Chapter 48
Smoke hung thick in the air, swirling like ghosts above the battlefield as the chaos finally began to ebb. The once-orderly shipping hub had been reduced to a war zone—bullet-riddled crates, shattered machinery, and bodies scattered across the loading yard. The sounds of gunfire had lessened, replaced by shouts of orders, groans of the wounded, and the hum of engines as Venetti men swept the grounds for survivors.
Carmen stood in the center of it all, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins as she surveyed the aftermath. Her chest heaved with every breath, her hand still gripped tightly around the handle of her gun, though her trigger finger was finally still.
Luca approached from her left, his shirt torn and blood smeared across his cheek—someone else’s, Carmen hoped. “We’ve secured the perimeter,” he reported, wiping his face with his sleeve. “The mercenaries are scattering. Most of Emilio’s men dropped their weapons and ran.”
Carmen nodded, barely hearing him as her gaze swept the battlefield. “And Arianna?”
Luca’s expression tightened. “She’s gone. Slipped out with a small group during the retreat.”
A muscle jumped in Carmen’s jaw as she turned, her eyes narrowing toward the far side of the yard where the retreat had started. In the chaos of the ambush, Arianna had managed to slip through their fingers yet again.
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Arianna’s black car tore down the abandoned road leading away from the docks, the distant sounds of gunfire fading into the night behind her. Emilio sat beside her in the backseat, his face twisted in rage as he slammed his fist against the door.
“This was your plan!” he growled, his voice a low rumble of fury. “You told me we’d walk in there and crush them!”
Arianna remained composed, her expression as smooth as ever as she gazed out the window, the flickering city lights flashing across her face. “Calm yourself, Emilio. This was a setback, nothing more.”
“Setback?” Emilio snapped, turning to glare at her. “We lost half our men. The Venettis were ready for us!”
“And you think I don’t know that?” Arianna replied coldly, finally turning to look at him. Her voice was calm, but there was an edge to it, sharp as glass. “Something went wrong, yes. But we still hold valuable cards.”
Emilio sneered, clearly unconvinced. “And what cards are those?”
Arianna’s lips curled into a faint, chilling smile. “Marco and Carmen may have won this battle, but they’re fractured. I made sure of that. They’ll never fully trust each other, no matter what happens.” She leaned back against the seat, her gaze sharpening. “Trust is the foundation of their power, Emilio. Without it, their empire will crumble.”
Emilio didn’t respond, though his scowl remained. Arianna turned back to the window, her expression hardening. This wasn’t over.
Not by a long shot.
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The Venetti shipping hub was eerily quiet in the aftermath of the battle. Fires still smoldered in small patches, and the faint crackle of radios filled the silence as Marco’s men regrouped, counting their losses and tending to the wounded.
Marco found Carmen near the north edge of the yard, where the retreat had started. She was speaking quietly with Luca, her expression tight and unreadable. Her hair was pulled back loosely, strands falling against her face, and her coat was smeared with dirt and soot.
Marco approached, his boots crunching softly over broken glass and gravel. Luca spotted him first, giving Carmen a small nod before walking off, leaving the two of them alone.
Carmen turned toward Marco, her expression guarded. “We held the hub.”
“We did,” Marco replied quietly, stopping a few feet from her.
Carmen looked out at the ruins of the battlefield, her arms crossed over her chest as she spoke. “At a cost. We lost good men tonight.”
Marco followed her gaze, the weight of her words settling on him like stone. “I know.”
She turned back to him, her eyes sharp. “Arianna got away.”
“I’ll find her,” Marco said firmly, his jaw tightening. “She can’t run forever.”
Silence hung between them for a long moment, the smoke and devastation stretching out around them like an open wound. Carmen finally exhaled, her shoulders dropping slightly as she turned to face him fully. “This shouldn’t have happened, Marco. None of it.”
“I know,” he admitted, his voice low. “You were right about her from the start. I should have seen it.”
Carmen’s brow furrowed, her gaze searching his face. “It took you long enough.”
Marco nodded, accepting the rebuke. “It did. But I see it now.” He stepped closer, his voice softer. “You saved this family tonight, Carmen. Without your plan, we would’ve lost everything.”
Carmen looked at him carefully, as though weighing his words. “I did what needed to be done.”
Marco shook his head. “No. You did more than that. You led them—my men—when they doubted you. You earned their respect.” His voice dropped, sincerity cutting through the usual roughness. “You earned mine, too.”
For the first time in weeks, Carmen’s expression flickered, surprise breaking through the wall she’d carefully built. She didn’t answer right away, her fingers tightening slightly on her arms. “Respect isn’t the same as trust, Marco.”
“I know,” Marco said quietly. “But it’s a start.”
Carmen held his gaze, her own softening just a fraction. “We won this battle, but Arianna isn’t finished. She’ll regroup. She’ll come back harder.”
“She’ll lose,” Marco said firmly, his voice filled with resolve. “Next time, we’ll be ready.”
Carmen gave a small nod, though her expression remained guarded. She turned her gaze back to the yard, where Marco’s men were loading the wounded into trucks and salvaging what they could from the wreckage.
“We’ll need time to rebuild,” she said softly.
Marco stepped beside her, his voice steady. “Then we rebuild. Together.”
Carmen didn’t look at him, but she didn’t pull away either. For now, that was enough.
The sky was beginning to lighten, the first hint of dawn breaking over the horizon. The fires were being extinguished, the smoke dissipating slowly into the gray morning air. The shipping hub had been saved, but at a cost—a cost Carmen and Marco both felt deeply.
They stood there in silence, side by side, staring out at the ruins of the battlefield. For all their victories tonight, the war was far from over. Arianna was still out there, a shadow waiting to strike again.
But for the first time in a long time, Marco and Carmen were standing together.
It wasn’t forgiveness. It wasn’t trust.
But it was a start.
