Vinny "The Snake" Russo's POV
The air's thick with gunpowder and panic. Bullets zip past my head as I dive behind a busted cocktail table, glass crunching under my knees. The third floor's a damn warzone. Tony's goons blasting away, my crew firing back, and partygoers screaming like it's the end of the world. Lila's crouched a few yards off, her gold gown catching the light, eyes fierce despite the zip-ties cutting into her wrists. She's a fighter, but she's stuck in my mess now.
And Frankie, that double-crossing rat, just turned my whole night upside down. My own guy, adopted into the Russo family like a brother, sold me out to Tony "The Hammer" Moretti. My blood's boiling, but I shove it down. Revenge comes later. Right now, I gotta get Lila out alive.
"Vinny!" Mikey's voice cuts through the chaos. He's ducked behind a pillar, popping shots at Tony's guys. "Found Frankie, slimy bastard's heading for the stairs!"
"Pin him!" I yell, reloading my piece. "He don't leave this building breathing." Mikey nods, all business now, and bolts after him. My kid brother's a goof, but when it's go-time, he's a damn lion. Adopted or not, he's the only blood I trust well, trusted, till Frankie screwed us.
Lila catches my eye, jerking her head toward a side exit. Smart girl, but Tony's goons are closing in, and I ain't letting them touch her. This whole arranged marriage stunt was supposed to be my middle finger to Tony—steal his "bride" and humiliate him before I bury him. See, in our world, arranged deals seal alliances or settle debts.
Tony snatched Lila to lock in some power play with her family, big shots in the Chicago scene. Me? I figured marrying her myself would burn Tony's empire to ash and keep her safe. But now, with Frankie's betrayal, I'm wondering if I'm the one getting played.
I ran towards Lila, manage to dodge the stray bullets like gangster escaping from the cops. One of the goons jumped at me with a sharp blade, I quickly hold his wrist and snap it. I drop him to the floor with my knee hitting his face so hard.
"Stay down," I growl "'Less you wanna eat lead." I reach Lila, yanking her behind a bar counter. Her breath's ragged, but she's holding it together.
"How'd you get down here?" I snap, cutting her zip-ties with my pocketknife. "You Houdini or what?"
She rubs her wrists, glaring. "Your genius crew didn't lock the office door. One of Tony's guys grabbed me. Thanks for the security, boss."
I smirk despite myself. She's got fire, calling me out in the middle of a shootout. "Well yes, but you will have to stick with me, Princess. And you probably may live to complain of it."
"I said don't call me princess," She yelled back angrily, despite that, there was some fire in her eyes.
Damn, she's trouble. The good kind.
I peek over the counter. Tony's across the room, barking orders, his gun still in hand. He's lost half his guys, but he's not running. Ballsy, I'll give him that. My phone buzzes, Sal, texting: Manager's office. Got something you need to see.
I curse under my breath. Now's not the time for riddles, but Sal's my adopted brother, sworn to the Russo name since we were kids scraping by in Brooklyn. If he's got intel, it's big.
"Lila, we're moving," I say, grabbing her hand. She don't pull away, which is a win.
We ran through the crowd, my team covering us, shielding us from bullets. One stray bullet brushes my left arm, it stings and very painful like hell but I can't slow down now, not ever. No time to bleed.
We hit the manager's office, and Sal's there, pacing, his shirt still bloody from earlier. The resort owner's cowering in a corner, and Mikey's back, dragging a beat-up Frankie by the collar. Frankie's nose is busted, one eye swollen shut. Good. I want him hurting.
"Talk," I snarl, shoving Frankie against the wall. "Why'd you flip?"
He spits blood, sneering. "Tony pays better, Vin. You're soft. Obsessed with revenge for Joey when you should be running the game."
I slam my fist into his gut, and he doubles over, gasping. "Joey was family. You were family. You don't get to walk away from that."
Lila's watching, quiet, but I catch her flinch. She's outta her depth, thrown into this arranged marriage mess by Tony, now stuck with me. I turn to Sal. "What's the intel?"
Sal hands me a burner phone, screen glowing with a text: Russo's girl is ours. Back off, or she's dead. Attached is a photo Lila's mom, gagged, tied to a chair in some warehouse. My stomach drops. Tony's not just after Lila for a power grab. He's holding her family hostage to force the marriage, and Frankie's been feeding him our every move.
Lila grabs the phone, her face paling. "That's my mom," she whispers, voice breaking. "I thought… I thought this was just about me."
I clench my jaw. This changes everything. Tony's playing dirtier than I thought, and I'm one step behind. "Sal, get our guys to sweep the city. Find that warehouse. Mikey, lock Frankie in the trunk. He's coming with us."
"Wait," Lila says, grabbing my arm. Her eyes are hard now, no fear. "I'm not signing your papers either. But I'll play along, fake the marriage, whatever to get my mom back. After that, I'm out."
I study her. She's not just some pawn. She's got steel in her spine, and I respect it. "Deal," I say, voice low. "But you stick close. Tony's not the only snake in this game."
Sal clears his throat, nervous. "Vin, there's more. That text? It's not from Tony's usual number. It's… someone higher."
My blood runs cold. Someone higher? In our world, that means the Commission the old-school bosses who pull strings from the shadows. Tony's a punk, but if he's got their backing, I'm not just fighting him. I'm fighting the whole damn Mafia order. The plot twist hits like a brick: Frankie wasn't just Tony's mole. He was the Commission's, setting me up to crash and burn.
Before I can process, the office door explodes inward, splinters flying. Tony storms in, flanked by new goons guys I don't recognize, with military-grade gear. My crew raises their guns, but Tony's grinning like he's already won. "Russo, you're done," he sneers, leveling his piece at me. "Hand over the girl, or I paint this room red."
Lila steps forward, chin high, playing her part. "I'm his fiancée," she lies, voice steady. "You want me? Come through him."
My heart skips. She's buying me time, but we're outnumbered, and Tony's not alone. I spot a glint in his eyes crazy, but calculated. He's got an ace up his sleeve, and I don't know what. My hand's on my gun, but I'm frozen, calculating. One wrong move, and we're all dead.
Then, a deafening blast shakes the room. Smoke pours in, and I can't see shit. Lila screams, someone grabs my arm, and I'm yanked into the haze. Tony's voice echoes, laughing, as the world spins. When the smoke clears, I'm outside, coughing, my crew scattered. Lila's gone. Tony's gone. And a black SUV peels out, tires screeching.
Sal's beside me, bleeding but alive. "Vin, they took her," he gasps. "And… I saw Frankie in that car. He's not our prisoner anymore."
My vision goes red. Frankie's free, Lila's kidnapped, and the Commission's pulling the strings. This ain't just a war it's a goddamn chess game, and I'm out of moves. But I'm Vinny Russo, and I don't fold. I'll burn this city down to find her and when I do, every traitor's gonna beg for mercy I ain't got.