~ Massimo ~
An hour later, I was a different man. The hot shower had stripped away the grime and the smell of the hotel's death, and the family doctor's cocktails of heavy-duty painkillers and meds had dulled the screaming in my ribs to a manageable throb.
I felt light, focused, and dangerous.
I adjusted the straps of my black tactical combat gear. The fabric was matte, designed to swallow light and make us invisible once we stepped into the shadows.
Beside me, Bianco and Dario were suited up in the same gear, checking their holsters and securing their communication earpieces.
We looked like shadows ready to haunt the night, our black face masks tucked into our belts for now.
We return to the sitting room, and the energy in the room shifted the second we entered the foyer.
My family was waiting. The atmosphere was thick with a kind of quiet dread that only people in our world truly understood.
