"Crap, crap, crap. I'll be damned if I die in this musty club." I cursed, trying to keep my heartbeat from shooting through my chest.

In spite of how much fear ran through me, in spite of the voice in my head telling me to run, run, run, I knew I had to keep my emotions at bay and remain strategic. This wasn't the first shoot out I've encountered, not with the neighborhood I grew up in.

I couldn't use my sight in the now pitch black club, so I dropped to the ground and began crawling.

"Dario." I yelled. "Dario, are you here?" As I frantically searched for any sign of him, I couldn't stop my voice from croaking.

The last thing I saw were the men aiming their guns at us. I knew for a fact they didn't hit me, but I had no idea of Dario's predicament.

The thought of the bullets hitting him, the thought of Dario laying right besides me injured or dead– god, it made my body shake, it made me want to—

"Bella! For god's sake, where the hell are you?" His deep annoyingly rigid voice rang clearly to the left of me. Near the same area he stood when the lights shut off.

I crawled further in that direction, still hearing moving feet and screams all around me.

"I'm right here, can you hear me?" I asked.

I felt a hand touch my head. It fell down to my shoulder, and firmly grabbed my hand, lifting me off of the floor. I knew this hand very well by now. Its rough ridges, its warmth and its softness.

"Let's get out of here. Keep your hand in mine, don't you dare let go," he said.

He didn't need to say it, I was going to hold on for dear life no matter what. Where else would I go?

We knocked into quite a few people, front first, so I knew we were going the opposite direction of everyone else. The lack of lighting didn't affect Dario's ability to navigate his club. He moved like he always did, swiftly with a determined urgency.

We got to the door in the back, and the flickering overhead lights were actually a welcome this time. Finally I was able to see.

The door to the room we first went into opened wide and the guy with the shaggy blonde hair rushed out with a large duffle bag clutched to his chest.

He took one look at us and his face went white. He looked at us quickly approaching and looked back into the room, then bolted straight for the exit doors.

I wish I had opted for some sneakers instead of these heels.

Dario must've thought the same, because with a fuming red face he said, "I suggest you quickly slip off those heels because I'm running after that jackass."

I let the shoes fly out of my feet, leaving them long behind in the dingy hall, as we began to bolt for the same exit.

The cool dawn air whiffed against my face as we got outside and the world continued to spin all around.

I caught sight of the two men who shot up the club, rushing into their blue SUV. less smoothly behind them, was blondie, a duffle bag still held to his chest as if it were a pot of gold he'd just discovered. He got into the back of their car and the tires screeched as they attempted to quickly steer out of the parking lot.

Dario still had his gun in his other hand. He lifted it up and shot a few rounds, aiming for the tires. He was fast and his shots looked precise, but the men were faster with their wheel and before long, they were onto the main street.

"Let's go." Dario ran towards his car and I followed behind him as fast as I could.

I felt everything on my bare feet. The dirt on the ground, the puddles of water, the tiny rocks– but I didn't let it stop me. Adrenaline was a hell of a drug and it shot through me with an unwavering power.

As we got into Dario's car, he grabbed my face the same way he always did, but this time, he looked dead serious. No hint of charm, wit, or flirtation showed.

"Listen, I need you to trust me, follow my directions. No bullshit jokes or whiny comments right now. This is serious."

"I know." I nodded.

"Call Anthony for me." He shifted the car into gear and pointed towards the cupholder, where his phone sat.

I opened his phone and dialed Anthony's number, while Dario aggressively whipped the wheel of his car. We circled out of the parking lot and into the nonexistent mid-night traffic with ease. It wasn't long before we trailed up behind the blue SUV.

I put the phone on speaker, and it rang only twice before Anthony answered.

"Dario, what is it?" His voice sounded groggy yet alert.

"Carlos set me up. I just had two of Dominic's men shoot up The Coin and Wade's in their back seat with the documents. I'm following them now."

"I'll gather some of the men and send backup. Where are you guys heading?" Anthony asked.

"It's too late for backup. I'll handle it. All I need is the documents back. Just send the men to The Coin along with a doctor. Make sure no one's hurt or left behind. Contact the dancers and send them a bonus, make sure to remind them who they work for and what their silence means," Dario said.

"Copy," Anthony said, hanging up.

