The Ashes of Loyalty

The gunshot was the loudest thing I had ever heard. The kick of the pistol jerked my arm back, but I didn’t let go. I watched the bullet strike the marble floor just inches from my father’s expensive shoes.

He jumped back, his face turning a sickly shade of white. The detonator in his hand wobbled. For the first time in my life, the man who terrified me was the one who looked afraid.

"Serena!" he screamed, his voice high and thin. "Are you crazy? I’m your father!"

"You were the man who sold me," I shouted back. My voice didn't shake. The blood of the man I had just killed was drying on my skin, and it felt like armor. "You sold me to a monster, and then you tried to blow me up to cover your tracks. You aren't my father. You’re just a businessman who ran out of luck."

Beside him, Marco Vitelli laughed. It was a dry, hollow sound. He was a handsome man, but his eyes were as empty as a graveyard. He looked up at me and Alessandro on the balcony like we were a show put on for his entertainment.

"She has spirit, De Luca," Marco said. He rested a hand on my father’s shoulder, but his grip looked painful. "Too bad spirit doesn't stop bullets. Kill them both. I want the girl's head as a wedding gift for Bianca."

Alessandro moved before the sentence was finished. He grabbed me by the waist and hauled me behind a stone pillar just as a hail of gunfire chewed into the wood and plaster where we had been standing.

"Can you still shoot?" Alessandro hissed. He was reloading his own weapon, his movements fast and precise.

"I... I think so," I panted. My adrenaline was fading, and my hands were starting to tremble again.

"Don't think. Do," he commanded. He grabbed my face, forcing me to look at him. His dark eyes were intense, searching mine for any sign of the weak girl I used to be. "They are going to blow this house in three minutes. We have to reach the garage. If you miss, we die. If you hesitate, we die. Choose to live, Serena."

"I choose to live," I whispered.

"Then follow my lead."

Alessandro stood and began laying down cover fire. He moved with a terrifying calm, picking off Vitelli’s men as they tried to rush the stairs. I stayed low, moving from pillar to pillar. Every time I saw a flash of movement, I pulled the trigger. I didn't care about the noise or the recoil anymore. I only cared about the gap between me and the exit.

We reached the back staircase just as a secondary explosion rocked the floor. The ground groaned beneath us. Dust choked the air, making it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.

"The garage is through that door!" Alessandro pointed to a heavy steel entrance.

We burst through the door, but we weren't alone.

Standing by Alessandro’s favorite silver sports car was a woman. She wasn't wearing tactical gear. She was wearing a silk dress and diamonds.

"Going somewhere, sister?"

It was Bianca.

She looked perfect. Not a hair was out of place. She held a small, gold-plated pistol pointed right at my heart. Behind her, two Vitelli guards moved to block the car.

"Bianca," I breathed. My heart hurt more than my bruised shoulder. "Why? You got away. You had your freedom. Why come back for this?"

"Freedom is expensive, Serena," Bianca sneered. Her eyes were full of a cold, hungry greed I had never seen before. "Marco promised me the De Luca empire and the Moretti ports. All I had to do was make sure you and your 'husband' didn't survive the night. It was such an easy choice."

"I would have died for you," I said, my voice cracking. "I put on your dress. I took your place so Alessandro wouldn't kill our family."

"And I thank you for that," she laughed. "You made a great distraction. But I'm the queen, Serena. You were always just the maid. Did you really think Alessandro would ever love a shadow like you?"

Alessandro stepped forward, his gun leveled at Bianca’s head. "She's ten times the woman you'll ever be, Bianca. You’re just a cheap traitor."

Bianca’s face twisted in rage. "Kill them! Now!"

The guards raised their weapons, but Alessandro was faster. He tackled me to the ground as the garage erupted in a fresh wave of gunfire. Bullets shattered the windshields of the luxury cars, glass raining down on us like diamonds.

In the chaos, I saw Bianca dart toward the side exit. She was trying to slip away while her men did the dirty work.

I didn't ask Alessandro for permission. I crawled through the glass, ignoring the stings on my knees. I wasn't going to let her walk away. Not this time.

I reached the side door just as she stepped out into the rainy night. I lunged, grabbing her hair and pulling her back into the concrete hallway. We fell together, a mess of silk and screams.

Bianca clawed at my face, her nails drawing blood. "Let go of me, you little brat!"

I didn't let go. I pinned her down, the silver dagger Alessandro had given me pressed against her throat. For the first time, I was the one looking down at her.

"You left me to die," I whispered into her ear. "You told me to 'deal with it.' Well, this is me dealing with it."

Bianca’s eyes went wide with fear. "Serena, wait! We're sisters! We can share it all! I’ll tell Marco to stop!"

"You're lying," I said. "And I'm done listening."

I raised the knife, but a sudden, heavy shadow fell over us. I looked up, expecting to see Alessandro.

Instead, I saw a pair of heavy black boots.

"That's enough, girls," a deep, unfamiliar voice said.

A hand grabbed me by the back of my dress and tossed me aside like a doll. I hit the wall hard, my vision spinning. Through the blur, I saw a man I didn't recognize. He was older, with a scar running across his eye. He looked at Bianca, then at me.

"The Vitellis are losers," the man said. "And the Morettis are burning. It's time for a new player to take the board."

He pointed a gun at Bianca’s head, then turned it toward me.

"Who are you?" I gasped.

The man smiled, and it was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen.

"I'm the man your father actually owed the money to," he said. "And since he can't pay, I'll take both of his daughters as interest. Starting with the pretty one."

He pulled the trigger.