"You've got some nerve pulling that crap on the boss' turf!"
The fat guy spat on the ground as his crew circled around me.
Bianca let out a frightened scream and shrank back against the wall.
Mr. and Mrs. Romano also kept their distance, terrified of getting blood on themselves.
I stood up and rolled my wrists. I was hoping to avoid a fight, but it was pretty clear I wouldn't be able to walk out of this house without teaching them a lesson.
"Last warning," I said coldly as I scanned the ragtag group in front of me. "Leave now, while you still can."
Antonio burst out laughing like I'd just told the joke of the century.
"You hear that, boys? He's still running his mouth when he's about to get wrecked. Get him! Make sure he can never walk again!"
When the fat guy swung the steel pipe at my head, he left himself so wide open that it was pathetic. I sidestepped easily, then grabbed his wrist and twisted it.
It snapped with an audible crack. He let out a gut-wrenching howl as the steel pipe clattered to the floor.
I drove my foot into the back of his knees, and he hit the ground with a heavy thud. The remaining four thugs hesitated for a moment, then rushed at me all at once.
There was no such thing as form in a fight like this.
I spent my time in the peacekeeping force facing down heavily armed terrorists, so going up against these thugs was like shooting fish in a barrel.
I pulled my punches, using only enough force to either dislocate a joint or strike a pressure point.
In less than half a minute, all five thugs were on the ground, groaning in pain.
The room fell into dead silence, and the Romano family went from looking at me with disgust to staring at me in fear.
Antonio, in particular, turned pale with fear, nearly dropping the bottle in his hand.
"Y-you're definitely trained!" he stammered, backing away. "No ordinary person fights like that! You have to be a professional killer!"
Bianca pointed at me, trembling. "Enzo, you're terrifying. Y-you actually know how to fight."
I brushed the dust off my clothes and stared coldly at Antonio. "Shall we continue?"
Antonio's eyes flickered, then he suddenly shouted, "Bianca, watch out! He's going to take you hostage!"
Instinctively, I turned to look at Bianca. In that split second, Antonio yanked a bottle of pepper spray from his pocket and sprayed it straight into my eyes.
The burning liquid instantly flooded my eyes, and the searing pain left me blind, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face.
I grunted in pain, clutching my eyes.
"Quick! Pin him down! He can't see!" Antonio shouted excitedly.
Seeing this, the thugs on the ground gritted their teeth against the pain and sprang at me savagely.
No man could take on that many people alone—and especially not when blind.
Someone grabbed me tightly from behind, while another kicked hard at the back of my knees. Blows rained down on me like hailstones.
I fought back on instinct, kicking two of them off. But soon, more piled on, pinning me to the ground.
"Get the rope! Hurry!" Mr. Romano's voice rang out, dripping with vengeful satisfaction.
I felt rough hemp rope biting into my flesh as my hands were yanked behind my back and bound tight.
"Drag this animal outside!" Antonio kicked me hard in the ribs, and I sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.
They dragged me across the floor and into the yard like a dead dog. It was snowing heavily outside, so the ground beneath me was freezing cold.
"Strip him! Let him cool off!" Antonio ordered viciously.
They roughly tore off my down jacket, leaving me in nothing but a thin shirt. The frigid wind cut into my skin like knives.
But the chill I felt in my heart was even colder than the blizzard raging around me.
I could hear Bianca saying not far away, "Antonio, don't kill him."
"Relax, I know what I'm doing." Antonio's breath came in heavy pants, his voice laced with twisted excitement. "Scum like him needs to learn a lesson the hard way."
They forcibly pinned me against the ancient locust tree in the yard, wrapping rope around me until I was trussed up like a pig for roasting.
