Time slowed.
Eight men. Three at the entrance, two flanking left, one circling right, two more outside. Amateur hour.
"Sonia, stay down."
I grabbed a wine bottle from our table, calculated the angle, and threw. It shattered against the first shooter's temple. He dropped like a sack of potatoes.
"Julian!" Sonia screamed.
"I'm working."
The second shooter aimed at me. I was already moving, using an overturned table as cover. His bullets chewed through wood. Expensive wood.
Luciano's not going to be happy about the renovation costs.
Luna, meanwhile, had gone full psycho mode.
"Die! Die! Die!" She laughed while dual-wielding her pistols, spinning like some demented ballerina. "This is so much fun!"
"Luna, conserve ammo," I called out, grabbing a steak knife from the floor.
"You're no fun!"
"I'm practical."
The flanking team tried to box me in. Predictable. I rolled left, came up behind a marble pillar, and sent the knife spinning into one's shoulder. He screamed, dropping his weapon.
"You shoot like Stormtroopers," I said, sweeping his legs and bringing my elbow down on his temple.
"Julian, stop critiquing and help!" Sonia yelled from behind the bar.
"I am helping. Efficiently."
The remaining attackers were getting nervous. Their quick execution had turned into a bloodbath. Luna had dropped two more, still giggling like this was a carnival game.
I picked up a fallen gun, checked the clip. Half full. More than enough.
"Hey!" I called out to the remaining three. "Esposito sent you?"
"Shut up and die, Marino!"
"That's a yes then."
I stepped out from cover. They opened fire. I was already sliding across the wine-slicked floor, firing twice. Two headshots. The third man's gun clicked empty.
He looked at me, then at his dead friends, then back at me.
"Run," I said.
He ran.
"Aww, you let him go?" Luna pouted, her guns smoking. "I wanted the full set!"
"Live witnesses spread better fear than dead bodies."
I straightened my tie, surveying the damage. Eight attackers down, one escaped. The restaurant looked like a war zone. My suit had blood on it, but none of it was mine.
*Not bad for a former basement dweller.*
Then it hit me.
[COMBAT COMPLETE]
[Experience Calculated...]
[Sin Points Earned: 85]
[Enemies Defeated: 8]
[Flawless Victory Bonus: +50]
The familiar sensation flooded through me—power condensing, evolving, becoming more. My body tingled as energy coursed through every cell.
[LEVEL UP!]
[You have reached Level 2]
"Julian?" Sonia touched my arm. "You're... glowing?"
"Side effect," I said, checking my status.
[ STATUS ]
Name: Julian Marino
Level: 2 [0/500 EXP]
Class: Sin Sovereign
STATS:
Power: 18 (+3)
Agility: 20 (+3)
Intelligence: 25 (+3)
Charisma: 22 (+3)
Points Available: 5
NEW SKILLS UNLOCKED:
• Shadow Step - Short teleportation
• Violent Whisper - Plant dark thoughts
Choose One? [2 Skill Points Available]
I'd decide later. First, we needed to leave before the cops showed up.
My phone rang. Dad.
"Sup, Dad."
"Son, what happened? Someone reported gunfire at—"
"Esposito family. Sloppy work." I stepped over a groaning attacker. "Already handled."
Silence. Then: "You handled it?"
"Luna helped. Mostly watched, actually." I checked my reflection in a broken mirror. Hair still perfect. "They got what they were looking for."
"Which was?"
"Proof that the third son isn't so weak anymore."
More silence. In the Marino family, that kind of statement meant something.
"Julian." His voice carried new weight. "Do you know who ordered this?"
"I have my suspicions, nothing I can't handle. Take care, Dad."
I hung up before he could respond. In the Marino family, you don't dismiss the Don.
Unless you're establishing new rules.
---
Outside, Luna was taking selfies with her guns.
"That was hot," she said, not looking up from her phone. "The way you broke that guy's arm? Poetry."
"Luna, you could've been killed."
"By those amateurs? Please." She finally looked at me, eyes dilated with adrenaline. "I've been practicing. For you."
"That's concerning."
"That's love." She reached for my face. I caught her wrist.
