The Mafia’s Good Wife
Chapter 40

- Damon - *BANG!

*

The sound of the gunshot pierced through the air. Damon didn't even have time to flinch. He stood frozen, thinking his life had gone past him.

But when the seconds passed and Damon still felt the heartbeat in his chest, he realized he wasn't dead. He looked down and his body was still intact. There were no blood spots and he felt no pain. What was that?

Hugo and his men were also caught off guard. As if on cue, all of them paused for a beat before turning their heads to the side. Damon followed their gaze and his breath was caught in his throat. His heart stopped beating, but it wasn't because of a bullet. "Violet...?"

Damon couldn't believe his eyes. Violet was standing before him, her long brown hair was blowing in the wind, and those purple eyes were shining brightly. Behind her were Adrian, Liam, Beau, and several other men. Liam had his hand raised and a gun was in his hand, smoke coming out of it.

"Hey," Violet said softly, but Damon heard it loud and clear.

This wasn't a dream. This was real. She was there in the flesh, standing in front of him. And though the tension in the air was suffocating, nothing else mattered at that moment for him. Everything in the world stopped and he could only look at her. Nothing else.

~ Violet - --- ONE HOUR AGO --

"The side gate is our best bet, we go through the forest stealthily and quietly. We take down their men one by one and we go in. We may not have the number, but we have the element of surprise,"

A blueprint of Hugo's estate was laid on the table and Liam was explaining his attack strategy. Violet and the guys were en-route to Italy in Damon's private jet. By the next morning, they'd arrive at Hugo's estate, but arriving was only the first step. The next and more important step was actually getting inside the compound and breaking Damon out.

"Okay, getting in is one thing, but how about getting out?" Beau asked.

"Adrian?" Liam turned to the consigliere, waiting for an answer.

As head of security, Liam was skilled in the art of offense. But in terms of negotiation and minimizing casualty, that was Adrian's strong suit.

"Still working on it," Adrian sighed as he was busily typing on his laptop. "It's not easy mobilizing the biggest mafia kings in the world on such short notice,"

"Are we supposed to wait for them then?" Beau asked.

"We can't wait," Violet interjected, shaking her head firmly. "Each minute that we let Damon in that house alone with him is dangerous,"

"She's right," Adrian agreed. He closed the laptop and stood up, joining them at the table. "Hugo issued the marriage contract a few days ago. If the contract is finalized and the lawyers deem it appropriate, he'll have control over half of Damon's estate and he doesn't need Damon alive anymore,"

Violet glanced at her watch, counting down the days. When she first heard about the marriage certificate being issued, she was obviously unhappy. But then Adrian reminded her that it could mean something else. Perhaps this was Damon trying to bargain for his life. He was buying time. Because why else would a mafia lord like Hugo DeSantis let a person who was about to kill him get away scot free? With this marriage contract, at least it bought Damon a few more days, and it bought them time to strategize an attack. "So, we're really going in without knowing if we're gonna get out?" Beau summed it up.

"Any complaints about that?" Liam shot him a look.

"No," Beau stifled a laugh and shook his head. "It'll be my honor,"

Beau stretched out his hand and Liam took it. The two guys shared a laugh and a knowing look. After spending some days with these guys, flying across the world and planning the ultimate heist, Violet learned some things about the men in Damon's life. For instance, Beau and Liam were actually brothers. Well, cousins to be more exact. Their families served the Luciano family since their great grandfathers. They were all close and they grew up together. It was a bond so deep, not even death could scare them. Though they were practically brothers, Beau and Liam couldn't be more different. Liam was always aggressive and eager to attack his opponent, while Beau was more cautious and subtle. In another life, Beau would be better off as a consigliere. But still, Beau enjoyed a good fight as much as Liam. He didn't like being confined to a desk and not participating in the action.

Someone who actually didn't like participating in the action was Adrian. Never in a million years did he think he'd ever end up here, sneaking around in the middle of the night, walking through a forest to break into a mafia lord's compound. He was carrying a gun in his hand and it felt so awkward. Adrian always carried guns because that was a rule in the mafia lord, but he never thought he'd actually use them. "Right through here guys, about 2 miles that way," Liam whispered under his breath, pointing towards a direction.

Violet looked all around and all she could see were tall trees for miles. She could barely see anything, to be honest. It was dark at night and the only source of light was the moon above. Liam told them not to use any flashlights because they might give out their location.

Violet and the guys had been walking through the forest for about an hour. As soon as they were dropped off at the outskirts of town, they went straight for the journey. Everyone was wearing all black pants and jackets, and they at least carry two guns with them. There were only eight of them now, but reinforcements were expected to come later in the night or early tomorrow morning. By the time it was 12 o'clock midnight, Violet and the gang reached the side gate of Hugo's compound. They crouched under the bushes and behind the trees, watching the guard who was standing at the gate. There were also cameras and sensors in place. Not only did they have to take out the guard quickly, but they also had to intercept those camera signals.

