Armored Love Ch. 10

~~~Here it is, the final chapter. Please excuse the errors:) I want to thank everyone for their support. It fast paced,and it clears up some things. I hope you enjoy it.~~~ Koco.

This was it.

After this, he was done, this life had just brought him what he knew it would: devastation.

These thoughts ran viciously through Antonio's mind as he continued to speed through the evening traffic towards the apartment. He had always known that this life was not for him, and now that the woman he loved was in danger, because of him, just proved what he already knew.

**************

This was it. Bianca had these same thoughts as the world slowly came into focus in front of her. She was tied to a chair in the middle of the living room. By the tightness in her face she could tell that she had been hit more than once. Bianca knew that this was the last straw. She would not, could not do this any longer. She thought that because she never asked any questions and stayed out of Tony's business, that it would some how not effect her.

Bianca had obviously been wrong. Very wrong by the look on her captors face as he came to stand in front of her. The look on his face told her that she would die tonight. She hoped that she had things right with God, because if Tony didn't some how get here soon she was going to most surely die a horrible death. At that moment it was like Drago had read her mind; he gave her the most sinister smile.

Drago looked at Bianca's face, compliments of his fists, and he got hard. He loved the feeling of making people suffer. He especially got great pleasure out of looking at Marcato's whore struggling to stay conscious. He knew that Marcato was stuck fighting his men and most likely wouldn't even be able to make it to her before he killed her.

At first he had thought to kill Bianca in front of Tony instead of Fed x-ing her , but now chopping her up in little pieces for Marcato to find would be good enough.

As Bianca started started slumping back into unconsciousness Drago back handed her. She let out painful grunt, and she tasted blood.

"Wake up bitch, I need you awake." Drago hissed as he pulled a long knife the holster on his left hip.

Bianca didn't know if it was the slap or him calling her a bitch, but something inside her snapped. It seemed as if all those years of people taunting her, hating on her, the abuse of her mother, and self preservation just exploded and shit hit the fan.

Bianca was tired. Tired of people treating her any kind of way, and it was time she did something about it. If Tony didn't get here soon she was going to die, so what did she have to lose.

"I'm the bitch?" Bianca asked in a low voice, and chuckled a little bit.

"I'm pretty sure you are the only bitch here. You can't even fight Tony man to man." Bianca stated as she spit blood at his feet.

Drago stood stunned for a minute before he slapped her again.

"Don't you ever talk to me like that." Drago said close to her face.

Bianca let out some hysterical laughter. She'd been hit harder. He was weak. She knew that if she kept taunting him he would react therefore stalling until, hopefully, Tony got there.

"I can talk to you any fucking way I want to." Bianca yelled at him, not caring that he might hit her again.

"I should have taped your mouth shut." Drago said as he grabbed her by the hair.

"Maybe I should just cut off your tongue." he said as he raised his knife, and slid it down her face. The blade was so sharp that it left a thin cut on her cheek. Bianca could feel the blood slowly dripping down her face. The cut wouldn't leave a scar but it hurt like hell.

"You might just have to, it would be the only way to shut me up at the moment." Bianca said looking Drago straight in the eye. She was not going down without a fight.

Bianca had always let people get away with things they should be punished for and this time it was not going to be the same. She might be tied to a chair but she would not let that stop her from getting under Drago's skin.

Drago was surprised by Bianca's candor. He had thought that she was meek and would beg him for mercy. But it seemed as if she was trying to give him a verbal smack down while he was giving her a physical one. Drago liked a challenge, and Bianca was giving him one.

Drago smiled a little as he licked the blood off his knife, and Bianca just shook her head at his attempt to unnerve her.

Bianca took a deep painful breath. She had to keep pushing him.

"Tell me honestly...whatever your name is... are you smarter than you look?" Bianca asked in a sweet voice.

Drago looked up at her from the blade of his knife. He wanted to hear what she had to say. She was interesting to him. He would enjoy killing her, but after their little game.

"What ever do you mean?" Drago sarcastically asked.

"I mean how stupid can you be? You have to know that death is on your ass. I don't know much about the business, but I do know that Tony will kill you for this. So why would you stay here where he could find you?" Bianca questioned, then laughed at the unsure expression on Drago's face.

