Time for an extra longgg chapter!

Oh yeah, double update.

*There will be violence in this chapter. This is your warning.*

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30 minutes before Ivan's attack at the restaurant...

Rome's POV -

I speed down the road, swerving through cars in my way and running any red lights that I can.

I'm going to kill that son of a bitch once and for all.

Elijah called and stated that one of my men saw Ivan inside Izzy's house. The bastard.

I'm not surprised that's where he went to hideout before trying to attack my house.

He has no idea that we know about Izzy and him contacting her. I'm going to fucking torture him for days once I get my hands on him.

I didn't want to leave Arya alone, once we got answers from Izzy I wanted to take her away and distract her from all these problems for her birthday.

But of course things are never easy, which is why I'm going to finish this.

Clenching the steering wheel tightly, I take a turn into Izzy's neighborhood and park a few houses down.

I catch sight of Elijah and James behind one of the trees so I quickly make my way over to them.

"The men are already surrounding the house." Elijah informs me without looking my way which would normally irritate me, but I know he's keeping an eye out.

"I'm going in," I tell them but before I can make a move, James grips onto my forearm.

"What if It's a trap or something? You're just going to go alone?" He scoffs, tightening the grip he has on his gun.

"I don't care, he's been roaming free for enough time now. È ora che i russi vengano scavati nel sottosuolo."

(It's time the Russians are dug deep underground.)

"Then let us go with you." He counters and I shake my head.

"I need to do this alone. You said no one was inside with him?" I ask and he shakes his head.

"Only him, apparently."

"Then I'm going."

Before either of them can respond I swiftly make my way to one of the side windows of Izzy's house.

Peering inside, I scan what looks like the living room, but am met with nothing.

Clenching my jaw, I turn and take quick steps to the front door.

However I can't say I'm surprised when I see James and Elijah both waiting for me at the door.

"We're going with you, that's the end of it." Elijah says and my nose flares but I don't say anything.

Reaching out for the doorknob, I test the waters and turn it, and my eyes widen a bit when I see It's unlocked.

He left the door unlocked?

Tilting my head left and right to make quick eye contact with James and Elijah, I shove open the door and pull out my gun, my two best friends doing the same behind me.

We're met with silence.

An uncomfortable silence.

The three of us separate. Elijah heading towards the kitchen, James to the living room, while I head towards the stairs.

Trying to be as quiet as possible, I reach the top step and aim my gun down the empty hall.

Nothing.

No movement.

No footsteps.

With my eyes darkening in anger, I hastily check each room, expecting to find him hiding in one of them.

When I make it to the last door that's shut, my eyes narrow and I open it with my foot, directing the gun inside.

My eyes fill with confusion and I lower the gun. He's not up here.

Doing one last check in each room, I go back downstairs where Elijah and James are already standing at the bottom step waiting.

"He's not upstairs." I say, my voice laced with skepticism.

"He's not in the kitchen."

"And he's not in the living room."

The three of us look at each other before aiming our gazes towards the last closed door tucked in the corner.

I go first with the two following closely behind. Pressing my fingers against the handle, I turn it and the three of us barge in, guns ready.

But this room, an office. Is empty as well.

My head clouds with anger as I slowly turn back to James and Elijah.

"So you're telling me, I had to leave my girl because Ivan was here, only to find out that he's actually not?" My voice is low, almost a whisper, but they can hear the threat inside of it.

"Elijah and I didn't actually see him." James says and I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose.

Taking out my phone, my heart beat accelerates at Arya's text.

Amore mio: I know you most likely won't see this but Grant, Izzy, and I are going to a nearby restaurant or something since It's getting cold. Please be safe, I love you.

She's most likely super worried since I haven't answered, so I quickly do.

Me: I'm okay baby, I'll be on my way back soon. Are you doing okay?

"Let's go," I say simply.

They both nod and we make our way back outside, the sun shining down brightly even though that's the complete opposite of what I'm feeling.

I give the signal to my men that It's clear and they make their way to us.

"Who was the one who said he 'saw' Ivan?" I ask once all the attention is on me. No one says a word and my frustration gets worse.

"It was Marco." Elijah blankly replies.

"Marco, eh?" Dangerously turning to the said man's direction, fear fills his eyes once he catches my predatory gaze.

Of course it was Marco.

