Pretending to Be an Untouchable Crime Boss-Chapter 54: Bellini’s Blood.

After Hans and James switched cars, one thing was certain, Hans and Rafael would be faster than them.

The reason was simple.

All armored cars in the family had the same privilege. If the cops ran the number plates, it would show as a restricted individual, meaning they couldn’t be stopped.

Usually, diplomats or high ranking government officials had this privilege, but so did these cars so Hans used this advantage to drive like a maniac, running red lights, swerving through traffic, and ignoring lanes.

Because of this, they reached Sophia faster than James reached the park.

And that was a big mistake because Hans didn’t just stop there, he rolled into the driveway and got out, while Rafael remained in the car.

Sophia was already waiting, so she stepped out of the house before Hans even reached the door.

"Is that James?" She asked, squinting her eyes to see who was sitting in the car.

"No, it’s his little brother, Rafael."

"Oh, really? Can I talk to him?"

"No, we’re in a hurry, so please just give me the document."

She hesitated for a moment, but then handed the documents to Hans with a smile. He turned to leave, but Sophia grabbed his shoulder.

"Wait."

Hans turned back already annoyed but what he saw just blew that small hope she had for Sophia as a woman.

She pulled out something from between her boobs and said blushing. "Give this to James…"

"Please tell me it’s not a thong…"

Her face turned even redder. "It is…"

Hans closed his eyes for a second trying to push down what was coming up.

"Sophia… why?"

"It’s a gift." She said, still blushing, holding it out.

"A gift?" He looked at the piece of fabric in her hand. "This is your idea of a gift?"

She nodded "For James."

"You expect me to deliver that to James?" His patience visibly draining as his vein on his head got bigger. "Do I look like a fucking messenger?"

"It’s not used!" She added quickly, as if that was the biggest issue here. "It’s brand new! I was saving it for a special occasion, but—"

Hans finally snapped. "I don’t have time for your bullshit. I came here for the documents." He turned to leave but she grabbed his shoulder.

"Wait."

"Sophia. I swear..."

She held out the thong again, this time with a small, teasing smile. "Just hold it for a second."

Hans didn’t hesitate. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because you are fucking horny and I know for a fact that it was used." He pointed at it.

For once, Sophia didn’t push further. Instead, she let out a small laugh and tucked the thong back where it came from. "Fine, fine. You’re no fun, Hans."

He shoook his head and got into the car and just… laughed, he could do nothing more.

How the fuck can a woman be this down bad…

Rafael glanced at him "Are you okay, Hans?"

"Of course. Just..." He chuckled again, this time with genuine amusement. "A horny woman is hard to deal with."

"Yeah…" He nodded slowly, though his confused expression made it obvious he had no idea what Hans meant.

He shifted gears and floored the gas, leaving Sophia’s house behind.

"So… to the library?" Hans asked again.

But Rafael’s response wasn’t what he expected.

"No, actually… I don’t need to go there."

Hans glanced at him. "Then what?"

He starred at Hans and asked.

"Did my brother kill anyone?"

His grip on the wheel tightened, and for the first time in a long while, he didn’t have an immediate response.

Rafael turned his head slightly, his eyes dark and searching. "Hans."

"Why are you asking me that?"

"You think I don’t know? I’m not stupid."

Hans didn’t react. He just kept driving.

Rafael continued. "I hear people talk. I see the way they look at him. No one crosses James. And the few who do…" He trailed off, his fists tightening on his lap. "They just disappear."

Hans sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Rafael—"

"Don’t bullshit me, Hans. I just need the truth." Rafael turned fully to face him now. His expression wasn’t angry, just… tired. "Did he kill people?"

Hans took a breath. Then, finally, he answered.

"Yes."

"How many?"

Hans kept his eyes on the road. "Enough."

Rafael let out a shaky breath. "Of course. And what about me?"

"What about you?"

"Am I just another piece on his board? Just another part of his empire? Because sometimes, it feels like I don’t even know if I’m his brother or just someone he keeps around because it’s convenient."

Hans was quiet for a moment. Then, he said, "James cares about you, Rafael."

"If he cares about me he would tell me to say it to me clearly?" Rafael asked, his voice tense.

"Say what?"

"What? That we live in a house worth tens of millions? That we drive armored cars and have armed guards." He turned to face Hans, his eyes burning with something between anger and exhaustion. "Why can’t he just say it? Why can’t he just tell me that he’s a mafia boss?"