Drago took a deep breath. The bitch was trying to get to him; disconcert him. Tony was probably laying in his own blood by now. It had been twenty of his men against Marcato's seven. Drago stepped forward and kicked Bianca as hard as he could in the stomach. The crack of her ribs was loud to her ears. Bianca spit up blood.

"Shut the fuck up you stupid bitch. I should have killed you by now." Drago screamed as he then wrapped his meaty hand around her throat.

Bianca kicked her legs as she began choke on her own blood. It seemed as if hours had passed by when the door to the apartment was kicked to ground.

As the thunder of the door hitting the ground resounded, Antonio tackled Drago to the floor, taking Bianca with them. Bianca's thanked the heaven that Tony finally showed up before the darkness consumed her.

"You sonofabitch!" Antonio yelled as he punched Drago in rapid succession.

Antonio couldn't believe he had let this happen. He was seeing red. Drago was choking the life out of Bianca when he finally busted in the door. Fear consumed him Bianca couldn't die not when he had finally found the woman for him. Death was on his mind as he attacked Drago.

Drago couldn't believe that Marcato had made it through alive. He had thought that even if he had that he would have been too late to get to get to his whore, but he guessed wrong. It was at that moment that he realized Bianca had been playing him the whole time. This angered Drago. The stupid bitch had got him hook, line and sinker. But he was not going to give up. With all his strength he pulled his legs up and kicked Marcato off of him.

Antonio landed on his back, and Drago took that moment pull his gun. Antonio jumped up quick, and pulled out two guns of his own. He spared a first glance at Bianca and noted that she was unconscious. Oh God I hope she is not dead , Tony thought as he focused back on Drago.

"So this is it Marcato, you and your bitch can go to hell together." Drago said, but Antonio noticed that his hand was shaking.

Drago's amateur ways were no match for the assassin in Antonio's blood.

"You know this is going to end with you meeting the fishes, please say a prayer before death becomes you." Antonio said as he steadily removed the safety from his guns.

"You think you come and make all my money disappear and get away with it?! Fuck you Marcato, Fuck you!" Drago said as he pulled the trigger. It was like time stopped.

The moment Drago's finger twitched Antonio released fire.

Drago's bullet grazed Antonio's arm, right before Tony's trademark shots bodied Drago.

One to the head and one to the heart.

Antonio Marcato's last kill.

**********

Bianca woke up to rhythmic sound of the heart monitor in the hospital. As she woke up everything that happened came rushing back to her. For the life of her she couldn't believe that it had happened to her. Bianca knew that life was unpredictable, but damn when did her life turn into a B movie.

Bianca opened her eyes and instantly knew that Tony was there. She knew that he saved her life, but enough was enough this was not the life for her. She let out a little grunt as she tried to move. She wondered how long she had been there.

Tony looked up as Bianca gave a small grunt, and was surprised to see that she was awake.

They had been at hospital for more than two days and she hadn't opened her eyes once. The doctors were still running tests on her to make sure that was physically okay. Tony thanked the stars that she was alive. If he had gotten there a moment later she would have died. Tony had rushed her to the hospital while Nic and the others disposed of the body and fixed things the way they should be.

His parents had rushed to hospital to see about Bianca. It had taken Bianca's parents hours to get there. When her father saw her he almost broke down in tears. Juanita on the other hand was a different story.

*********

Elena had been holding Bianca's limp hand when Juanita walked in. Tony was sitting in the diagonal watching Bianca breath. All was calm, until Juanita opened her mouth.

"What did she do this time?" Juanita asked as if it was an everyday occurrence that Bianca lay comatose by being beaten nearly to death.

"Look, Juanita just go, Bianca almost died tonight I don't need your shit." Tony said in an exasperated voice.

Juanita looked as if he just slapped her face. No one talked back to her. Just as she took a step to get in Tony's face Elena cut her off.

"Look bitch, I know you think you're bad but I'm badder. Don't let my money fool you. I am from the streets, and I may have aged but I am pretty sure my pistol packs the same ass whippin' as it did 20 years ago." Elena whispered aggressively. Juanita backed off; quickly.