As I take slow steps towards him my men quickly get out of my way so I have a clear path.

"B-Boss, I-I thought."

"You thought...what?"

He turns to try and run but Elijah and James quickly grab both of his arms, securing him in place.

"Did you actually see someone in there?"

He doesn't reply and I grit my teeth. I send a quick punch to his face which automatically draws blood out of his nose.

"If you don't fucking answer me right now Marco, I'll put a bullet in your head."

More fear fills his eyes and I'm disgusted at the sight.

"N-No."

"What did you just say?" I ask, disbelief in my tone.

The fear that was in his eyes a second ago disappears, a grin makes Its way onto lips instead.

"No, capo." He spits out the words,

"Non c'era nessuno in casa, ho mentito."

(There was no one in the house, I lied.)

Lied?

He lied.

Gesturing for James and Elijah to let go of him, they do. Before he can even blink I wrap my hand around his neck, digging my fingers into his throat and lifting his pathetic self off the ground.

Marco sputters and chokes, trying to dig his fingers into my own but I only tighten my grip.

"Why?" Is the only word that escapes me as he continues to kick his legs around.

He doesn't answer, not that he really can as I watch his face become purple and blue.

Releasing my grip by half an inch, I give him the chance to speak.

"T-That Iz-" He chokes again and I roll my eyes.

"I'm getting impatient, Marco."

"That Izzy girl...wasn't the only traitor."

With my eyes blazing, I throw him to the ground, his head knocking onto the cement with a groan.

"Where is he?" I ask as he tries to sit up, referencing to Ivan.

Reaching around his neck to try and soothe the pain, he glares at me.

Marco has always been quiet, barely talked to anyone and I just assumed that's the kind of personality he had.

Apparently I was far from the truth.

Growing more and more impatient, my men watch me in silence as I take two strides to reach him and grip his shirt, lifting him once more.

"Tell me!" I snap and his glare stays intact.

"It's...too late." He grumbles and my body shakes with anger.

"Too late for what?"

He grins again, a disgusting grin that makes me want to snap his neck so that smile falls off his face.

"Ivan is already with your girl."

My grip loosens on his shirt and he laughs. Loudly.

No.

"He's with her already. This was just a cheap distraction to get you away from her. It's over."

It's over.

It's over.

No, It's not.

Growling, I do what I was just thinking of less than 10 seconds ago.

I snap his neck, his body tumbling to the floor with a thud.

No one says a word as I turn to them.

No one says anything as I get a phone call.

No one says anything as I look at the caller ID, seeing Grant's name.

And then chaos happens once he starts screaming through the phone, gunshots present in the background.

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Arya's POV -

"Hello Arya, It's nice to see you again."

I'm shaking in place as I look up at the person people could call a nightmare. The screaming and gunshots fade out as I stare up in horror.

"Ivan?"

"The one and only." He says and before I can run he grips onto my arm, pulling me towards him.

I scream but he only tugs me towards the kitchen in the back of the restaurant.

Russians invade the restaurant, holding the innocents at gunpoint.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her!" I hear Izzy scream and I cry out in pain as his grip tightens around my arm.

Ivan doesn't reply and continues to drag me through the back door.

"Ivan!" Izzy yells and he stops walking.

Still keeping me in his grip, he turns towards Izzy with an evil look on his face. One I've seen before.

One he's made before he's going to kill.

"Izzy! Get out of here!" I yell at her but she doesn't even glance my way.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her." She repeats and he lets out a low chuckle, his arms slowly reaching behind him.

"You can't trust the mafia, my dear."

A new gunshot fills the air as he shoots Izzy directly in the chest.

I scream and struggle in Ivan's grip as I watch the color drain from her face, her knees buckling and hitting the floor.

"No! Izzy!" I cry out, tears streaming down my face as her head hits the ground.

No. Not again. This can't happen again. I cry in my head as Ivan pulls me through the backdoor, not even glancing back at Izzy lying in her own pool of blood.

"Please no! She'll die!" I pathetically say and he chuckles again.

"That's the point of leaving her to rot." He says.

"No you can't leave her! You can't!"

My face pales at the sight of a similar vehicle. Just like the one I was kidnapped in last time.

"No you can't do this! Let me go!" I try to pull out of his grip but It's impossible.

