Chapter 8 The Crimson Reckoning

The underground casino pulsed with tension. The air was thick with gunpowder, betrayal, and something heavier-resolve.

Adriana stood at the head of the table, her fingers pressed against the worn leather surface. Matteo sat across from her, his wrists zip-tied, his eyes shadowed with regret. Luca and Enzo flanked him, guns within reach.

The silence between them was deafening.

"Tell me everything," Adriana demanded.

Matteo exhaled shakily. "Salerno has my sister locked away in one of his safehouses. He's using her as leverage to force my hand."

Adriana's jaw tightened. She had suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed burned.

"Where is she?"

Matteo hesitated. "It's not just a safehouse. It's a trap. Salerno knew you'd come for me-he's counting on you to come for her too."

Luca scoffed. "Of course he is."

Adriana tilted her head, studying Matteo. "And yet, you still tried to kill me."

Matteo swallowed hard. "Because I thought I had no other choice."

Enzo leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "And now?"

Matteo met Adriana's gaze. "Now I know the only way to save her is with you."

Adriana let his words sink in. Trust was a fragile thing, especially now, but she couldn't afford hesitation.

"Then we end this," she said. "Tonight."

---

Breaking In

Salerno's safehouse sat on the outskirts of the city-a fortress disguised as an abandoned warehouse.

Adriana's team approached under the cover of darkness, moving like shadows through the night.

Luca took out the perimeter guards with swift precision. Enzo disabled the security feed. Adriana and Matteo, working together, took the side entrance.

She shouldn't have trusted him, not after what he did. But she understood his desperation.

As they crept through the halls, Matteo whispered, "She should be in the basement."

Adriana nodded. "We get her, then we burn this place to the ground."

Matteo's hands clenched. "And Salerno?"

Adriana's eyes burned with cold fury. "He's mine."

---

The First Shot

They reached the basement.

Matteo's sister, Isabella, was chained to the wall, bruised but alive. Her eyes widened as Matteo rushed to her.

"Matty-"

He grabbed her face, voice shaking. "I'm here. You're safe now."

But safety was an illusion.

The second Matteo cut her restraints, a gunshot echoed.

Matteo cried out, dropping to his knees-blood blooming across his shoulder.

Adriana spun around, firing before she even saw the shooter.

The guard dropped.

"Shit," Luca cursed, rushing to Matteo's side.

More footsteps thundered from above.

"We're out of time," Adriana growled. "Get Isabella out-NOW."

Luca and Enzo grabbed Isabella and Matteo, hauling them toward the exit.

Adriana stayed behind.

Because she could feel it.

Salerno was here.

---

Face to Face with the Devil

She found him in his office, sipping whiskey like he hadn't just ordered her execution.

"Adriana," he greeted, voice smooth, eyes gleaming with amusement. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it."

Adriana raised her gun. "I'm here to finish what you started."

Salerno chuckled, setting his glass down. "You sound just like your father."

Adriana's fingers tightened on the trigger.

"You killed him."

Salerno tilted his head. "Did I? Or did he get himself killed playing a game he never had the stomach for?"

Adriana didn't blink. "You think I don't have the stomach for this?"

Salerno smirked. "Oh, I think you do. That's why I let you live this long."

Adriana's heartbeat slowed, her mind sharpening. He was stalling.

Then-

A gunshot.

Adriana dodged, rolling behind the desk as a bullet splintered the wood.

Salerno had a gun, and he wasn't playing games anymore.

She moved first, popping up from cover and firing-one shot to the shoulder, another to the leg.

Salerno collapsed, groaning.

Adriana stalked forward, pressing her barrel against his chest.

"Tell me," she murmured. "Do I look like my father now?"

Salerno chuckled through the pain. "You look like a queen."

Adriana pulled the trigger.

---

The End of a Dynasty

By the time she emerged from the warehouse, flames were already licking the sky.

Luca, Enzo, Isabella, and Matteo stood outside, watching the empire burn.

Matteo turned to her. "Is it done?"

Adriana nodded.

Luca smirked. "So what now?"

Adriana looked at the fire, then at the city beyond it.

"Now? We rebuild."

And with that, she turned away-because this wasn't just about revenge anymore.

It was about power.

And Adriana De Luca had just claimed the throne.