"You should be worried about you daughter and how she almost died tonight." Elena spoke again, and all Juanita did was walk out the door. Tony and Elena shook their heads.

**********

"Hey baby you're awake." Tony whispered as he leaned down to kiss Bianca's forehead.

"Are you okay?" Bianca croaked. Even though they wouldn't be together any longer didn't stop Bianca from caring about him.

"I am fine. I love you so much. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you." Tony said as he held back tears. Bianca almost changed her mind as she watched his eyes water.

"So I'm okay then?" Bianca asked wanting to know that she was out of harms way.

"You have a few cracked ribs, bruised windpipe, and some cuts and scrapes. The doctors are still running tests because they want to be sure. But your gonna be okay." Tony said rubbing her wrist.

Just then his mother and father walked in. just as they were about to say their hellos the doctor walked in.

"Hello everyone, I was just stopping by to tell you that the test came back good and they both are okay."

Tony gave the doctor a confused look as did Bianca.

"W.. What do mean both?" Bianca asked in a scratchy voice.

"You and the baby are just fine." The Doctor said smiling as he walked away.

"Baby?" Tony and Bianca asked each other. The third voice was Juanita's. Everyone turned to looked at her. She looked like she had just seen as ghost.

"Mom?" Bianca asked

Juanita's eyes met hers and Bianca knew that she had been lied to. She shook her head. Bianca should have seen the cruelty in her mother's ways a long time ago. If she didn't have cracked ribs she would have cussed her mother out. But she didn't, she just grabbed Elena's hand. Elena looked down at Bianca, and smiled a motherly knowing smile.

Bianca was the daughter she always wanted, and she would protect her at any cost. She knew something was wrong so she got straight to the point.

"What's going on?" Elena asked looking between Bianca and Juanita.

"O..Oh nothing." Juanita said nervously; slowly backing out the door. She bumped into Tony's father. Halting her getaway.

"Tell me Juanita," Bianca said in her husky voice giving her new attitude a workout, "Why did you tell me all those years ago that I couldn't have children?"

Juanita looked at Bianca holding Elena's hand and she cracked.

"You stole my life from me!" Juanita yelled. She dropped her purse, put her hands on her hips and let out more than two decades of pent up anger.

"From the moment you were born all the attention was on you. It wasn't about me any more. I had to feed you, cloth you, listen to people tell me how cute and pretty you were. I got sick of it. As you got older I made sure I tore you down every chance I got. To everybody you were this beautiful girl. You father wouldn't even pay me any attention. He was all Bianca this Bianca that. You were nothing but a burden to me I would have aborted you, but your father found the pregnancy test the day of appointment."

Juanita finished with a huff.

"I took life from you like you did to me. Payback is a bitch." Juanita added.

Bianca absorbed everything that Juanita said. The person she was two days ago would have cried and been sad for herself. But that was two days ago. The more shit stays the same the more shit motherfuckin' changes.

"You, Juanita, are a selfish, self centered bitch. You fucking disgust me." Bianca said calmly; slowly.

When Juanita was about to reply when Richard surprisingly pulled her by the arm.

"Get your shit and lets go Juanita." Richard said.

Bianca felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, if she could only find the strength the let Antonio Marcato go. She was having a baby. A baby she thought she'd never be able to have. So mob life was not for her or her child.

Tony walked over to Bianca and gently kissed her lips. She had finally stood up to her mother. She was beginning to take control of her life, and he wanted to be apart of it. He looked up at his father it was time to make sure he could be. He knew she was going to try and give him he boot because of the incident and the life he lead.

But she was carrying his child, and he wanted to be in his child's life. Tony wanted to be the man Bianca deserved. After he talked to his father and made plans for the business he was out.

*************

It had been weeks since Bianca had been released from the hospital. She getting stronger everyday, and the baby was still doing well. Bianca still couldn't believe all the drama that had been her life those few short weeks ago. She still hadn't gotten up the courage to break up with Tony. It seemed like every time she would try and sit him down, while he had been caring for her, he avoided her.

It was like he knew what she was going to say. Bianca was glad that her life had been moving forwards and not backwards. She was loving her new outlook on life, and she wished that she'd had the same outlook her whole life.