"Home base, this is Alpha. We're at the gate. Start the video loop now," Adrian whispered into his phone.

Moments later, a reply came, "Got it, CCTV video commencing in two minutes,"

It was Talia's voice. Violet smiled as soon as she heard her. Talia was holding down the fort in New Jersey with several other men. Using the resources back home, they were hacking through Hugo's security system to disable all his cameras. "Alright, this is it boys," Liam nodded to his men. "It's do or die,"

"Boys and lady," Beau gestured to Violet.

"Right," Liam smiled sheepishly. Then he stretched out his hand and everyone joined in, putting their hands on top of each other. Violet was the last one to put her hand there.

"Let's all take a moment to pray, ask God to forgive our sins and to bless us through this journey," Liam said again, and everyone bowed their heads and prayed silently. Violet looked around and followed suit. This was not how she normally prayed, and it was doubtful that God would hear this kind of prayer, but she prayed nonetheless. Help us, God. Help us find Damon and bring him home. Safely.

"Amen," Liam said after a while, and everyone followed.

Violet and all the guys shared a knowing look as they stared at one another.

"Hey, it's just life," Liam said with a smile. "Don't worry too much about it,"

The guys stifled a laugh before taking their positions. Liam and Beau were in the front, Violet and Adrian were in the middle, and the rest of the guys were around and behind them.

"Alpha, this is Home Base. You're good to go," Talia's voice came from Adrian's phone. Adrian nodded at everyone and turned it off. It was show time.

The next thing she knew, they were all moving like a unit, quickly and stealthily, approaching the gate. The guard didn't even have time to blink. As soon as he saw them, Liam was quick to get behind him and twisted his neck, rendering him unconscious. Beau then got rid of his weapon and took the key card he was holding. The gate also required a thumb print and Liam pulled the fallen guard up so they could use his hand. Within seconds, the gate was unlocked and they all slipped inside.

Hugo's estate was large and that came with its own challenges. It might take them a while before they could locate Damon and there were many guards they'd have to take down. But since Adrian, Liam, and Beau had been here before several times, they mostly knew where to go.

They moved quietly and swiftly. Whenever they saw a guard, they'd approach without them knowing and take them out before they could react. They kept going further and further into the estate, crossing through the large garden and approaching the main mansion, until suddenly-

*CLICK *

They heard the sound of a gun clicking. All of them turned their heads instantly in the direction. About ten yards to their left, they saw Hugo and his men standing in front of a room with a metal door. Hugo was holding the gun and he aimed it at the person standing at the doorway. Violet peeked to see who was in there, and there he was, Damon, standing in the flesh.

"Say your last words, my son," Hugo said with a menacing smile. "It was truly a pleasure knowing you,"

Hugo was about to shoot Damon! They had to act fast and no one acted faster than Liam.

*BANG! *

Liam fired a warning bullet. Everyone turned their heads over to them. At this point, they couldn't avoid a full blown battle.

"Violet..." Damon gaped when he saw her.

Violet couldn't help the smile forming on her face. She felt the utmost relief knowing that they weren't too late.

"Hey," she breathed.

Meanwhile, Hugo was glaring at them in confusion. How did they get in here? How many men did they bring? And where the hell were his guards?

"Oh, won't you look at that?" Hugo interjected the moment, gauging the severity of the situation. "How nice. A reunion in my home,"

As if on cue, all of Hugo's men reached for their guns and so did Damon's men. Damon didn't miss the beat and pulled out his own gun. Violet, who was standing behind Liam, Beau, and Adrian, also had her gun out. All the guns were out and pointed at each other. No one said a word, but the tension in the air was deafening.

"Come on, Hugo," Adrian was the first to break the silence. "This doesn't have to end like this. Why do we have a war when we can have peace?"

"Are you saying you come here for peace?" Hugo taunted. "Doesn't look like it,"

"Believe it or not, we just want Damon back," Adrian replied. "If you give him to us and let us out, we'll forget any of this ever happened,"

Hugo paused for a moment and kept his eyes on Adrian. Then suddenly, he started chuckling and he put his gun down.

"You're a good negotiator, Adrian. A key element to have as a consigliere. I have no doubt you're doing a good job working for him," Hugo took a step closer towards Violet and the guys. They stood their ground but everyone got more tense. "You know, I'm looking for a new consigliere myself. Perhaps you're interested in a little change?" Adrian let out a laugh.

"Hugo, that's not gonna work," he shook his head. "My allegiance is forever with the Van Zandt family-"

"There wasn't even a Van Zandt family two decades ago, remember?" Hugo interjected. "It was the Luciano family. Your family,"

Hugo smiled menacingly. He didn't look anxious or surprised by their sudden appearance. He even had the audacity to taunt Adrian. Like any good mafia boss, he always found a way to turn any situation for his benefit.

