Catalina had always counted on what her gut told her, which was very clear and sharp. She could sense danger before it happened and spot lies before anyone said them. But lately, this feeling followed her all the time, like a shadow stuck to her back.
It started with footsteps behind her on a street with nobody else around. They were slow, loud, and too steady to be by chance.
Then there was the car parked near her apartment, the same kind and with the same mark on the bumper, showing up three nights one after the other.
Someone was keeping an eye on her.
Someone nearby.
Once inside her apartment, she quietly locked the door and leaned against it, slowly breathing out.
Her phone made a noise.
Luca: Are you home?
Catalina: Just got inside.
Luca: I need to talk. In person.
Her heart beat faster. He'd been pushing harder recently, being more direct, more caring, and more annoyed. He didn't like that she was keeping her distance after she realized Valerio was changing.
Catalina typed back:
Tonight?
He answered right away.
Luca: Now.
---
Luca's car was waiting in the back alley near her building, with the headlights off and the engine sounding like a warning. Catalina quickly got in, and before she could say anything, Luca pulled her close.
"You're shaking," he said quietly.
"I am not."
"Yes, you are," he said, touching her face. "What's wrong?"
She paused, holding back the truth that she wanted to say.
"I feel like… I'm being watched," she said softly. "Like someone is following me."
Luca's body froze, and every muscle tightened. "Valerio."
"I don't know."
"Yes, you do," he said softly but sharply. "Catalina, he knows."
She looked away. The truth hurt more when it was spoken.
Luca gently took her chin, making her look at him. "Leave him."
She gasped quietly. "I can't."
"You can," he said firmly. "He's not your dad. He's not saving you. He's a man who makes people loyal to control them."
Catalina's voice shook. "He raised me. After my dad passed away, he gave me a place to live. He trained me. He kept me safe. I owe him."
"You owe yourself more," Luca said quickly. "You've spent your life helping a man who would kill you the second you're no longer useful."
Catalina closed her eyes, feeling torn.
Luca touched his forehead to hers. "I don't want to lose you. Leave him. Be with me."
If only it was that easy.
She breathed out shakily. "Give me time."
Luca wanted to argue, she could see it in his face, but he didn't. Instead, he kissed her, deeply and with force, like he was trying to hold her there.
But love couldn't stop bullets.
And bullets were already being made ready.
---
On the other side of town, Valerio sat in his dark office, calmly swirling whiskey in a glass, which scared even his own guys.
Hank stood in front of him, looking like a dog waiting for scraps and excited to get them.
"You know what to do," Valerio stated with no emotion.
Hank nodded his head. "Get rid of Luca Deluca."
"And make it obvious. In front of everyone. Make some noise." Valerio's green eyes got more intense. "I want Catalina to see what it costs to betray me."
Hank's mouth moved a little. "She'll fall apart."
"That's the whole idea."
Valerio placed his glass on the desk, and it made a quiet sound. "Do this, and you'll move up in the ranks. For good."
Hank's desire grew very fast. He always hated how Catalina was better than him, loved by Valerio, respected, feared, and chosen. He wanted her to fail. He wanted to take her place.
And he wanted Luca to die.
"It will be done," Hank promised him.
Valerio let him go with a slight nod.
"Don't let me down," he said quietly.
Hank left acting like a man who thought the world was finally working out for him.
But Valerio's smile quickly went away.
He wasn't looking for a good turn.
He wanted power.
---
Catalina woke up suddenly hours later, long after Luca had taken her home. Her gut feeling was back, even stronger this time, urgent, screaming, that something was wrong.
She picked up her phone.
No message from Valerio.
No phone call from Hank.
Nothing.
And in Valerio's world, nothing meant a fight was about to start.
Her phone buzzed just as she got to the stairs.
Luca: Meeting tonight. My guys found something. Get here early.
Her stomach felt strange.
Danger was close to him too.
Catalina quickly texted back:
I'm coming. Be careful.
She didn't know how to warn him without saying too much.
But she felt like she had already waited too long.
---
The attack started suddenly, like a storm.
Luca got to the warehouse with four of his men, not knowing that Hank's team was already up on the roofs, with their guns ready, waiting for the best time to attack.
Catalina came from the other side of the block, moving quickly, her breath visible in the night air. She saw figures on the roof, too many of them. Too still.
Her blood turned cold.
"No," she whispered quietly.
She started running.
---
Inside, Luca sensed something just a moment too late.
A quiet scraping sound above him.
A change in the air.
He looked up,
"DOWN!" he yelled.
Gunfire started, coming down from the ceiling like deadly rain. Luca pushed Jace to the ground, and bullets broke crates, made holes in walls, and flew through the air with deadly force.
Outside, Catalina ran across the rough ground, her boots hitting the ground hard, and every muscle burned. She shot upward, making the shooters move.
"LUCA!" she yelled.
He heard her. That voice, clear and scared, went right through the chaos.
"Catalina!" he yelled back.
She went into the building, shooting twice and hitting the men nearest to Luca. Hank yelled an obscenity from above.
"She is here!" he shouted to his team. "Get both of them!"
But Catalina moved quickly, cutting through the dark with deadly intent. She took Luca's arm, pulling him to the door.
"Go!" she whispered urgently.
He stumbled, hurt and bleeding, his eyes showing anger and shock. "You knew," he said, his jaw tight. "You knew this would happen."
"I tried to tell you!"
More shooting began, making them hide behind metal containers.
Luca looked at her, breathing heavily. "Cat... decide. Right now."
Her heart beat fast.
Her feelings were divided.
Her life was falling apart.
Outside, more of Hank's people showed up.
Catalina made up her mind.
S
he held Luca's face with shaking hands. "I am with you."
Then she shot into the darkness, her first shot aimed right at Valerio's own person.
There was no turning back.
Not at this moment.
Never.