Breaking up with Tony would be one of the hardest things Bianca would ever have to do. It wasn't that she did not love Tony, or that he hadn't apologized for what had happened.

It was the fact that Bianca couldn't be wrapped up in this. She didn't want to have to look over her shoulder when she went out. Bianca wanted to be able to enjoy her life. She had lived so long with people treating her badly, and she had been too weak willed to say anything. But now that she had a little miracle on the way, and her new attitude was in overdrive, she wanted to live life to the fullest not being paranoid.

Bianca had to move on.

*************

Tony knew that she had the mind to break up with him, but he wouldn't let her. He had been taking care of her, and now that she was better he could have the long talk with his father. Antonio knew that to stay with Bianca, and have a piece of mind he was going to have to give up the life. Tony wished he had never given into his fathers' wishes in the first place. He should have followed his first mind, and persuaded his father to let Nic take over. This life had almost gotten Bianca and his unborn child killed and he would never forgive himself for what had happened to them. He had a child on the way and he planned to be there. He wanted a family of his own, and if he shut this door he could open another.

***********

Antonio Marcato Sr. knew what his don was going to say before he even walked in the door, and the words fell from his lips. He knew that this was for the best. The life wasn't what it used to be. He also knew that his son had to lead his own life; it was time for him to let Tony do what he wanted to do.

"So Dad, do you understand were I am coming from. This isn't for me anymore. I make good money being a photographer, and not to mention my trust. I know you feel that Nic can't run the business, but I do. Give him a chance. I know that he is somewhat of a loose cannon, but he knows the business just like I do." Tony said wanting his father to approve.

Marcato Sr. looked at Tony, Tony looked back. Tense minutes went by before Marcato Sr. spoke.

"Okay, but if you ever need anything don't hesitate to ask. I am proud of you son." He rose from his chair to give Tony a fatherly hug.

Tony let out a relieved breath. He had thought his father would object, and he was more than glad he didn't.

"Thanks Dad. I love you." Tony said.

"I love you too, and you had better be right that Nic can handle this." Marcato said with an edge of seriousness.

"He can handle it. Well let me get back to Bianca, so she can break up with me before I tell her the news." Tony sad jokingly before heading out the door to a new life.

******************

Bianca slowly paced her apartment floor waiting for Tony to get back. She was wondering how she was going to form the words to break up with him. Bianca was a nervous wreck. She knew he would argue with her if nothing more than the sake of the baby.

She was still raking her mind when Tony walked in looking fine and more than happy.

"Hey baby." Tony said as he walked over a placed a quick kiss on her lips. He was waiting for her to pull him aside so they could 'talk'.

"Hey Tony, do you have a minute?" Bianca said softly.

"Sure, bella, lets go sit." Tony walked then over to the sofa.

"What is it you want to talk about?" He asked as he sat next to her.

Bianca looked away for a moment to collect her thoughts. She took a deep breath. I can do this she chanted to herself.

"Well, um, well I don't think I can do this anymore. I love you but I hate your life. I want our baby to be safe. I am sorry Antonio, but this life is not for me." Bianca said quickly. She looked down for a second before looking back up to meet Tony's eyes.

Her eyes met a big smile. It even looked like he was holding in his life laughter.

When he chuckled a little Bianca guessed she had been right.

"What is so funny Tony?" Bianca asked.

"You. I knew you were going to break up with me. I just told my father that you were after I asked him to give me his blessing on leaving the business." Tony stated with a wicked a smile waiting for her to digest what he had just said.

Bianca let out a surprised gasp. She was elated; she wouldn't even pretend that wasn't. Her life was taking one turn after another.

"So Bianca I was wondering had you thought about a date yet." Antonio said.

"A date? A date for what?" Bianca said obliviously.

"For the wedding."

Bianca sat back for a minute taking in every hing he had just said.

If she wasn't mistaken Antonio Marcato had just asked her to marry him. She would have never thought in a million years that someone would ask her to be their wife. Life was just getting crazier by the moment.

Tony watched as a myriad of emotions passed over Bianca's face. Tony wondered what was going threw her mind as she thought about his unconventional proposal. Tony hoped she said yes he wanted to be her for the rest of his life. Tony wanted to have a family with her. He loved her.