Lahat ng Kabanata ng Bound To The Mafia Don: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

FLORAAntonio's finger tightened visibly on the trigger of his gun. I rushed forward, but before he could fire, his expression suddenly changed. With a savage growl, he suddenly turned and lunged, not at me or even Dante, but at my mother surprisingly.The knife in his hand flashed in the sunlight as he charged viciously. My mother stood there, frozen. Her eyes were wide with shock."No!" Dante roared, immediately throwing himself between both of them.The blade sank into Dante's shoulder with a sharp sound. He grunted in pain but grabbed Antonio's wrist, preventing him from pulling out the knife for another strike.I raised my gun but I couldn't get a clean shot with both of them so close to each other. Blood had begun to spread across Dante's shirt as he fought to keep Antonio's knife hand controlled.Shouts began to come from the entrance to the courtyard. When I glanced over, I could see a group of Antonio's guards rushing in with their weapons already out and drawn. I knew we wer

FLORAThe island immediately transformed within minutes as the FBI swarmed the whole place. Some agents secured the island while medical teams tended to the people who had injuries. I sat in the back of an ambulance with a thick blanket wrapped around my shoulders, watching as Antonio was led away in handcuffs. His leg had been hastily bandaged, but he was still limping along as the guards whisked him away.His eyes found mine as they pushed him into a vehicle. Even in defeat, his gaze was filled with nothing but pure hatred. I stared back, refusing to look away from him until the doors closed between us.Agent Harrison approached me. I could see the satisfaction on his face as clear as day. "We've got him, Flora. And the two surviving crime bosses. The other two didn't make it.""What about the evidence?" I asked, suddenly remembering the flash drive in my pocket. I pulled it out and offered it to him. "I had a backpack filled with physical evidence but my mother said this contains e

FLORAThe steady beep of medical monitors had become the soundtrack of my life over the past three days. I sat in the chair between two hospital beds. My mother was on the left, while Anthony was on the right. Both of them were still recovering from the kidney transplant surgery that had gone better than anyone expected.My mother's color had improved dramatically since she had received Anthony's kidney. The doctors were cautiously optimistic, and had used words like "remarkable recovery" and "exceeding expectations." Anthony, too had been the perfect patient, following all the medical instructions he had been given.I reached over to adjust my mother's blanket as she slept peacefully. The door opened quietly, and Dante slipped in. There were dark circles under his eyes which showcased his exhaustion. He had barely slept since Antonio's escape as he had been on the lookout for him and he had been calling in every favor owed to the Romano family."Any news so far?" I whispered as he ca

FLORAThe private jet touched down in San Jose without so much as a bump. I gripped the armrest nervously. But my nervousness was not from the landing but from what awaited us. Dante was sitting beside me, and his jaw was set in that hard line I had come to recognize as his battle face."We're here," he said simply, then he unbuckled his seatbelt.I nodded after I had gathered my courage. After Lorenzo's warning about Sofia and the way his health had declined after then, we had come close to canceling the trip. But we knew Antonio's trail would grow cold after a while, so Dante had left his most trusted men to watch over my mother and Lorenzo at the hospital."You don't have to do this," Dante said for the tenth time since takeoff. "You could stay at the hotel while we—""Don't start that again," I said, cutting him off. "I'm seeing this through."He reached over and squeezed my hand. His touch was warm, and it contrasted greatly with the coldness in his eyes. "Just stay close to me a

FLORAThe gas burned my eyes and throat as Dante grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the bathroom. I stumbled after him, and my phone fell to the floor with my mother's panicked voice still audible through the speaker. Dante slammed the bathroom door shut and shoved a towel against the crack at the bottom."Get some towels wet," he ordered as he turned on the shower. "Use them to cover your mouth and nose."My hands shook badly as I soaked two hand towels under the water. The gas was already seeping through the door, and filling the small bathroom with its bad smell. Dante pressed a wet towel to my face while holding another one over his mouth."Fire escape," he said. His voice sounded muffled. He pushed the small bathroom window open and peered out. "It's clear. You go first."I hesitated, thinking of my phone I had left behind with my mother still on the line. "But my mom—""We can't help her if we're dead," Dante said bluntly. "Go now."The metal fire escape shook under my feet as