POV: Ariella DeLuca
Tuscany — La Fattoria di Campiano, 4:32 AM
It started with a faint tremor—barely there, but enough to rattle the old wooden floors beneath her.
Ariella snapped awake, cold sweat dampening her skin. Her breathing came in shallow bursts, the remnants of a nightmare still clinging to her mind. But this wasn't a dream.
Engines.
Fast. Heavy. Too many.
She jumped to her feet, body on high alert.
In the next room, Kael was already standing by the window, his frame still, his pistol loaded and ready.
"They've found us," he muttered, his voice low and cutting.
Without hesitation, Ariella grabbed the pistol by her bedside. Her heart was racing, but her hands remained steady—fear wasn't new to her.
"How many?" she asked, her voice sharp despite the tension crawling in her chest.
Kael's narrowed eyes scanned the darkness through the window blinds, his face growing darker.
"Plenty. More than usual."
Out in the distance, black SUVs weaved through the olive groves, headlights slicing through the stillness like the gaze of hunting wolves.
Ariella drew a deep breath.
She already knew this wasn't just a capture mission.They were here to eliminate them.
"All right," she murmured, checking her weapon as calm settled in her bones.
Kael met her gaze, his lips curling into that dangerous smirk of his.
"Three choices," he said quietly, as if reciting a death script."Run. Fight. Or burn it down."
Ariella's own smirk mirrored his—a wicked, deadly grin.
"Tonight, we fight."
POV: Kael Morreti
Inside the Safehouse — 4:35 AM
Kael knew exactly who was coming.
This wasn't a street gang. Not hired thugs or mercenaries.
It was Shadow Squad—the specialized assassination unit under Project LUNA. Men who had their humanity stripped away and replaced with ruthless obedience.
They moved in silence.
They killed without warning.
They had no mercy.
Kael's grip tightened around his pistol, his mind running through every detail of their training, every weakness they had.
He inhaled slowly, calculating every possible escape route and defense.
Every breath sharpened his focus. He could almost feel the cold metal against his skin, grounding him back into the present.
He wasn't afraid. But he was realistic.
He'd seen these men in action before. He knew exactly how efficient they were. Once they were deployed, their mission didn't end until everything was wiped clean.
Failure was not an option for them.
Kael's mind raced—not with panic, but cold logic. He calculated angles, doors, walls, the density of wood and stone in this old safehouse. He knew every possible blind spot, every shadow.
Three minutes. That's all they had before the breach.
This wasn't about surviving anymore.
This was about who would fall first.
He glanced at Ariella, standing ready, her expression steeled. There was no hesitation in her eyes. No trace of the girl she used to be.
"You remember what I taught you?" he asked, his voice steady, still watching their shadows crawl toward them.
Her reply came without pause, sharp and unwavering.
"Don't hesitate," she replied. "Kill first. Think later."
Kael's smirk returned, faint but approving.
"Good."
But somewhere deep inside, something twisted in his chest.
He could see it now—her eyes weren't the same as they used to be.
She had changed.
And perhaps, deep down, so had he.
For a brief second, he wondered—when this was over, who exactly would they be left as.
Outside the Safehouse — 4:36 AM
Six men dressed in black tactical gear exited the SUVs, their movements sharp and coordinated.
Not a word was spoken.
They didn't need to speak.
Each of them aimed their weapons toward the old farmhouse, dark visors hiding their faces.
The leader, marked with a red slash on his shoulder, raised a single gloved finger.
Terminate all.
The air around them seemed to hum with death.
The night was silent, save for the soft hum of engines cooling down, the muted crunch of boots against gravel, and the distant calls of owls—unaware of the violence about to unfold.
Inside their helmets, the men's breathing remained calm, mechanical.
Trained. Programmed.
They had come for only one purpose.
POV: Ariella
The footsteps grew louder—closer.
Ariella steadied her breath, pressing herself against the wall beside the door, her gun ready.
Every heartbeat sounded like a gunshot in her ears.
Her mind didn't drift to safety or escape.
It was locked on survival.
Her thoughts sharpened with every second.
They're here for me.
They won't stop until I'm dead.
Her hands didn't shake.
Her eyes didn't blink.
The moment she heard the first boot hit the porch—she was already counting.
Three… two… one…
BOOM!
The front door shattered under a heavy boot, wood fragments exploding into the room.
She didn't hesitate.
BANG! BANG!
Two bullets, clean and precise—one through the throat, the other through the skull. The first intruder collapsed without a sound.
Kael reacted just as fast, firing off shots that dropped two more in swift, deadly bursts.
"Three down," he muttered.