"Luna—"
"I know, I know. Her." She glared at Sonia. "But she'll bore you. She's too... normal."
Sonia stepped between us. "Back off, psycho."
"Cute. The kitten has claws." Luna smiled. "Julian likes claws."
"Enough." I guided Sonia toward Marco's Maserati. "Luna, we'll talk later."
"Promise?"
"Sure."
"Liar." But she smiled. "I'll be watching. I'm always watching."
She skipped away, humming. Several police sirens wailed in the distance.
"That girl is certifiable," Sonia muttered as we got in the car.
"You have no idea."
---
I drove carefully, keeping under the speed limit. No need to attract attention with blood on my shirt and gunpowder residue on my hands.
Marco called while we were merging onto the highway. I put it on speaker.
"Sonia! Are you okay? I heard about—"
"Yo, brother." I cut in smoothly. "Forgot Dad has eyes everywhere?"
"Julian? What are you doing with—"
"Your girl? Well, ex-girl now."
"You son of a—"
"Same mother, actually. Makes us both sons of bitches."
Sonia covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
"This isn't over," Marco snarled.
"No, it's just beginning. Oh, and Marco? Next time you hire killers, pay for quality. Esposito's boys shoot like they learned from YouTube tutorials."
"I don't know what you're—"
"Sure you don't. I'll pardon you this time. Family and all."
I hung up on his sputtering rage.
"Holy shit," Sonia stared at me. "That was..."
"Stupid?"
"Really hot."
"I get that a lot lately."
"Cocky too."
"That's new. Old Julian was humble."
"Old Julian was boring." She touched my hand on the gear shift. "I like this better."
"Careful. That kind of thinking got you here."
"Maybe I want to be here."
I glanced at her. Flushed cheeks, dilated pupils, quickened breathing. The adrenaline was mixing with attraction. Dangerous combination.
"Your place or mine?" I asked.
"Neither. Take me home. I need to think."
"Smart girl."
"Julian?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For protecting me. For choosing me."
"You chose first," I reminded her.
"Best bad decision I ever made."
---
After dropping Sonia off with a security detail I'd arranged via text, I headed to Rico's apartment. I needed normal for a minute. Or at least Rico's version of normal.
His place smelled like pizza and energy drinks. He was destroying someone in Advanced Warfare 69, headset on, talking trash.
"Get wrecked, noob! Your mom plays better than—YO JULIAN!" He didn't look away from the screen. "Heard you got into some shit!"
"News travels fast."
"Dude, there's literally a video of Luna shooting up Luciano's on WorldStar. She's trending!"
"Of course she is."
"Hashtag CrazyGirlfriend. Hashtag JulianGotAYandere. Hashtag MafiaLoveTriangle." He finally paused the game. "Bro, is that blood on your shirt?"
"Not mine."
"Badass." He grabbed a slice of cold pizza. "So who's trying to kill you this week?"
"Esposito family."
"Those pasta-making motherfuckers? Thought they had a treaty with your pops."
"Treaties are just paper."
"Deep. You sound like an anime villain now." He tossed me a controller. "Wanna play? Might be your last chance before someone succeeds in killing you."
"Comforting."
"I'm a realist."
We played a few rounds. I let him win. My mind was elsewhere, calculating next moves, analyzing threats. The system had been quiet since the level up, but I could feel it humming beneath my skin.
The doorbell rang.
We both froze.
"You expecting anyone?" I asked.
"Nah. You?"
"People trying to kill me don't usually ring the doorbell."
"Good point." Rico grabbed an aluminum bat. "But just in case..."
"Five bucks it's Luna," he whispered.
"No bet."
I checked the peephole. Not Luna.
A woman in an expensive business suit stood there, briefcase in hand, looking impatient.
I opened the door cautiously. "Yes?"
"Julian Marino?" She had sharp eyes behind designer glasses. "I'm Ms. Chen, from Chen & Associates. I'm here about your inheritance."
"I don't have an—"
"From your mother's side." She smiled thinly. "The one your father doesn't know about."
Rico dropped his bat. "Bro, you're secretly rich?"
[Hidden Quest Unlocked: Blood Money]
Well, this day just keeps getting interesting.