Chapter 29

POV: Enzo

The air inside the hideout was thick with tension, every corner of the dimly lit room heavy with the weight of betrayal. Tony stood at the center, his eyes hard and cold, as though he had no remorse for the lies he'd told, the lives he'd endangered.

I could feel the fury bubbling inside me, but I kept it in check. There was too much at stake. I had to know why-why he'd done this. Why he'd turned on the family.

"Tony," I said, my voice low, controlled. "I need answers. Now. Why did you betray us? Why did you betray me?"

He stared at me for a long moment, his jaw clenched. There was a brief flicker of something in his eyes-regret, maybe-but it quickly vanished, replaced by something colder.

"I did what I had to do," he said, his voice grating. "The Morettis-they offered me something I couldn't refuse. Protection. Power. A future for my family." He paused, glancing at Isabella. "I made the choice to survive."

"By betraying us?" Isabella's voice was sharp, tinged with disgust. "You used us. All of us."

Tony looked at her, his expression unreadable. "I didn't have a choice. You wouldn't understand, Isabella."

His words stung, but I had no time for them. "What about your loyalty to the Romanos? What about everything we've done together?"

He looked away, avoiding my gaze. "Family means nothing when you're dead."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "So you sold us out for survival? For a chance at power?"

Tony didn't answer, his silence louder than anything he could have said.

Without warning, Tony pressed a button hidden in his jacket, triggering an alarm that echoed through the hideout. A sharp, high-pitched sound filled the air, sending a jolt of panic through my body. The Morettis knew we were here.

The alarm blared in my ears, drowning out all rational thought. Isabella's eyes widened, and I saw the panic in her expression for the first time since all of this began.

"We have to move, now!" I barked, already heading toward the exit.

But Tony remained rooted to the spot, a cold smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "You're too late," he said. "The Morettis will be here any second. You'll never escape."

His words were like a knife to my gut, but I refused to show weakness.

"We'll see about that," I growled.

I turned to Isabella, my eyes hard. "Get to the back exit. I'll cover you."

She hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting to Tony. "What about Vince?" she asked, her voice shaking.

I felt the same fear gnawing at me. Vince was still down the hall, injured, struggling to stay conscious. We couldn't leave him behind.

"Go!" I shouted. "I'll be right behind you."

Isabella nodded, a flash of uncertainty crossing her face. But she didn't argue. She ran toward the back of the hideout, and I sprinted toward Vince.

The Morettis were closing in fast. I could hear their footsteps echoing down the hallway, their voices low and threatening.

"Vince!" I yelled, rushing to his side. He was still unconscious, barely breathing.

I didn't have time to carry him out. It was either him or me, and I wasn't about to let this end with us both trapped.

"Vince, listen to me," I said urgently, shaking his shoulder. "You need to get up. The Morettis are coming."

His eyes fluttered open, and I could see the pain in them. He struggled to sit up but collapsed back against the wall, his face pale.

"Go," he rasped, his voice hoarse. "Save yourselves."

"No!" I shouted, grabbing his arm. "We're getting out of here together!"

But Vince's hand shot out, grabbing me by the collar and pulling me close. "You have to go. I can't make it. But you can. Don't let them win. Go!"

Vince's grip tightened for a final moment, and then he shoved me away, his voice barely a whisper. "Get out, Enzo. And make them pay."

The air outside was bitterly cold, the sharp wind cutting through me as I dragged Isabella toward the escape route. My heart was heavy with guilt and fear. Vince had sacrificed himself to buy us time, and I hadn't been able to save him. I would never forgive myself for that.

"Enzo," Isabella's voice broke through my thoughts. I turned to see her eyes full of concern. "We have to keep moving."

I nodded, but my heart wasn't in it. "I know. But we can't let Vince's death be in vain. We have to make sure the Morettis pay for this."

We moved through the dense forest, staying low and hidden, but there was no real sense of safety. The Morettis could be right behind us, and we had no idea where Tony had gone. He was out there, somewhere, and I had no idea what he would do next.

Then, as if fate was mocking me, a message flashed on my phone.

It was from Tony.

I opened the message, my hands trembling. The words were short, chilling. "This isn't over. The Romanos have more enemies than you think. You've only seen the beginning."

The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. The betrayal, the attack-it was all part of something bigger. And we were in the middle of a war we hadn't even started to understand.

Isabella's hand found mine in the darkness, squeezing it tightly. "Enzo," she whispered, her voice steady but filled with fear. "What do we do now?"

I looked at her, and for the first time in a long while, I felt a sense of clarity. "We survive. And we fight back. We take the fight to the Morettis. This isn't over-not by a long shot."

And as I looked up into the night sky, I knew the worst was yet to come.