Chapter 4: Confrontations

Ana

The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon when I was awakened by a loud knock on my bedroom door. I jumped out of bed, my heart pounding in my chest. I immediately reached for the gun that I kept under my pillow. I had to be prepared at all times.

"Who is it?"

I highly doubt that someone who was trying to kill me would tell me.

"It's me, Valeria!" came the reply through the door.

I took a deep breath and hurried to open the door. Valeria was standing there, her face pale and her eyes filled with terror.

"Hi," she hugged me tightly. "Wait a second, do you really sleep with a gun?"

"When it comes to the mafia, it's better to think of all the possibilities. It's for my safety."

"I thought Dante was in charge of that."

"Yes, but Dante doesn't sleep with me, does he?"

"Not yet," she looked at me with a teasing smile. "I need your help. Something terrible has happened."

Without thinking twice, I invited her into the room and had her sit down next to me. She had dropped all the jokes and was more serious than usual. I was starting to worry. Whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"Calm down, Valeria. Tell me what happened."

Valeria told me, between sobs, that her father had been assassinated. I gasped, unable to believe what I was hearing.

Valeria's father was a powerful man in the mafia world, just like many others, but something told me that they were looking for specific targets to get rid of. Something didn't add up here. Although his death was a devastating blow to the organization, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

"I can't believe it. I'm so sorry, Valeria. I know he wasn't a good father, but I understand how you feel."

"We fought all the time. I always told him that this wasn't his world, that he should give up while he had the chance. I may not have expressed my love for him very often, but he was still my father. His death hurts."

"Do you need help with anything specific?"

"I know you're a hacker, and one of the best. Is there any way you can track down who's behind all this?"

It was true that my computer skills were remarkable. They had always given me many advantages, and although it was a skill that not everyone knew about, I was worried that this time my efforts wouldn't be of much help to my friend.

"I can try. Do you have your father's phone?"

"I managed to get it. I stole it from one of his partners without him realizing it."

Valeria looked at me with tear-filled eyes as she handed it to me. My priority now had to be finding answers. I told her she didn't have to worry about anything, I would handle this case personally.

"Thank you, Ana," she said with a weak voice. "I don't know what I would do without you."

I hugged her tightly, feeling the need to protect her. At that moment, I knew that our friendship would only be strengthened by this tragedy.

We spent the rest of the day together, talking and comforting each other, and of course, working on getting the information she needed. At one point, I looked over at the door and saw Dante watching us silently.

There was something different about his gaze. It was a look I had never seen in him before. A look that filled me with a strange feeling of warmth in my stomach, so I quickly looked away, not knowing what to think.

What was happening to me? Was it possible that I was starting to feel something for Dante? It was an unthinkable idea. He was my bodyguard, my protector.

I couldn't allow myself to have feelings for him.

“I'll have to leave you, I still have work to do, but call me if you need anything, Ana. You know I'm always available for you.”

“Same here, friend. If you need to talk to someone, you know where to find me.”

When Valeria left, I walked out of the house with Dante by my side, as expected. I needed a moment to clear my mind. The cool morning breeze hit my face. I think this was all I needed.

It was a beautiful day, but a feeling of unease ran through my body. I couldn't help but think about Valeria's father's death. Who had killed him? And why?

I had a terrible suspicion that Paolo Di Marco was behind it all.

Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced the silence. A shrill whistle, followed by a deafening explosion.

I instinctively threw myself to the ground, protecting my head with my arms. A shower of shrapnel and debris rained down around us. I felt a sharp pain in my arm, and blood began to flow. Dante pushed me towards a nearby alley, protecting me with his body.

"I'll cover you, follow my instructions, Ana."

Bullets whizzed around us, hitting the walls and the ground. Dante looked me in the eyes, his face serious and determined.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here."

I clung to his arm, feeling a mixture of fear and gratitude. Dante led me through the maze of streets, dodging bullets and debris with impressive skill.

His strength and determination gave me the confidence I needed to keep going. After so much chaos, we finally reached a safe place. I leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.

The pain in my arm was intense, but I was alive. I only had a wound that needed to be healed, but nothing serious.

"Thank you, Dante," I was still breathless. "You saved my life."

Dante smiled at me, a smile that filled me with warmth.

"It was nothing," he said modestly. "It's my job to protect you. Besides, I wasn't going to leave you there alone, although I know you would have managed to get out of it."

I know this may not have been the time, but seeing him so sure of himself, with his breathing ragged, sweat sticking some strands of hair to his forehead, and his body in such good shape, I couldn't help but see him with different eyes. I was starting to feel something for him.

It was a feeling that scared me, but one I couldn't deny. I took a deep breath and pushed those thoughts out of my mind. Now was not the time to think about that.

I had to focus on one thing: revenge. And I knew exactly who was responsible.

Paolo Di Marco.

I stood up with determination, ignoring the pain in my arm.

"Let's go, Dante. It's time to teach Paolo a lesson."

Dante looked at me with a mixture of surprise and admiration.

"I'm with you, no matter what you do."

He took me to the building where Paolo was located. This time I would not let him defeat me. When we reached the main door, we burst it open and entered the building, guns in hand.

Paolo's men pointed their guns at us, but we were unmoved. We advanced with a firm step, without fear. I know well that they must have orders not to hurt me.

"Are you sure about this?"

"I know that bastard has something to do with Valeria's father's death and with the accident a while ago that almost killed us."

The elevator doors opened with a metallic screech, revealing Paolo Di Marco's office.

The atmosphere was opulent and ostentatious, with carved mahogany furniture, Persian carpets, and original artwork hanging on the walls. Paolo was sitting behind a huge desk, his face expressionless under the dim light of the desk lamp.

He didn't even flinch when we entered, Dante and I.

"Ana, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

I stared at him, my eyes filled with hatred.

"I've come to ask you about the explosion and the murder of Valeria's father. I know you're behind it."

Paolo laughed, a cruel laugh that echoed through the room.

"Me?", he asked sarcastically. "Why would I want to hurt your friend?"

"I don't know, but something tells me you're lying."

Paolo looked at me with an intensity that chilled me to the bone.

"Ana, darling, I swear on my life that I had nothing to do with the explosion. I didn't even know it was going to happen."

I looked him in the eye, searching for any sign of a lie, but I found nothing. His gaze was honest, sincere, and for better or for worse, I knew how to tell that.

"I don't believe you, I don't care if you swear on your life, that means nothing, I can't believe in you."

Paolo sighed, defeated.

"Alright, Ana, if you don't believe me, there's nothing else I can do."

I didn't stop to think about what I was doing and just pointed the gun at his chest. He didn't show any reaction.

"Ana, there's something you need to know."

"Do you really think I need to listen to you now? I just have to pull the trigger and the problems are solved."

"Someone is betraying you. Someone close to you."

I gasped, unable to believe what I was hearing.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't tell you more, but you have to be careful. There's someone you can't trust. If these are going to be my last words, I wanted to take advantage of them to warn you. After all, I still care about you."

I lowered the gun, partly because of what he had said and because I knew that I had lied when I said that things were simple. Killing Paolo de Marco wouldn't solve anything. His mafia would go all out and want to destroy mine. There are certain codes in the mafia that we must follow.

I turned and walked out of the office, feeling like the world was crashing down around me.

Paolo's words echoed in my head. Was someone close to me betraying me? Who was it? I had no idea, but one thing was for sure: I had to find out, because as much as I hate to admit it, I know Paolo is telling the truth.