Hans finally glanced at Rafael. "You think you want the truth." He said, his voice quieter now. "But once you hear it, there’s no going back. It’s not something you can ignore. That’s why James doesn’t say it."

"That’s bullshit. You know what’s worse than the truth? Being kept in the dark." He turned back toward the window. "I’d rather know and deal with it than keep pretending like this is all normal."

Hans’ fingers tapped against the steering wheel, as if he were debating whether to say what was on his mind.

"You don’t know." He finally said, his voice quieter than before. "But there was a guy named Marcello."

"Marcello?"

Hans nodded. "He was like you, in a way. He wanted the truth. He needed to hear it from James, just like you do." Hans glanced at Rafael for a second before turning his eyes back to the road. "And when he finally did… he killed himself."

"What?"

"It was too much for him." Hans continued, his tone steady, but there was something cold and distant in his words. "Knowing what James was, knowing what this life really meant, he couldn’t take it. And one day, he put a bullet in his own head."

"And James…?"

"He never talks about it. But I know it haunts him."

Rafael stared at his hands, his mind racing. He felt sick. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you think knowing will give you clarity. But the truth doesn’t set you free, Rafael. It chains you down. Once you hear it, there’s no escape from it."

Rafael clenched his fists. "I don’t care."

"That’s what Marcello said too."

"I’m not Marcello."

Hans slowly looked at him with a smirk. "Let’s hope not."

After that neither of them spoke, lost in their own thoughts.

Hans sighed, gripping the wheel tighter before making a sharp U-turn, heading back toward the house, and that was when it happened.

The mistake Hans made was parking in Sophia’s driveway.

Whoever had watched them must have assumed that the person in the car was Sophia herself.

As they turned onto the road leading back to Sophia’s street, Hans eyes caught movement in the mirror, three police cars.

One police car drove ahead of them, cutting into their lane. The second one flanked their right, keeping pace.

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The third didn’t wait.

Without warning, it slammed into their car from the side.

The force sent their car skidding sideways, tires screeching against the asphalt and as the car wrecked straight into a tree it’s impact rocked the entire car, the sheer force of the hit sent shockwaves through Hans’ body and Rafael’s bodies.

Rafael groaned dazed but conscious.

Hans shook his head, forcing himself to push the airbag away, and before he could reacted the first bullet impacted into the windshield.

Rafael screamed at the top of his lungs, ducking down.

"Shut up and keep your head down!" Hans shouted, his mind racing.

They weren’t getting out through the doors, not with the cops shooting continues at them and if they stayed the windshield wouldn’t hold forever.

So Hans reclined his seat fast, moving toward the back, where there was an emergency hatch designed in case of fire, a last-resort escape route. As he tried to open it more bullets slammed into the glass, too many shots, hitting the same spot. It was only a matter of time before it gave in.

"Open you fucking shit!" He shouted, punching the release handle and with a final punch it opened up enough to slide his gun out and start firing.

Even though he didn’t see shit he was still effective as he shot the closest standing officer straight in the head and another one in the shoulder.

The cops, caught off guard, flinched and scrambled for cover. Hans didn’t stop. He fired again. And again he went through a whole magazine then reloaded and opened fire again.

"Open the door and get behind the car!" He shouted to Rafael who was still in shock in the passenger seat.

He quicly got himself together but still trembling, opened the door and jumped out hitting the asphalt hard as bullets tore into the open door. Some hit the asphalt near his feet, but the adrenaline helped him to run behind the car.

Inside, Hans fired his last rounds before he had no more bullets left. He ducked down and started punching the side panel of the door which came off and inside was a compact submachine gun.

He grabbed it loading a magazine while shoving the rest into his pocket, then opened the door and as he got behind the door, he leaned out and started firing.

Officers behind the cars didn’t expect a barrage of bullets ripping through the window. One of them got hit in the head and his body lumped over another one got hit by the windows shards in the eyes.

Hans then leaned out more focusing on the other cars. He hit three officers and as they fell to the ground, the others panicked and it was the perfect moment for him. He went to the back of the car where Rafael was.

"Call someone!" He shouted at him as reloaded the gun.

Rafael fumbled for his phone. His fingers were shaking so badly he almost dropped it.

The only number he had saved was Bella’s.

So he called her.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up—"

"What?"

