The woman on his lap stiffened, her lips parting in a silent gasp.

“¿Por qué carajos te detuviste?{Why did you stop?}”, Vincenzo snapped at her, but then he heard heavy shoe soles clinking against the tiles.

Antonio ‘Blade knuckles’ strode forward, his oppressive aura filling the room.

A black jacket hung over one of his shoulders, while his other hand casually held his trench knife.

“Knuckles ?”, Vincenzo mumbled as Antonio paused before him.

“¿Quién diablos te crees que eres?{Who the hell do you think you are?}” a henchman snarled, stepping between Vincenzo and Antonio.

He went on to shove Antonio's chest, and that made Antonio's fingers twitch against the hilt of his trench knife.

“You must have a death wish!” the man swore at Antonio.

Antonio tried to suppress the fury bubbling inside him but no—his hands have a brain of its own.

It picked up a sword from the table and sang through the air—and so did the man’s head.

The henchman’s head hit the ground before his body realized it was dead.

The woman on Vincenzo’s lap screamed and ran immediately the severed skull hit the marble with a sickening thud, rolling.

A suffocating silence swallowed the room. Vincenzo sat frozen staring at the head on the floor, while his men awaited for orders.

He had heard stories of Blade Knuckles'. But he had never believed them, only that now he had to witness the brutality firsthand.

“Vaya, qué valiente de tu parte.{That's quite brave of you}”, Vincenzo spoke, locking gaze with the dark flicker in Antonio’s eyes.

“Forgive me”, Antonio snarled, adjusting his tie, the motion slow and deliberate, his gaze never leaving Vincenzo.

“But—I always retaliate at the slightest provocation” he paused, picking up a bottle of dry gin.

He took his time pouring himself a glass, his audacity daring anyone to challenge him.

“Cheers”, he raised the glass to the air before gulping it down at a goal.

“Why the sudden visit?” Vincenzo asked, leaning back into his chair with a smirk.

“You crossed all the lines today.” Antonio whispered, he tilted his head, his voice low and even.

“If you really want to play gangster in my town, you need to pay me for that privilege”.

“Cut it Knuckles’—everyone claims to be a gangster until a real gangster steps into the game—your regime is over now….just retire”. Vincenzo snapped, his voice brooking no defiance.

“I thought you acted out of ignorance all this while” Antonio exhaled slowly, voice low and menacing.

“I’m done being patient—Vincenzo! Nothing moves in my town unless I get a cut. That’s just how it works."

“Meaning?” Vincenzo flared up

“I'm reclaiming my territory”. Antonio fired back.

“And you think you can walk in here and afterwards go scot-free.” Vincenzo threatened.

Antonio smirked, unfazed, he dribbled the head and kicked it at Vincenzo.

It rolled across the floor and bumped against Vincenzo's foot. Blood splattering across his polished leather shoes.

“You can try”. Antonio jeered.

Vincenzo’s face twisted in horror and with a snap of his fingers, his men surged forward.

“Mátalo {Kill him!}”. He snapped.

The goons charged but Antonio ‘Blade knuckles’ was already poised for a counter attack.

Within minutes, the air reeked of iron and blood.

Vincenzo backed away toward the window as his henchmen collapsed, one after another with slit throats and shattered skulls.

“Coward”, Antonio spat and aimed his trench knife at him.

The trench knife flashed through the air and sunk deep into Vincenzo’s arm. He let out a pained grunt, yanking the knife free.

“Son of a bitch!”, Vincenzo cursed. He reached for the frame and jumped but Antonio gripped him and yanked him back to the room.

Henchmen immediately swarmed them, their blows hammering into Antonio's rib and back, but his grip on Vincenzo's neck was unyielding.

A gunshot erupted through the air and lodged into Antonio’s back.

His body instinctively reacted by jerking forward, he gritted his teeth, but still held on.

Another shot rang out, striking his arm. This time his fingers involuntarily released their grip.

Vincenzo broke free—and scrambled through the window, vanishing into the night.

Antonio 'Blade knuckles' staggered, blood seeping from his wounds. His burning muscles made him instinctively grip his bleeding arm.

Seeing that as an opportunity, the henchman took aim again—click. But he was out of bullets.

Antonio didn’t wait for an invitation. He grabbed a flower vase and hurled it. The exquisite ceramic struck the man, shattering against his skull.

Blade turned to the rest of the henchmen, his eyes burning—red, demonic.

The henchmen were thrown into a frantic panic, because his slayer mode had been fully activated.

“Turn off the control switch”, one of them screamed, thinking that darkness was the best way to eliminate Blade Knuckles.

Immediately the lights went off, the darkness welcomed Antonio like an old friend, wrapping him in its embrace like it shared his hunger for destruction.

When the sensor light came on, after about half an hour, it flashed against Antonio as he staggered toward the exit, blood dripping down his fingers.

He was the void made flesh, a walking embodiment of Slayer that consumed everything in their path.

Despite his life draining away, he lit his cigarette with the ease of a man who had nothing to fear, a contrast to erratic shadows of dead bodies he slayed back at the courtyard.

As he walked, a trail of blood print followed him into the dark. He didn’t know how far he went but it was quite a distance from the crime scene.

His blurry vision caught a hill looming in the distance.

“Just a few more steps”, Antonio snorted, the faint glow of lanterns swaying in the distance motivating him.

He took a step forward but his knees buckled and he fell flat on the ground.

“You can do this Antonio”, he rasped, his sharp breath caressing the earth and pushing up dust.

With twitched fingers he crawled forward until he got to the hill and saw the village nestled at its base.

“Finally”, he purred with an ashen face—with his last strength, he staggered toward the village.

His strength unexpectedly failed him and he collapsed onto the grass, the scent of earth filling his senses.

MEANWHILE GRINCH STEERED THE CAR INTO Hunt's Estate after an hour of driving.

The entrance was an expansive grounds, featuring a sweeping driveway, manicured lawns, and an aura of refinement and exclusivity, setting the stage for the impressive home that lay beyond.

Nevena was utterly struck at the sight of the mansion, the check post were heavily guarded by men with advanced weapons,

As she stepped out of the car, Grinch led her through the manicured gardens which had an imposing entryway to the main house.

The servants lined up and welcomed them both with a bow,

“She is the Boss' guest ,so treat her with the utmost respect while she is here.” Grinch cautioned the maids before walking away with her.

“Hello Palooka {Man},” Grinch said over the phone, after he showed Nevena to the guest room.

“Yes Grinch”, Carlos's voice came from the other end

“Blade has gone to blow one down ‘kill a man’, be on the lookout over there”, Grinch ordered and dropped the phone.

Meanwhile inside the room, Nevena was immersed by the interior of the guest room, it offered her everything she could need without ever needing to leave her space.

Still hasn't gotten over her kidnap, she ran a warm bath and laid blankly on the bed, recounting her ordeal,

What if she hadn't run into that man's arm, what would have been her condition? adrenaline coursed goosebumps all over her, as many bad thoughts flooded her mind.

She was lost in the world of thoughts when a soft knock on the door brought her back to earth.

Without waiting for a second, she sprang to her feet,

“Who's there ?” Her sulky tone quivered.

“Ma'am! Dinner has been served” Grinch called from the door, and hurried off immediately she answered.

Nevena took her time before alighting the stairs. When she eventually got to the dinning space, she was greeted by a banquet, the table laden with different dishes, both Mexican and Bulgarian.

“Am I the only one having dinner?” she asked, darting her eyes around for her host's family.

“Grinch Sir and the others are preoccupied with work—the Big Boss is not home”, the maid answered in a meek tone before serving Nevena's plate.