Chapter 5 - FIRE AND RAIN
Panicked shouting erupted inside the pitch-black warehouse as Mateo’s mercenaries scrambled to activate their tactical flashlights.
"Red lights! Turn on the backup generators!" Mateo screamed, drawing his nickel-plated 9mm pistol and retreating behind a stack of lumber. "Shoot anything that moves!"
Rays of harsh white light cut through the dark, dust-filled air, crisscrossing the cavernous space.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Silenced gunfire echoed through the rafters. Two of Mateo’s mercenaries collapsed instantly into the sawdust, hit by precise, lethal shots from the shadows.
"Flank left!" a mercenary shouted, but before he could raise his rifle, Gabriel emerged from behind a steel pillar, disarming him in a fluid, terrifying motion, driving a heavy tactical blade into his vest armor, dropping him cold.
Alessandro moved through the shadows like a shadow of death. Dressed in dark tactical gear, holding a custom submachine gun, his movements were precise, disciplined, and unstoppable.
He moved from cover to cover, cutting down mercenaries with cold, surgical efficiency. Every shot was calculated; every movement was aimed at reaching the center of the warehouse where Elena and Sophia were held.
"Elena! Down!" Alessandro roared over the chaos.
Elena threw herself flat onto the wooden floorboards, shielding Sophia with her body as bullets tore through the air overhead, shattering glass windows and punching holes through metal drums.
Mateo realized his men were being systematically eliminated. Panic seized his chest. He grabbed a young mercenary by the collar, shoving him toward the dark corridor. "Hold them off!"
Mateo sprinted toward the rear exit dock where his getaway speedboat was tied to the river pier.
Seeing Mateo run, Alessandro didn't hesitate. "Gabriel! Secure the girl and Elena! I'm taking Luciano!"
"Don Moretti, wait!" Gabriel yelled, but Alessandro was already vaulting over a pile of timber, pursuing Mateo out into the pouring rain.
Outside, the storm raged along the Columbia River. Lightning flashed across the ink-black sky, illuminating the slippery wooden planks of the long pier.
Mateo reached the dock, frantically untying the thick mooring rope of his high-powered boat.
"LUCIANO!"
Mateo spun around, raising his nickel-plated pistol.
Alessandro stepped out onto the rain-slicked dock, holding his sidearm steadily at eye level. Rain poured down his face, soaking his hair, but his eyes were fixed on Mateo with absolute, unyielding intensity.
BANG!
Mateo fired wildly. The bullet grazed Alessandro’s left shoulder, tearing through his jacket fabric, but Alessandro didn't even flinch. He took another deliberate step forward.
BANG!
Alessandro pulled his trigger once. The round struck Mateo cleanly in his right knee.
Mateo shrieked in pain, dropping his gun and collapsing onto the wet wooden planks, clutching his shattered leg, splashing into puddles of rainwater.
Alessandro walked up slowly, standing over his fallen rival like a judge delivering a final sentence. He placed his heavy leather boot directly over Mateo’s hand, crushing it against the dock.
"Please!" Mateo wept, coughing blood, his arrogant composure completely shattered. "Please, Alessandro! It wasn't my idea! It was Marco! Marco came to me! He offered me the territory!"
"Marco will answer for his treason in due time," Alessandro said, his voice cold, steady, and devoid of mercy. "But you... you dared to cross my threshold. You put hands on a child."
"I have millions! In Swiss accounts!" Mateo sobbed, raising his hands in desperation. "Take it! Take everything! Just let me live!"
Alessandro looked down at him with utter disgust. He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out the torn, mud-stained brown teddy bear, and dropped it onto Mateo’s chest.
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"A Moretti never sells his family," Alessandro whispered.
He raised his pistol, aimed, and pulled the trigger.