"We’re under attack!" Rafael screamed. "Cops...Hans is shooting..."

Hans fired another burst, forcing the officers back as they tried to reposition.

"Where the fuck are you?!"

"I....I don’t know! Near Sophia house! They rammed us, they’re shooting!"

Hans ducked as bullets slammed into the car.

"Stay alive!" Bella shouted adn hang up, but it wasn’t easy as more police cars came.

The new arrivals opened up immediately, bullets ripping through the already cracked windshield, punching holes through the car’s body.

These officers weren’t holding pistols, but assault rifles.

Hans ducked, cursing as shards rained down on him. "Fucking hell!"

Rafael screamed again, curling into a ball behind the car. "Hans! What do we do?!"

No houses. No buildings. Just trees and open ground.

But it was all they had.

"We’re moving!"

"Moving where?!" Rafael’s voice cracked. "There’s nothing!"

"Shut up and follow me!" He grabbed Rafael’s collar and yanked him up, pushing him toward the only cover they had, the trees.

Bullets whizzed past them, snapping branches, kicking up dirt.

Hans covered their retreat, turning and spraying suppressive fire as he moved, forcing the officers to duck.

They dove behind a thick tree, bark and dirt spraying into the air as bullets tore through the wood, splinters cutting into Hans’ face.

"Get up and keep running!" He shouted, firing blind over his shoulder to keep the cops from advancing.

Rafael tried his best and as he started running then suddenly fell and screamed.

He got shot.

He clutched his left leg, blood flowing between his fingers as he dragged himself behind another tree. "Hans!"

"Stay down!" He shouted at him then reloaded and prepared to buy them more time, and then he noticed his blood dripping out of his shoulder against the tree.

"Fuck…fuck!" He shouted as he tried to rip his shirt and make a tourniquet from it but then.

Another shot.

It slammed into his left thigh and he collapsed onto one knee, his gun clattering against the dirt for a second before he snatched it back up. His vision blurred for a moment, he could feel the blood pooling under him.

Too much. Too fast.

But he forced himself to buy more time, but he knew the truth.

They were going to die, if a miracle didn’t happen.

"Move your ass, kid!" Hans shouted again through the agony, grabbing Rafael by the arm.

He didn’t care.

The adrenaline was doing its job, but he had already started feeling the pain.

But another bullet found a mark on him as he turned to shoot. It’s struck into his stomach. Blood gushed from the wound as the impact threw him back against a tree.

Through blurred vision, he turned his head just in time to see Rafael.

The kid was still standing.

Terrified. Frozen.

"Rafael…"

Then it happened..

A bullet pierced Rafael’s throat.

His body jerked, a spray of blood bursting into the air. His hands flew up to his neck, fingers desperately pressing against the wound.

Hans too, his hands trembled as he tried to press against the gaping wound in his stomach, but it was useless. Too much blood. It leaked through his fingers pooling around him.

He tried to move, to crawl, to reach Rafael’s body, but his limbs wouldn’t respond. His strength was leaving him, draining away with every drop of blood.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to end, and he knew it was the end as memories, memories wirth her daughter, started to flash.

Dad...will I ever be healthy?

His daughter’s voice cut through the pain, soft, gentle, full of hope.

He could see her, lying in that sterile white hospital bed, too small, too weak, tubes in her arms, her tiny hands curled into fists as she fought for every second of life.

And he had left her.

He had walked out that door, time and time again, telling himself that he would come back, that there was still time.

He didn’t want to die.

Not like this.

Not without holding his daughter one last time. Not without telling her he was sorry.

I should’ve been there more… I should’ve held you more…

His fingers twitched, reaching for something that wasn’t there.

Just as the darkness began to pull him, he heard it.

Loud pops...lots of them.

Automatic rifles.

"Hans!"

That damn horny woman.

"Hans don’t you fucking die on me!"

Sophia’s hands grabbed him.

"Fuck, he’s bad." She muttered, kneeling beside him.

"Ra…fael…" He barely said it, his head limping backward.

Sophia looked behind her where there was Rafael, who was still conscious pushing a piece of his shirt to his neck.

"Get them to a hospital right now!" She shouted to his men.

They lifted them up while their blood spilled everywhere. But it wasn’t just their blood, 23 officers were killed, or rather, executed by Sophia’s men.

And this was only the beginning, as James got a taste of it too.