The Mafia Prince And His Reincarnated Nemesis-Chapter 196: Blood And Escape!

Fabio stood in the middle of the street. He never thought he would be betrayed by David even after threatening him with his videos. Apart from the sound of the smoke crackling from the crashed car, there was another sound that cut through the air, Fabio’s anguished scream.

"AHHHH! My hand! My fingers! You cowards!"

Fabio was writhing on the ground, his hand clutched tightly against his bloody shirt. He had lost two fingers, blown clean off by Maya’s gunfire. Blood trickled down, soaking into the fabric while he hurled curses at them as they drove off.

"You bastards! You think this is over? You’ll pay dearly for this!"

Nearby, David stood his ground, gun still raised, but he didn’t pull the trigger. His attention was fixed on Eduardo, who had slumped unconscious from the pain and also, the drug. Alessandro aided David in carefully hoisting him up.

"We can’t waste any more time. He needs a hospital," David urged. "Let’s move."

Maya glanced back at Fabio, and for a fleeting moment, her finger twitched on the trigger of her weapon. However, she turned away and quickly joined the others. Nikolai cast one last indifferent look at Fabio, who was now crawling in the dirt.

"Let him scream," he muttered, "We got what we came for."

As they hurried toward the van parked just a little way down the road, Fabio dragged himself to his knees, blood oozing from his hand, but rage burned in his eyes.

"You’re all dead! I’ll come for you! You don’t even know what I have planned!" he shouted into the night, raising his voice as high as he could, "I’ll destroy everything!"

But nobody paid him any mind.

They sped off, Eduardo lying unconscious in the van, while the echoes of Fabio’s furious cries faded behind them.

---

The van tore down the winding, dimly lit roads.

"Step on it!" Maya urged Luca as he drove. "We have to hurry if we want to save him."

David gently supported Eduardo’s head, checking his pulse.

"He’s burning up," David noted with worry in his voice.

"I think he’s bleeding from the inside. His sides are pierced by the glass," Maria offered quietly from the front seat, her own concern evident. "Plus, he got drugged by that psycho,"

David couldn’t help but glance at Eduardo’s battered form. "He’s still not awake," he stated grimly.

Nikolai checked Eduardo’s pulse again,

"It’s weak, but at least it’s something."

An unsettling silence blanketed the car, each of them wrestling with the same thought...

What if it’s too late?

---

They finally pulled up to a private hospital nestled away on the outskirts of the city.

The building appeared clean and quiet, with only a handful of trusted medical professionals and guards inside—people loyal to Marcello’s cause. Once they parked, medical staff rushed out, bringing a stretcher with them. David and Nikolai carefully helped lift Eduardo out of the car.

"Handle him gently!" Marcello snapped, anxious about Eduardo’s condition. "His ribs could be broken!"

"He was given something too," David added, concern lining his voice. "Some drug. I don’t know what kind."

The doctor nodded, showing urgency.

"We’ll do everything we can. Follow us."

They wheeled Eduardo into the emergency room. David trailed closely, pacing restlessly outside the door while the medical team worked.

Marcello watched them go staying behind. Nikolai stood behind him.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, I’m not. That bastard doesn’t know I’m alive, does he?" He asked and Nicky nodded his bead.

"If anything happens to Eddy, no, even without anything happening to Eddy, it’s time to finally end his life. It can be a payback for what he did to me,"

"Sure, Cuz! Tell me, what do you have planned?"

.

.

The others waited in the hallway, their faces etched with worry and exhaustion.

Minutes ticked by... ten, then twenty, then a full hour.

Then the elevator made a dinging sound.

Marcello stepped out, clad in a black coat that was still stained with dirt and blood from the earlier chaos. His face looked pale, and his eyes were red, betraying the stress he had been under. He didn’t say a word as he walked over to David. Nikolai was absent since he went to make arrangements for Marcello.

"Where is he?" Marcello asked.

David gestured toward the emergency room.

"In there. They’re doing all they can."