But there was no time to celebrate.
THUD!
A grenade rolled across the floor—flashbang.
Ariella covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, counting the seconds.
Her lungs burned, her heart hammered—but her mind stayed focused.
The blast went off.
She was already moving.
Rolling out from behind the doorframe, she fired at the remaining men with surgical precision.
BANG! BANG!
Two more bodies fell to the floor, their armor no match for her well-aimed shots.
Her hands didn't shake.
There wasn't room for fear in her veins anymore.
Kael was grappling with the final assassin, a brute twice his size.
But Kael wasn't normal.
He moved like a shadow, ruthless and efficient.
With a flick of his wrist, he drew the hidden blade from his boot—SHHK!Straight into the man's throat.
Blood sprayed.
No mercy. No hesitation.
The room was thick with smoke and the coppery scent of blood.
Ariella stepped over the fallen bodies, unshaken.
Her heart was steady. Too steady.
She barely recognized herself anymore.
One of the injured men groaned, dragging himself toward the exit, desperation clouding his face.
She blocked his path, pistol aimed at his head.
"Who sent you?" she demanded, her tone ice-cold.
The man whimpered, his voice breaking.
"Matteo… Matteo sent us. He—he wants every trace burned…"
Kael pulled her back.
"They'll send more," he said, his voice firm, eyes cold.
Without another word, he put a bullet between the man's eyes.
No witnesses.
No mercy.
Ariella didn't even flinch.
This wasn't survival anymore.
This was war.
POV: Kael
4:45 AM — Critical Moment
Kael grabbed Ariella's hand, pulling her toward the rear exit.
Outside, the air burned with smoke and the sharp scent of charred earth.
The safehouse was rigged to blow—another one of Matteo's contingencies.
They were running out of time.
Kael could already hear more engines approaching from afar.
The night wasn't quiet anymore.
It was alive with danger.
"No car," Ariella muttered, glancing around.
Kael's dark chuckle cut through the chaos.
"There's always a car," he smirked.
He always had a backup plan.
Inside the Old Barn — 4:47 AM
Kael shoved open the barn doors.
Inside sat an old Land Rover Defender, covered in dust and grime.
Ariella blinked in disbelief.
"You can't be serious."
Kael jumped into the driver's seat, fingers moving fast over the ignition.
"Either get in, or die here. Your choice."
She scrambled in without another word, her heart pounding in rhythm with the roaring engine.
Somehow, she wasn't surprised.
Kael always had a way of making miracles out of ruins.
Escape Begins — 4:50 AM
The old engine roared to life.
Kael slammed the gas pedal, and the vehicle lunged forward, tearing through the olive groves.
Behind them, headlights closed in fast, and gunfire erupted.
Kael remained calm, hands steady on the wheel, weaving through the narrow dirt paths.
The adrenaline didn't cloud his mind.
It sharpened it.
"Can you shoot from there?" he asked, not breaking focus.
Ariella rolled down the window, half her body leaning out, gun in hand.
"Give me the shot," she replied coolly.
Her breath fogged the night air as she aimed.
Every shot now was instinct.
High-Speed Chase — 4:55 AM
The black SUVs gained on them, bullets ripping through the trees and dirt.
Kael kept the Land Rover steady, his expression unreadable.
"Right flank!" he barked.
Ariella fired three shots—two missed, but the third hit the radiator of one SUV dead-on.
The vehicle swerved, slammed into a tree, and exploded.
One down.
Kael reached for a hidden switch under the dashboard.
A powerful explosion erupted behind them—he had rigged the path with explosives earlier.
The second SUV was obliterated in the blast.
One more left.
Kael's hands didn't shake.
He was too used to dancing with death.
Ending Scene — 5:02 AM
The last vehicle was faster, more aggressive.
Kael's gaze remained locked forward.
"Ella, listen closely," he said, voice deadly serious.
"I'm going to slam the brakes. When I stop, you finish it."
Ariella gave a single nod, steady and fearless.
Kael counted.
Three… two… one.
SCREECH!
He slammed the brakes hard.
The black SUV behind them couldn't stop in time.
It flipped, rolling violently off the road, crashing into a ditch.
Ariella jumped out instantly, gun drawn, approaching the wreckage.
Inside, the final attacker was trapped, barely conscious.
Without a word, she fired a single shot into his skull.
BANG.
Silence.
Kael stood beside her, his gaze unreadable.
"You're getting good at this," he remarked, half-proud, half-concerned.
Ariella's lips curled into a cold smile.
"Don't forget," she whispered, voice low and dangerous,"I carry Salvatore's blood too."