Maximus

I checked my guns, the sound in the car the only thing I heard.

After meeting with the family, looking over reports and intel; a careful plan to capture Carnellio was made. Then everyone stocked up on weapons and got themselves ready in their own physical or mental way. I had snuck off during then, driving to the other side of the neighborhood where Stella's and my new house was.

I found her in the office, doing some work and when I walked in, she took one look at my face and knew what I was going to say. What I was going to do.

We took a moment to look at each other in silence, both of us not sure what to say. Stella then stood up, walked over to me, placed my hand on her belly, bowed our heads together and made me swear to come back to her.

I swore, kissed her, kissed her stomach, told her I loved her and kissed her once more. After that I turned and walked out of the house before I couldn't.

By the time I left my front door, the caravan of SUVS were waiting in front of my house's gate. I got in and we have been driving ever since.

Closing my eyes, I put that final goodbye out of my head. Getting ready for battle isn't only about guns, vests and planning. That physical preparation is important but it means nothing if you aren't mentally ready. And thinking over and over of my goodbye of Stella, the possible 'what if' of seeing her again; must stop.

I opened my eyes and looked outside the SUV, watching the dark scenes pass by the windows.

Hearing the sounds within the van, thoughts of Stella or the fear of not seeing her again disappeared. Instead questions began to fill my head.

It brought myself to the present and I glanced into the rear mirror at Alec who is driving. "Are you playing an audio-book?"

Alec shrugged. "If I am going to die, I want to know what happens. You don't like it, put headphones in to listen to something else."

"Someone's defensive." I muttered, trying to understand what book we are listening to. "You worried a sex scene is going to come up?"

"He's listening to a book, not watching porn." Tate said checking his guns. Sebastian and other men will be looking after Stella, we need Tate tonight.

I snorted. "You haven't read books. I went through some of Stella's during the move." A whistle came out of my lips. "Women's porn, comes in the shape of books, especially fantasy romance for my woman."

Romano glanced over to me on the other side of the car. "What kind of books did she give Anastasia yesterday?"

I didn't answer him and went back to looking outside the window. I'll let his mind wonder about the possibility.

The plan tonight was perfect, well as much as it can be, there are always variables that are uncertain and can change things at any point. But that is why you have contingency plans a mile long, everyone is ready in case different scenarios start.

Feeling the car slow down, I knew we had arrived at the drop location. Everyone getting out the moment the SUVS parked near each other, all hidden from sight under an overpass. Looking around, a bag was placed on the ground; gas masks being given around to everyone.

Esperenza took a step forward with her burner phone, all personal phones were kept at home in case of tracking bugs. "Alright, my source is putting the gas in the air vents now."

Stage one: Esperenza spy puts a gas in the air vents that will spread across the building and start knocking anyone inside out.

I placed my gas mask over my head, adjusting the straps to ensure that it was on tight and that the filters would be working. Looking around I find that everyone was giving the sign they were ready.

Luka stepped up next to Lorenzo with one of his tech equipment, he the only one without a mask as he will be watching from the van.

Stage two: Cut of the power to the building.

We all began putting night-vison visors on, ready to drop them down once we get inside the building. With the nod from Luka and Esperenza that the men are dropping inside, we began heading to the building, picking up the hidden door to the underground bunker, our night-vision visors going down.

Stage three: Infiltrate bunker.

We moved like a unit, our weapons drawn and moving with each other to slowly breach the bunker.

Entering the building there were four men in front of me, two beside me, each team breaking up to take different corridors when they appeared. We were given a brief outline of the basement but we were still going in blind and have to take extra security precautions.

Stage four: zip tie anyone who is down, take down others who are still awake.

We made our way through the building, tying up people as we go. Esperenza's source was thorough with the gas and knocked everyone out, I am sure Esperenza has gotten to them and smuggled them out of the bunker already.

Finding ourselves at the end of our corridor I looked at the closed door. A buzz in my veins from the hope that Carnellio will finally be there.

Giving Tate a nod, he kicked open the door, Vinzo going in first then me following. I smiled when I noticed where we were, an office and there in a chair with his face unconscious on the desk is Carnellio.

Final stage: Obtain Carnellio.

"Hello bastard." I muttered watching Vinzo zip tie Carnellio's hands behind his back.

Time to take him back to our shed and have some well-deserved vengeance.

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A couple hours later I was sitting on a chair, watching the bastard breathe. Everything had gone perfectly tonight and the scene was cleaned up and there were no casualties, hell not even a single gun was shot.

The shed we have is in a secret location far away from the estate, with thick metal walls and place to get rid of bodies. We don't use it often, but when we do even the devil would want to stay far away.

