Reckless Games (Reckless Mafia #1)

Chapter 25

Angela

Smoke filled the room, making it hard to breathe and see. I coughed violently, trying to get a grip on my surroundings. The explosion had thrown us all to the ground, and groans of pain echoed around me. My ears were ringing, and everything felt surreal, as if I was moving in slow motion. The room suddenly filled with men—Lorenzo’s men.

"Get the diamonds! Now!" Nikolai's voice cut through the chaos, filled with urgency and rage.

I spotted the briefcases thrown into a corner of the room. Pushing myself up, I staggered towards them, my mind focused on finding the one I had marked earlier. I quickly located the case with the small scratch I had added to its surface that morning. My fingers brushed over the familiar texture, and I grabbed it.

Turning, I saw Markos lying unconscious on the floor and the ring lied right beside him. Without hesitation, I picked up the ring and slipped it onto my finger, securing it before running towards the door. "Get out of here!" Jacob's voice rang out as he fired at Lorenzo's men, taking cover behind an overturned table.

I dashed for the door, but my escape was halted as Declan stepped into the room with a vicious look on his face. "Wrong move, darling!" he mocked, kicking the bag out of my grasp.

I acted quickly, securing the ring on my finger, knowing I couldn’t lose it in the chaos. Without my gun, which I had lost in the explosion, I was defenseless. Declan aimed his gun at me, ready to shoot. But right before he could press the trigger, Nikolai regained his composure and fired in Declan’s direction, providing me with the distraction I needed.

"Get the bag and move out already!" Nikolai yelled.

Taking advantage of the chaos, I grabbed the bag again and scanned the room. The main door was a no-go. I made a split-second decision and headed for the fire escape door.

My heart pounded as I pushed the door open, the sound of gunfire and shouts fading slightly behind me. The narrow stairwell reeked of dust and neglect, but it was my only chance. I raced down the steps, each one taking me further from the immediate danger but closer to an uncertain fate.

I saw a door leading to the main corridor and made my way through it. Countless bodies were sprawled across the floor in pools of blood. I quickly grabbed one of the abandoned guns lying by the dead bodies, feeling the cold metal against my skin. I knew fate wouldn't make it so easy for me, like always. But it was still worth a try. I was broken out of my thoughts when footsteps and gunfire echoed down the hall. And then, my eyes landed on him .

Unleashing his wrath upon Nikolai's men, he still managed to look nothing less than a Greek God. I halted, knowing I can’t be seen by him. I had to turn back. But just as I was about to retreat, his eyes locked onto mine, kicking all the air out of my lungs. I saw his lips move to call my name in a whisper, and his eyes briefly softened. But then they shifted, something dark taking over, glaring holes into my soul menacingly.

I dashed back to where I had come from with Lorenzo hot on my tail, yelling my name. "Angela!" I was about to head down the stairs, but his men were rushing up from there. I had no choice but to go up instead. I quickened my pace, skipping steps as I exerted myself to escape. They were nearing. Nikolai's men were right behind them, engaging in a deadly clash, taking out a few of them. But Lorenzo managed to escape their onslaught and kept following me.

Fuck, I really did not want to do this.

I kept running up the stairs until I reached a dead end. Or not. The only option was a final door. I burst through it, and the cold air of the city hit my face.

Fucking great! It was the rooftop. How the heck was I supposed to get out of here?

I stopped at the edge of the roof, looking down to see how high I was. A chill of defeat ran down my body before I heard his velvet voice again.

"Done running, Dolcezza ?" I turned back slowly at the endearment, but there was nothing lovely about it. His eyes were filled with rage, anger, and... hurt.

I stayed quiet, watching as he held the gun up in my direction.

"All of this for what?" Lorenzo scoffed. "For a man who killed your own parents?” So he found out? “I didn't think you'd be so desperate for this, Angela!" He yelled my name for the first time in a long while. To say it hurt was an understatement. "This isn't you. Tell me they forced you. Just tell me you're sorry, and I'll forget everything," he pleaded, going against his morals. I wanted to cry, seeing his eyes hold the vulnerability I had never seen before. My heart churned painfully as I felt it would shatter any moment. "This isn't the Angela I knew. I saw it in your eyes, Angela. It was real! What we had was real!” His voice boomed, making my stomach twist.

I know, Lorenzo. I know.

"Well then, it's safe to say that I'm a damn good actress, and you never knew me to begin with, Lorenzo Martinez." I smirked sassily instead, making him clench his jaw and tighten his hold on the trigger. I pulled out my gun, pointing it at him after slipping the ring off my finger discreetly and holding it in the same hand as the briefcase. "Don’t let your enemy know your weakness. Otherwise, they’ll use it against you," I announced proudly. "Forgot your own rules, Martinez?" I smirked, tilting my jaw.

He stayed quiet for a moment before scoffing. "You didn’t deserve my love. Not one bit of it!" he gritted furiously, tightening his hold on the trigger. "But good for me, I don't give second chances." The next scene unfolded in slow motion. My eyes widened, and we both pressed the triggers simultaneously, bullets tearing through the air. For a split second, our eyes shut, waiting for the bullets to hit their targets.

And then my breath hitched as I felt Lorenzo’s bullet meet its mark. Time slowed down as a ragged gasp escaped my lips. I opened my eyes, dropping the ring from the hand hidden behind me holding the briefcase. I heard the little clinking of the stone hitting the floor and a small smile graced my lips when I saw my bullet also hit the target.

Lorenzo opened his eyes, meeting mine with a smirk. "You missed," he announced, thinking he'd won. And he wasn’t wrong. He did win. I just wanted to trap his signature smirk in my memory forever for the very last time and never forget this victorious gleam I saw after quite a while on his face. It made him shine brighter than ever.

That was my man; I wanted to scream to the world proudly. But I knew I couldn’t. Not anymore, at least.

My smile widened, and I shook my head negatively. "I never miss Lorenzo," I declared, watching the smirk fade off his lips.

No, keep smiling!

The next thing I knew, I was falling. The ground pulled me down as the wind whipped past my face, roaring in my ears. The briefcase was still clutched tightly in my hand. I tumbled through the air, and the city lights blurred around me, merging into a dizzying whirl of colors. A strange sense of calm began to settle over me.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt a glimmer of peace. The weight of deception, the burden of betrayal, the constant fear—all of it seemed to lift as I descended. The noise of the world faded, replaced by a serene silence.

This is it, I thought. This is my escape. The final chapter in the story of Angela Thompson. The end of the constant running, the lying, and the fighting. I finally got what I always craved.

Freedom .

As the ground rushed up to meet me, I closed my eyes, accepting the inevitable. I found peace in the thought that I would no longer have to play this deadly, reckless game. No more hiding, no more lies. Just peace.

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