"Look at him, he's not fit to lead anymore. He's willing to give up everything for a girl!" Hugo said again, pointing his finger at Damon. "You deserve a better leader to serve, Adrian Luciano. You deserve no one but the best," he said as he patted his own chest. Adrian only smiled and said, "Thanks for the offer, Hugo, but I have no intention of serving anybody in this world,"

"But you're here now,"

"Only as a friend,"

Adrian shot a look at Damon and he nodded knowingly. Since Hugo failed to affect Adrian, he now turned his attention to Violet.

"And you," he said to her. "You know this all happens because of you, right?"

Violet swallowed hard. Hugo's gaze was dark and terrorizing. It took everything in her to keep her stance.

"No, Hugo. This is all because of you and the things you chose to do," Violet replied firmly. "You had my father killed,"

"Are we still on that?" Hugo scoffed mockingly. "It's been ages, sweetheart! You need to let bygones be bygones,"

Violet cringed that he called her sweetheart. Still clutching her gun tightly, she aimed the mouth to his head and spoke.

"You know what, I forgave you for it, Hugo. I'm not angry anymore. I don't care about revenge, there's never enough justice in the world to bring him back," she paused for a moment and glanced at Damon. "What I care about now is that man. And you're hurting him. I can't let that happen,"

"Yeah? What are you gonna do about it?" Hugo taunted and took a step closer. Everyone started aiming their guns at his head. Having eight guns all pointing in his direction should scare him, but Hugo didn't show any signs of fear.

"There are only eight of you, huh?" Hugo said suddenly, noticing that there was no one else around but them.

Violet and the guys stayed quiet.

"I have close to one hundred people living in this estate. One click of a button and they'll all be running over here," Hugo turned to one of his men and he took out a walkie-talkie. He then pressed a button and a loud ringing sound pierced the air. Within seconds, about ten to twenty men appeared from various directions, all running towards them. Violet and the guys were outnumbered two to one. The odds were not in their favor. "You really wanna do this?" Hugo asked, keeping his gaze at Violet.

Violet didn't know what to do. She looked to her side and saw Liam's face. Liam nodded his head firmly. Then she looked to the other side and saw Adrian's face. He let out a small smile.

And right at that moment, in the corner of her eye, Violet saw rows of men in black suits approaching them from inside the house. They were dressed sharply, but not in the way Hugo dressed his men. They looked different. Because they were. "Hugo, I think it's time you greet your other guests," Violet said with a smile.

Hugo's smile dropped to the ground as he turned around. His eyes went wide as saucers when he saw the army before him. Amongst the army were the two other leaders of the Big Four, Gianni from the West Coast and Benigni from Northern Europe. "What the hell is going on here!?" Hugo, for the first time that night, looked confused and powerless. "Where are all my f*****g men?!" "We swept them out from the front gate," Gianni replied.

"You've taken things too far, Hugo," Benigni added. "The Big Four is supposed to have each other's backs, not the other way around," "Are you kidding me?! He's the one who went into my office with a gun!" Hugo pointed at Damon erratically. "He was about to shoot me first!"

"And that's because you were plotting behind his back," Gianni argued. "You didn't like how much power he was getting and you got greedy,"

"My brothers! Come on!" Hugo tried to laugh it off. "We've known each other for years-"

"Exactly," Benigni cut him off. "So we know for certain the kind of man that you are,"

"If you're willing to backstab your own son, what will you do to us when you get the chance?" Gianni asked.

"You understand that in our world, loyalty is the highest currency, right, Hugo?" Benigni said.

Hugo and the two leaders were locked in a staring contest. No one was moving. Meanwhile, Hugo was fuming. Smoke was coming out of his ears. He looked like he was about to explode as he decided his final move.

"Maybe that's the case for you, but for me, vengeance is my highest currency!" Hugo said finally. "I'm not going to stop until I get what I deserve. And I deserve to have all of your territories! I built all of you up! You all are nothing without me!" Hugo was shouting belligerently. Everyone held their guns tighter. And after he was done talking, Hugo raised two guns up, one in each hand.

"Hugo, if it's a war that you want, it's a war you will get," Benigni said.

"But I must say, the odds don't look good in your favor," Gianni commented.

"If I had listened to the odds when I built my empire, I wouldn't be standing here today," Hugo replied with a stoic expression.

Gianni and Benigni exchanged a look. Then suddenly and without warning, they both reached for their guns and-

*BANG! *

Violet didn't know who was shooting who, and she had no time to think. Once that first bang was heard, everyone else joined in. Bullets were flying everywhere and she only hoped to God they'll make it out of here alive. *BANG!* BANG!* BANG! *