The door into our shed opened; Lorenzo, Vinzo and Romano walking in.

Romano raised his brow looking at Carnellio then myself. "Not a single scratch on him."

I shrug. "He's still unconscious, no fun in that."

Vinzo prowled forward. "I'll handle it."

The man walked over to where Carnellio was hanging by his arms which were chained to the ceiling, his body dangling above the floor. Vinzo stopped in front of Carnellio, his hand gripping a part of his body, a particular pressure point that had Carnellio wake up in a shout of pain.

"What the fuck!" Carnellio shouted, Vinzo taking a step back from him. "Where am I?"

"Hell." I said evenly, watching his eyes widen when he found me and looked around the room.

Lorenzo took a chair on the other side of room from me, his eyes met with Carnellio. "All of your assets have now become mine. Your men are alive, deciding to forfeit your cause for freedom and are now running far across the country away from me."

Carnellio swallowed thickly. "I knew you were coming."

"Didn't seem like you were all that prepared?" Lorenzo asked.

I slowly stood up from my chair, walking over to a table of... tools. I could feel Carnellio's eyes on me while I fiddle with picking up knifes, scalpels, screw drivers, hammers. Trying to decide which one I might want to use.

Choosing a ragged bladed knife, I walk over to Carnellio. "Vinzo."

Vinzo stepped back to Carnellio, stripping him of his shirt.

"I won't beg." Carnellio said wiggling his arms making his body sway.

Chuckling darkly, I walked over to him, throwing a punch that broke his nose and made his body swing backward. "You might be singing a different tune when every part of your body is cut, when your bones are broken, when an infection cripples your mind, when your eyes are gone and you are in so much agony you don't know how to escape pain."

Carnellio spat his blood out onto my face, my hand taking the handkerchief in my jacket out to wipe it off. "Go to hell. I should have killed your whore when I had the chance, after I fuc-"

He didn't finish, my blade going across his stomach, cutting deep enough to causes pain but not deep enough to hurt any internal organs. He needs to suffer, not die yet.

"I wouldn't have said that." Lorenzo muttered behind me, my knife cutting different parts of his body.

"But it will make this more interesting." Vinzo muttered.

"Good." Romano said. "It's already taking too long to get started."

Carnellio snarled to Romano. "Word on the street is that you have a woman; raven haired, pale skin. Maybe I should have taken her and given her to my men."

A blade flew through the air, landing in one of his pressure points on his shoulder. His mouth opening to let out a loud, desperate cry of pain.

Lorenzo chuckled. "Carnellio, my brothers have excellent self-restraint, if you are trying to bait them so they kill you quickly, you will fail. If anything, it will make them more imaginative."

I stepped around Carnellio, dragging my blade through his skin. When I was behind him, my hand went up to flick the imbedded blade, the movement spazzing Carnellio's body.

"Nice throw little brother." I said looking to Romano, his eyes dark and face stone of any emotion.

"What time is it?" Carnellio asked in pain, I took the chance to stand back in front of him spinning the blade in my hand.

"Why got some place to be?" I asked, my knife cutting his face, blood dripping into his mouth.

Lorenzo sighed. "Time is no matter for you. You have been down here for almost five hours and knowing my brother he won't be letting you go for days."

Carnellio started laughing, blood came out from his mouth, coughing onto the ground.

"I am not sure what you have to laugh about." Romano muttered from his spot leaning against the wall.

Carnellio coughed more blood out of his mouth. "It may be the end of me but I had a plan in place. If I were disappear, something would happen to ensure that I still got the final revenge." His eyes went off Romano as he now looked at me. "When was the last time you heard from your whore does she still work at the store?"

My body froze, the blood in veins chilling into ice at the very terrifying thought that he would go after her again.

A bang sounded on the door, Vinzo slipping out of the room to see who was there and what they want.

My body began to panic and my mind started to race. It was early in the morning, I have been gone all night. Stella would have stayed at home, finished the nursery. But if she was worried about me last night, she wouldn't have been able to sleep. Which means she might have gone to the store to work, to keep her body and mind working so she doesn't stress.

And Carnellio could have had a man waiting.

Tate was the main security boss and would have known to take extra precautions during a night like this. But the men who are on...

By god, why did I have Tate come tonight?

The door opened again, Vinzo walking back into the shed. Looking at his face, I couldn't read anything.

Carnellio began to chuckle but I paid him no attention.

Vinzo walked silently up to Lorenzo, his head close to his ear when he whispered something to him. I watched as Lorenzo's body went rigid, his eyes slowly moving to catch mine.

My heart stopped.