"Take my gun," Dario said. I almost thought he was still speaking to Anthony until I realized he just hung up. He threw his gun onto my lap, still focused on closing in one the blue car ahead.

"What? What am I supposed to do with this?" I let its heat sear into my skin, unable to even pick it up.

"You're right." He groaned. "It's out of bullets, hold on." With one hand on the steering wheel, Dario used the other to take the gun out of my lap and throw it in the back seat. He opened the glove compartment and pulled out another small handgun and threw it on my lap again. "That one's easier to shoot anyways."

"You want me to shoot?" I asked again, dumbfounded. I'm sure he remembers what happened the last time I had a gun in my hands, he even mocked me for it.

"Aim for the tires, but shoot the windows if you have to. Whatever it takes to slow down the car."

"This is illegal, I could kill someone." I feel like I had to remind him, raise some panic into the situation because he was being entirely too chill about this.

"If it helps you feel better, these men would kill you without a second thought. And don't worry about the law, I have the NJPD paid off," He said.

I slowly picked the gun up, feeling it in my hand with caution. When I looked back up, the red-headed man hung his head out of the passenger window, staring straight through us. He pulled his arm out and before I could register the gun in his hand, two shots flew through our windshield.

I screamed so loud that I could feel an instant headache coming on.

"Shit." Dario sneered, reaching under his seat and pulling out another gun. He rolled down his window and steered with one hand, while shooting at the car with another. "You okay?"

The bullets missed the both of us, going from the windshield to the back seat.

"I'm okay." I gritted my teeth, anger overtaking my panic.

These men were trying to kill us, and I'd be damned if I died in freaking New Jersey.

"Are you going to shoot or will I have to do all the work?" He asked. He punctured the back window, but his bullets didn't do much damage to the blue car.

We got onto the ramp to take the highway, and Dario created some distance from the men ahead after his shots.

"Get closer, I'll shoot." I nodded.

Dario increased his speed right as we merged onto the 202. I lowered the window and braced myself, clutching tightly to the handgun in my hand.

"Be careful, Bella. Remember, you shoot consecutively and then immediately get out of the line of fire."

"I know." I said. I decided not to think too much about it. The more I thought, the more time would be lost, and the easier it would be for me to sike myself out. I raised my arm out of the window and aimed for the back window. With two shots, the glass completely shattered and Wade with his panicked face came into perfect view.

This was my first time shooting a gun, but it came so naturally to me. I was able to handle the recoil and shoot precisely.

"Good shot, Darling," Dario said.

"Oh, I'm just getting started."

The men ahead violently swerved their car to the left lane and Dario followed right behind. When redhead extended his head out of the window again, Dario swerved to the right lane and stalled behind to avoid his shots.

They were able to go back and forth like this because the highway was mostly empty. On the rare occasion when a car would drive by, there seemed to be an unspoken truce. Both Dario and the blue car shifted to the right lane until the car overtook us. Only when it was well out of sight did they continue.

With another innocent passerby speeding down the highway, I urged Dario to catch up with the blue car once more. I leaned out of the passenger window, positioned my arm closely to the back left tire, and with two shots, I completely blew it out. I immediately fired another shot towards the back door to prevent the red-headed man from firing back anytime soon, and shifted back to send two shots towards the other back tire, blowing that one out as well.

I hoped I was being strategic. I didn't want to hurt anyone, but like Dario said, they'd kill me straight without a second thought.

After that last shot, I knew I was out of bullets. The gun felt lighter, devoid of anything except the heat blazing from it.

"I'm empty." I told Dario.

"That's okay. You've done your job." He replied, his signature smirk back on his face.

The guys up ahead seemed to have lost complete control of their car. Sparks of fire flew from the two busted tires in the back as the care haphazardly swerved from one direction to another. I held on tighter to my seat as Dario sped forward with determination.

"You think they'll give up?" I asked. The car looked like it was about to give out at any moment, yet they continued on their pursuit. Weren't they scared for their lives? I'd be.

"Oh, I'll make them. Hold on tight," he said, right as he swerved to the left and crashed straight into the back of their car.

Despite wearing a seatbelt, the impact caused me to violently fall back against my seat. I groaned, holding onto my head that pounded even louder as a result.

