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Just as I thought the tide was turning in our favor, Ricci sprinted toward me, grabbed a fallen rifle, and aimed it at me, his eyes blazing with hatred. My heart stopped, and I braced myself for the worst.
At this distance, there wasn’t a chance in hell that he would miss.
Without skipping a beat, Vincenzo lunged at Ricci, tackling him to the ground. They rolled across the dirt, each trying to gain the upper hand. Ricci swung the rifle like a club, but Vincenzo blocked the blow, delivering a sharp punch to Ricci’s jaw before he could hit him.
The impact sent Ricci reeling, and Vincenzo seized the opportunity. He grabbed the rifle, wrenching it from Ricci’sgrasp and tossing it aside somewhere into the woods. Ricci scrambled to his feet, drawing a knife from his boot. He slashed at Vincenzo, but Vincenzo dodged, the blade only grazing his arm instead of slicing open his torso.
Vincenzo retaliated with a series of rapid punches, each one landing with a sickening thud. Ricci staggered back, blood streaming from his nose and mouth. With a final, powerful blow, Vincenzo sent Ricci crashing to the ground.
The fight around us raged on, but I barely noticed, my eyes locked on Vincenzo as he stood over Ricci. He grabbed Ricci by the collar, hauling him to his feet.
“It’s over, Ricci,” Vincenzo growled, his voice low and deadly.
Ricci spat blood, his sneer faltering. “You think you’ve won?”
“I think you need to know when to stay down,” Vincenzo growled, and he threw him to the ground. He didn’t get back up.
“What do you want me to do, boss?” Tony asked, stepping forward, his eyes hard and unyielding.
“Bind him up,” Vincenzo ordered.
One of the bikers, with a shaved head and scarred face, stepped forward, a length of rope in his hands. He moved quickly, tying Ricci’s hands behind his back before he could make a break for it. Ricci struggled briefly, but a swift punch to the face from the biker left him groaning and compliant.
Vincenzo and Tony stepped aside, their heads close together as they spoke in low tones. I watched, my heart still racing from the adrenaline of the fight. Despite the victory, I could see the tension in Vincenzo’s shoulders, the worry in his eyes.
This was far from over.
“We can’t go to the FBI, at least not right now,” Vincenzo said, his voice firm. “If we do, we’ll have every lowlife and rival coming after us for being a snitch. I need to re-establish my power, show the world that I’m not some has-been that they can mess with.”
Tony nodded, his expression grim. “Agreed. We need to send a message. But how?”
Vincenzo glanced at Tony’s men, the tough, battle-hardened bikers who had fought so fiercely by our side.
“Your guys,” Vincenzo said. “They’re Navy SEALs, right? No mafia connections, just soldiers turned bikers.”
Tony nodded. “Yeah, they’re tough as nails and as loyal as they come.”
Vincenzo’s lips curled into a cold smile. “I’ll pay them a boatload of money to kill Ricci. Make it big, make it loud. I want everyone to know that I’m still the badass they fear. I want to take him out in the most over-the-top way possible.”
Tony raised an eyebrow. “You sure about this?”
“Positive,” Vincenzo replied. “We’re going to make a statement.”
Tony called over his men, explaining the plan in terse, efficient sentences. The bikers’ eyes lit up with anticipation, their grins savage. They were more than ready for the job.
Vincenzo turned to me, his expression softening slightly as he took my hand in his.
“This is going to get messy,” he said softly.
I nodded, my heart pounding.
The bikers quickly got to work, securing Ricci, and loading him into one of the nearby cars. Vincenzo and Tony exchanged a final look before Vincenzo took a step forward.
Vincenzo stood tall, his gaze cold and unyielding as he addressed Ricci. “You thought you could take me down. You thought wrong,” he called out.
Ricci’s eyes were wide with fear, his bravado crumbling in the face of Vincenzo’s fury.
“You’re making a mistake,” he stammered. “This won’t end well for you,” he warned, but his voice was shaking.