Marcello moved slowly toward the door. Through the glass, he caught sight of Eduardo on the hospital bed. An oxygen mask covered his face, IVs were hooked up to both arms, and his chest was wrapped tightly. He looked so still, so quiet.

Marcello was frozen, unable to move or speak. Maya joined him, trying to offer comfort.

"He’s alive. But they said the drug is still affecting him. They have no idea what kind of drug it is. That’s why he hasn’t woken up yet."

Marcello nodded slowly, his jaw clenched tight.

"You hanging in there?" she asked gently.

"No," he whispered.

He placed one hand against the glass, eyes glued to Eduardo.

"I thought I lost him. I don’t want to lose anyone again," he murmured, emotion gripping him.

Maya smiled, knowing he was talking about Carlo. Eduardo’s past life.

David stepped closer.

"I wonder if he’ll forgive me once he wakes up."

"Don’t mention this to him. Not ever... We’ll all keep it secret from him,"

They all agreed.

They all stood there for a moment, watching the machines beep rhythmically, watching Eduardo’s chest rise and fall as he lay there, oblivious to everything around him.

Marcello’s gaze didn’t move from Eduardo.

"Maybe I should have tried harder. Maybe then, he’ll be safe. I don’t mind being the one lying there... I... I just didn’t know that bastard was going to use something on him,"

"You got shot," Maya reminded him. "You did what you could."

"But it wasn’t enough," he replied, his voice trembling. He stumbled back from the door and sat heavily on a bench behind him, burying his face in his hands.

"Why didn’t he run when I told him to?"

"Because he loves you. If you were in his shoes, would you have run away?" David stated simply.

Marcello didn’t respond.

---

Time ticked away, and Eduardo didn’t wake.

Marcello wouldn’t leave the hospital. He stayed close, perched near Eduardo’s bed, keeping a watchful eye on every breath he took. The rest of the group remained near, taking turns watching the hallway to prevent any surprises from Fabio.

By morning, Marcello hadn’t moved from his spot.

A doctor walked in softly.

"His body is healing, but the drug must have affected some part of his body. We won’t be able to tell what it is till he wakes up,," the doctor said, gently monitoring Eduardo’s vitals.

Marcello didn’t respond. Instead, he reached out and touched Eduardo’s hand tenderly.

"He’s going to wake up. He’s strong," he mumbled.

---

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Fabio stumbled through a dim back alley.

His face was bruised and battered. His wrapped hand oozed blood, the throbbing pain of his missing fingers a constant reminder of recent events. With every step, he left a trail of red as he limped toward a decrepit, old, burnt building.

Yellow police tape crossed the entrance with a warning: DO NOT ENTER. But Fabio had no regard for the caution.

He ripped it down and pushed the door open with a creak.

Inside, the air held the scent of mould and stale blood. This place was an old crime scene, abandoned since a murder took place some months prior. But for Fabio, it was the perfect spot to hide away.

He dragged himself inside and leaned against the cold wall, panting heavily.

"Those bastards," he muttered to himself through gritted teeth. "They think they’ve won."

He gazed down at his injured hand. The bleeding had slowed, but it was far from over. His vision wavered, and his body trembled, but a fire of hatred roared within him.

With shaking fingers, he pulled out his phone. He swiftly sent a message to David.

Fabio: You think you’re clever, huh? Betraying me? I’ll make sure you regret this. I’ve still got your tape. One word from me and it’s all over the net.

He hit send, a grim smile creeping across his face despite the pain coursing through him.

Seconds later, his phone buzzed.

David: Go ahead and do it. I dare you... Here’s yours.

Attached is a video.

Fabio’s heart dropped.

"What the hell..." he whispered as the reality began to sink in. His hands shook as he opened the video... it was him, drugged and foolish, in that bar. He was being groped by a bunch of horny men, and everything was captured on camera.

"No... no one was filming. Phones weren’t supposed to be allowed in,"

His phone slipped from his grasp, crashing against the ground.

Shock washed all over his face... He almost couldn’t move from the spot where he was seated.