Christmas Vows with the Devil

32. Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Two

Dante

The Russos might be the new kids on the block, but they’re exactly the kind of people I’d like to keep in my corner.

Over the next few hours, they not only pinpoint Matteo’s exact location but also manage to shut down power to an entire city block. This leaves Oznam Enterprises in complete darkness.

The Vitales and their closest associates posted up at each one of my father’s warehouses and bunkers. We’re using them as decoys so his manpower is spread thin. This leaves the perfect opening for us to ambush him and his skeleton screw.

I couldn’t have planned it better myself.

I glance down at Gia’s serious face beside me. She’s watching the city speed by as we race to Oznam Enterprises in a dark vehicle with no plates. The Russos lead the way, also driving incognito.

When she insisted on coming with me, I wanted to say no. To protect her. Trap her in the safety of my penthouse. But I knew that would make her resent me.

Now, I’m trying to reconcile the anxiety of keeping her safe while rescuing Matteo and killing my father. It’s going to be a long fucking night.

Our vehicles creep along the fence line of the parking lot, sticking to the service road behind the building. The large building looms in front of us, dark and menacing. Somewhere in there is my son, and my father.

My phone buzzes and I read Russo’s text quickly.

Confirming he’s inside, in his office. Sources say he’s trying to track down a helicopter. The kid is with him.

I smirk, tucking my phone away. I made sure to rent every helicopter in the city and sent them out to different locations. There’s no way he’s escaping.

“Who does Russo have on the inside?” Gia muses out loud, snuggling into my shoulder. I tip her chin up and softly kiss her forehead. I have no idea how Russo is getting this intel. All I know is that I’m grateful, which is not an emotion I feel often.

The large SUV in front of us flicks its hazard lights on for a second, sending us the signal. We silently glide into the parking lot and up to the loading docks, headlights off.

It’s now or never.

I catch Gia’s gaze as we move in the shadows to the back door, her eyes hard with determination. There’s no fear there, just a fierce, unyielding strength. Matteo’s safe return is all that matters, and tonight we’ll tear this place apart to make it happen.

“My men are in position,” Russo murmurs from my left, his weapon drawn. “Security cameras are out. Manzo has no idea we’re here.”

I don’t answer. I don’t need to. I can hear the victory in his voice already.

The security system has been disabled and we troop into the warehouse easily. In silence, we move to the door that leads us out to the lobby, Russo’s men following me. Gia sticks close behind me, her fingers lightly clutching my jacket in the darkness.

Russo’s men take care of the security guards posted at the front door of the lobby with ease. I herd the group to the stairs off to the side of the elevators.

“Ready?”

The group nods, and we file into the staircase, our feet light like ninjas. The climb is intense and I’m worried about Gia, but she holds the pace like a professional. After an eternity, we gather on the landing of the fifteenth floor, and I glance around.

One final nod.

One final look at Gia.

“Let’s kill that fucker,” Russo whispers and slams his body against the door.

We surge into the office, flooding the room with bodies. Shouts, gunshots, and chaos ensue but I have one single target. I scan the room, panicking but trying to keep calm.

Finally, I spot Matteo’s matted curls behind my father’s desk, the moonlight pouring through the windows and illuminating him like a little angel.

I rush at him, pulling Gia along with me, two of Russo’s men hot on our heels. Gia grabs him and she’s gone in seconds, flying down the stairs with her two-man crew protecting her back. Just like we planned.

Even with the chaos of gunfire around me, I feel my father before I see him. He’s snuck away, hiding himself in a corner, edging toward a small door. From my vantage point behind the desk, I see him slip through the door and I army crawl to it.

Bullets whiz by, shattering the windows and taking chunks of wood out of furniture. I pray that Russo has this handled as I follow my father into the darkness of the secret door. Once I’m safely inside the small storage closet, I shut the door and feel around.

I’m alone and confused. I know I saw him slip in here.

Suddenly, my hands land on cold metal rungs. Of course, hidden roof access.

I climb like my life depends on it, and I guess it does. The trapdoor cover at the top is off but I stay down, peering over the edge. Generators, solar panels, and a small hut block my view of the helipad. I spring out of the opening and slip into the shadowed safety of a wall.

Suddenly, two of my father’s men round the corner, rifles in hand. Without missing a beat, I lift my weapon, squeezing the trigger twice. They fall before they even know what hit them. No time for hesitation, no room for doubt. Not tonight.

“Goddammit. Fucking useless kids.”

My father’s voice booms out from around the corner. He’s here. And his protection is gone. Behind me, a few of Russo’s men filter out of the trap door, falling in line behind me.

“This is between him and me,” I tell them, my voice cold as ice. “Watch my back.”

The men nod, their expressions unreadable. We creep toward the helipad and there, in the center, stands my father. His gun is aimed at me, cocked and ready to go. A small, satisfied smile plays on his lips.

“The gun is insurance,” he says, nodding at the weapon clutched in his hands. “I’m hoping you’re here to make the right decision.”

He’s outnumbered and he knows it. There’s no helicopter, no crew backing him up. He’s done but he’s still hanging on to the sick hope that I’ll choose him. I spit at him, raising my own weapon.

He chuckles, shaking his head. “Still so soft. I raised you to be strong, to be ruthless. And yet, here you are, throwing away everything I taught you for some bitch and her kid.”

My body thrums with rage. “You didn’t raise me to be strong. You raised me to be a monster, like you.”

The sneer on his face deepens. “A monster is what this world needs, Dante. Look around you. The strong survive, the weak are crushed. I was preparing you, building you into a force to be reckoned with.”

I take a step forward, keeping my gaze locked on his. “I’m not you and I never will be.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. You’re exactly like me. Every time you pull that trigger, every time you take a life, you’re following in my footsteps.”

“Maybe I’ll never escape what you’ve done to me. But I’ll make damn sure my son never knows what it’s like to be raised by a monster.”

His face contorts with anger. I see his finger twitch, the hope draining from his eyes.

“This is for Matteo,” I say, my voice low and steady. “And for every single person you’ve hurt.”

A flicker of surprise crosses his face, a flash of something almost human. But it’s gone in an instant.

“Go on, then,” he sneers, still sure he can control me in some way. He still thinks he owns me. “Do it.”

I pull the trigger.

The sound echoes through the night, final and absolute.