Chapter 9: Together
"Ahh!" Alex wailed as the blow landed. "Please!" He coughed, voice hoarse. A fist answered.
A deep ache pulsed through every inch of him. His thighs, chest, sides - nothing was spared. His arms hung - wrists bound - above his head. Tight ropes bit into his skin. His feet barely brushed the floor, causing his shoulders to scream in agony. The weight of his own body threatened to tear them from the sockets.
Alex had tried to focus, listening for anything - any sound that could tell him where he was. He could tell there were at least three men. Maybe more nearby though. The air reeked of a strong cologne, cigarettes, and blood.
"Please..." Alex groaned, forcing the words through his split lips. He struggled to breath, each inhale sending fresh jolts of pain through his ribs. "I told you...I don't know anything."
A distant, amused, chuckle. "We know." Then another hit. Alex gasped as the pain flared across his ribs, his body convulsed in response. He coughed, tasting fresh blood. "This is just for fun."
Footsteps, the shuffle of movement, then light. Blazing through the blackness behind his swollen eyelids.
"Your little faggot boyfriend put my nephew in a wheelchair. Can't even piss on his own." The voice was close and thick with contempt. Bruno. Luca had told him about the Ricci family. The brother was a cruel man, vicious even by the standards of the mafia. "Call this payback."
Spit landed on Alex's face - he flinched but couldn't wipe it away.
"I don't know anything about that," Alex rasped. "I don't even know what this is about. Luca just owns a club -"
A sharp slap cut him off, fire erupted across his face. His ears rang. The taste of blood thickened on his tongue; drool slipped past his lips.
"Let's not lie to each other." Bruno's voice oozed with amusement and Alex felt how close he was. Bruno gripped Alex's chin, eliciting a whimper of pain. "We've been watching you two and we know you were with him the night of the shooting." He turned Alex's face in each direction before centering him again. "We know more than you think. We know your boyfriend has his daddy combing the streets with a fucking lice comb to find you."
Alex breathed in ragged, desperate pants. "Please...let me go...I won't - I won't say anything." Alex's voice broke. "I swear."
Bruno simply laughed and released Alex's face. "We'll let you go...eventually." His footsteps receded.
Alex barely registered the shift before a familiar hand gripped his shoulder, holding him up.
"But first," Bruno continued, his voice smooth and casual. "I want Luca to remember Rafael every time he looks at you."
A beat of silence.
Then a knee slammed into Alex's gut.
The world cracked apart and he couldn't hold on anymore. He lost consciousness.
"Where the fuck is he!" Luca roared again. He'd roared and growled so much that he could feel his throat swelling and taste blood each time he spoke. He didn't give a shit. His rage had built in him and had nowhere to go but out. It poured out of his chest in snarls and shouts.
The Riccis would burn for this. He knew they had Alex. They had to. No one else would be bold—or stupid—enough to make a move like this.
Adam, Matteo, and the rest of his men stood in tense silence, jaws clenched, fingers tight around their weapons. Others lingered outside in the club, pacing the streets, waiting for orders. Searching. But none of them had answers.
Luca raked a hand through his hair—damp with sweat, slick against his scalp. He couldn't fucking breathe.
Hours.
It had been hours. Too fucking long. He squeezed his eyes shut, inhaled sharply, exhaled.
When I open them, this will all be a dream. I'll be in bed with him.
But when he did, he was still here. And Alex was still gone. The door swung open.
Giovanni stepped inside, his men flanking him. Immaculate, as always. Even now, when Luca felt like he was coming apart, his father was composed.
"Everyone out," Gio commanded.
The room cleared except for Luca, Adam, Matteo, and Giovanni's men. "We may have a lead." Gio's voice was level.
palms.
Luca's pulse spiked. "Where?" His fists clenched so tight his nails bit into his
"Not so fast." His father held up a hand. "It's not certain. Just a possibility." A beat
of silence. "Some men think they saw something—movement—at a warehouse in the Redwater District."
Luca stared at him. "That's it?" His voice was eerily quiet. "That's all you have?" Gio's gaze was measured. "That's all we need to start."
Luca scoffed, running a hand down his face. His skin burned with frustration. "And what, we sit on our asses waiting for confirmation?"
"We don't know how many men they have," Gio countered. "What condition Alex is in. For all we know, this could be an ambush. If we go in blind, we could lose him."
Luca turned away, his entire body coiled tight, breath ragged. "Get out," he gritted.
No one moved.
His voice sharpened. "
Out.
"
Adam and Matteo exchanged a look before stepping out. Gio's men followed. Now, it was just him and his father.
"He's in danger, Pop," Luca murmured, his voice cracking. "And it's my fault." "No, it's not."
"Yes, it is." His voice turned hoarse, thick with fury and guilt. "I put a fucking target on his back. I wasn't careful. I flaunted him. I—I promised him I'd keep him safe." The words broke something inside him. His chest caved in. "And now—"
Gio moved around the desk, pulling Luca into a firm, steady embrace.
"This isn't your fault," he said quietly. "You're in love. We do stupid things when we're in love."
Luca clenched his teeth, burying his face in his father's shoulder for a moment.
Just a moment. Then, he pulled back, swiping at his face.
"Give me an hour—two max," Gio said. "We'll storm that place. We'll paint the fucking walls red."
"Two hours?" Luca scoffed, stepping away. "He doesn't have two hours. He needs me
now
.
"
"I know," Gio said. "But we have to do this smart. The Ricci's will expect you to be reckless. If we give them that, we lose."
leave.
Luca nodded. Pretended to listen.
Gio patted his shoulder. "Get some rest. I'll get you when it's time." Luca didn't argue. He let his father believe he'd follow orders.
"Thanks, Pop," he murmured, squeezing Gio's knuckles before watching him
He waited until the door clicked shut. Then, he moved.
Calm. Calculated.
He grabbed his gun, a spare, and a silencer from his desk. Tucking them away, he
crossed the room to the back door of his office.