As we get nearer and nearer to the car my cries get louder.

No, please no.

"IVAN!" A voice roars from behind us and he stops mid step.

Grant.

Ivan turns with me in his arms, another evil smile on his face at the sight of Grant and a few of Rome's men.

"Let her go." He says lowly, blood trickling down his forehead and coating his white shirt.

Ivan tilts his head mockingly. "I don't think I will. You see this girl right here is my key to taking down the Italians. Especially your boss, don't you think?"

"You bastard." He grits out, "She has nothing to do with this."

"You're right." He nods slightly, "But this is the cruel world. You get involved with a mafia man, you're apart of the danger. Isn't that right, dear?" Ivan looks down at me with his last words and it makes me want to vomit.

"Screw you, Ivan!" I spit and I'm slightly surprised at my own words but I don't regret them.

He laughs and pats my cheek while I recoil.

"You know, this might just make things easier." Ivan says, gesturing to his men pointing their guns at Grant and Rome's men.

"Let's wait for Rome, shall we? I want him to see me kill her. I may have messed up last time, but it won't happen again."

One second I'm awake and blinking rapidly to fight more tears, the second I see a fist...

Ivan's fist flying at my face, knocking me unconscious.

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I groan as my head pounds, I try to clutch weakly at it but my arms feel so weak.

Opening my eyes, the the sun blazes down on my making me close them, then open them again.

At first It's just a ringing in my ear, and then there's voices. Voices rapidly talking.

"You bastard-"

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Leave her alone!"

"Ah, she awakens. I knocked you out good, didn't I?" That's when I realize I'm laying on the hard ground.

I look up and see Ivan's face in view and my pupils widen.

Holy crap, he punched me and knocked me out!

I squint my eyes and squirm as he lifts me to stand upright, pressing a gun to my head as my mind finally clears.

The sight in front of me makes my breathing stop.

Rome.

James.

They're both here, staring at me with so many emotions.

I make contact with Rome's beautiful forest eyes, and a lone tear falls down my cheek.

His chest is heaving rapidly as blood coats his entire body, mostly on his arms and chest.

He looks like a madman. A madman that will be let loose any second now.

James has a dangerous expression on his face as well. I've never seen him like this.

But what has my heart pounding is the sight of the Russians holding them at gunpoint.

"Now that the girl has awaken, I can finally do what I've wanted to for so long. What I've been planning for so long."

"You don't want to do this." Rome says lowly and Ivan lets out a chuckle.

"I don't? Why not? Why would I not jump at the opportunity to finally break the Italian don and destroy everything he's built?"

Ivan's disgusting hand slides around my throat, slightly pressing down making me whimper.

"You killed my son, Rome. It's only fair that I kill one of your people in return."

"You didn't give a shit about your son." James bites out.

"True, but that doesn't matter."

Ivan cocks the gun and I get major Deja vu to the last time this happened.

But this time the Russians have the upper hand, not the Italians.

"Rome," I whisper quietly under my breath as he eyes the gun in Ivan's hand, and then slowly looks down to me.

We connect eyes again and I mouth the words 'I love you,' to him, hoping he can understand me if this is it.

Because I don't think anyone can save me without Ivan firing the gun to kill me first.

"Say goodbye, Arya." Ivan whispers in my ear and I tense as he presses the gun harder to my head.

I'll never be able to see Rome again.

I'll never be able to kiss him. To touch him. To tell him I love him again.

Right as Ivan moves his finger to the trigger I turn my head away, closing my eyes and waiting for the pain, accepting the fact that I'm going to die in the hands of a Russian mobster.

But everything turns into a frenzy.

Ivan fires the gun right as I get shoved to the floor, someone else taking the place where I was moments ago.

Taking the bullet.

And then the gunshots start again and I watch as Rome's men suddenly circle around us.

I stare at Ivan as he gets shot multiple times in the chest, his body spasming and collapsing.

Blood sprays on my face and I cover my mouth to try and keep myself from vomiting on the floor.

I'm alive?

With my head aching, I close my eyes briefly and then squint them open, slowly moving my eyes towards my savior.

A loud sob escapes me at the figure that's now crumbled on the ground without moving.

"Elijah?" I whisper painfully, my eyes zeroing in on his own blood pouring out of his chest.

Elijah took the bullet for me.