I turned over to Dario and was surprised to find him completely unphased. The impact didn't do much to our car. The airbags didn't deploy nor did it look like we suffered much damage to the bumper. The other car, though, spun a few times, then swerve completely to the left, crashing into the concrete border by the curb of the highway, where it finally paused.

"They're not dead, are they?" I asked.

"They're gonna wish they were very soon," Dario said. "Stay here, I'll make this quick." He reached to the back seat, where he uncovered another hidden gun and hopped out of the car. Smoothing down his suit, he walked casually to the blue car.

The dark-haired man, who was driving, pulled himself out of the damaged vehicle. He slowly dragged his limbs, pain covering his face, and blood spilling from the new gash on his head.

He raised his hand in surrender, pleading something to Dario that I couldn't quite hear. Dario's gun remained raised at him for another few seconds, before he fired one shot, shooting him in the foot. The only thing I heard clearly was the scream that escaped his mouth.

As the dark-haired man held onto his wound, Dario moved to the passenger door, where he dragged out the red-haired man and fired point-blank shots at both of his feet, leaving him writhing with double the injury of his partner. Finally, Dario moved to the back door and dragged Wade out.

He pulled him by the collar of his shirt, leaving him to fall to the ground, head first. Wade scurried backwards, frantically trying to move away from Dario, but of course, he wasn't going anywhere. Dario pulled him up by the collar once more and smashed his face with his pistol. Blood shot out of his mouth and drooled onto the floor, while Dario continued his assault. After a few more hits, Dario aimed his gun again and shot Wade in both of his thighs.

With all three men down, he reached into the back seat, dragged the duffle bag Wade so dearly held onto, and walked slowly back to our car like he had all the time in the world.

Dario hopped back into the driver's seat and threw the bag in the back seat, before he turned on the ignition.

"Are we good, Bella?" His eyes remained focused on the road as he began driving past the crashed car and three men lying injured on the curb.

"We're good." I nodded.

I felt like I should've been affected by everything, stunned to silence and worried out of my mind, but truthfully, I felt alive.

***

We got back to the hotel in a breeze. Sonny met us in the lobby, standing solidly with his hands behind his back, wearing his full plaid pajama set.

"Dario, I hear about shooting. Why you not call me?"

"There was nothing to call you for." Dario waved him off as we entered the elevator. "Especially with this one by my side." He motioned towards me, and I'll admit, a smile took over my face.

"Bella, aye?" Sonny looked at me, surprised. "Little brown chihuahua help you? You know, I have chihuahua back in Italy. Her name, um, Cece. One day, I get into big fight with man almost big like me. He almost beat me too, then Cece jump up and attack big man. She rip his heart out with just her teeth and eat it for dinner. Si, is true." He shook his head.

"That's riveting, Sonny." Dario gave him a glare and shifted back to me.

We got to the top floor, and dozens of men were sprawled everywhere. Dario took one look at them and ordered them back to bed. By the time we got to our room, the halls were empty once again, except for Sonny and Anthony, who followed us in.

"What do we do now?" I asked, feeling confused.

The men circled around the living room couch, their night no doubt still continuing.

"Well, you go back to bed. I no longer have a need for you." Dario dismissed me coldly. He pressed his mouth together, then walked up to me, eyes locked on mine. "What I mean to say is, thank you for your help. It's been a long night, you should get some rest."

His second attempt was much better, and I was glad he quickly corrected himself, so I went back to our room without a fight, but I didn't go directly back to bed. Instead, I leaned against the door, and listened to their meeting.

Dario relayed details of our entire night, from the trip to the club, to the shootout on the highway. The men, of course, were Dominic's goons, and Wade turned out to be a secret informant, tasked with gathering details about some of Dario's secret offshore accounts.

Dario was strategic with his attack on them, leaving them injured sufficiently enough as retaliation for their attack, but allowing them to live, so Dominic would know they didn't succeed first hand.

The meeting didn't have any more interesting details, so I was getting ready to finally go back to bed until I heard my name mentioned.

"And Bella was by your side the entire time?" I heard Anthony's voice enquire.

"You should've seen her. She was confident, determined, and she was successful. I'm telling you, Anthony, the girl is an asset. She's useless information wise, but there's something worth keeping her close. Our priority will continue to be keeping her safe."

I couldn't lie, his comment elated me. It also scared the crap out of me, because I knew, to get out, I was gonna have to fall deeper into the mafia life than I've ever wanted to before.