Chapter 5 - The Siege of Villa Moretti
The heat radiating off the steel door was unbearable. The red paint on the interior frame began to bubble and peel away, filling the small security room with acrid chemical smoke.
"Clara! Behind the console!" Marco barked, racking the bolt of his weapon.
I scrambled behind the main steel desk, crouching down in the narrow leg well, pulling Emma beneath my body. I wrapped my arms around her head, pressing her small ears against my chest so she wouldn't hear the terror unfolding around us.
"Is it the bad men, Mommy?" Emma whimpered softly into my shirt.
"No, baby," I lied, my voice shaking uncontrollably. "It's just a storm. Just hold onto Mr. Bunny."
The central lock of the steel door gave way with a sickening, molten CRACK!
The reinforced door was kicked violently inward, crashing off its hinges!
Through the thick smoke, three figures in dark tactical gear and full-face gas masks burst into the room!
Marco didn't hesitate. He opened fire instantly! The deafening roar of automatic gunfire in the small, enclosed steel room was absolute agony, the high-caliber rounds echoing off the walls like thunder.
The first attacker collapsed backward into the corridor, his chest torn apart by Marco’s fire. The second attacker ducked behind the doorframe, returning fire with a high-powered shotgun!
BLAM! BLAM!
Heavy lead shot shredded the security monitors above my head, raining shattered glass and plastic down onto my back! Marco let out a sharp grunt of pain as a stray pellet caught him in the shoulder, knocking him back against the wall!
"Marco!" I screamed.
The third attacker stepped through the smoke, a heavy black pistol leveled directly at Marco’s head.
Before the shooter could pull the trigger, a dark shadow materialized in the corridor behind him like a vengeful demon out of the smoke.
A massive, scarred hand reached around the shooter's throat, twisting violently with a sickening SNAP!
The attacker dropped instantly like a stone.
Alessandro stepped over the fallen body into the crimson light of the room.
His charcoal suit coat was gone, his white dress shirt stained with dirt and dark red streaks of blood across his chest. His eyes were wide, wild, and filled with a terrifying, primal fury that made him look completely unhuman.
He swept his Beretta across the corridor, firing three swift, silent shots into the darkness outside, securing the hallway before spinning back into the room.
"Clara!" he yelled, his voice rough and ragged.
He dropped to his knees beside the console, his massive hands grabbing my shoulders, pulling me and Emma out from under the steel desk. He checked my arms, my face, my neck with frantic, desperate speed.
"Are you hit? Is she hurt?!" he demanded, his breath coming in ragged, heavy gasps.
"We're... we're okay," I sobbed, tears finally breaking free, streaming down my grime-streaked face. "Marco took a shot to the shoulder!"
Alessandro checked Marco quickly. "It's a flesh wound. You'll live, Marco."
"Don Ricci..." Marco rasped, gripping his bleeding shoulder. "...did you get him?"
"Ricci escaped through the north garden tunnels with Vivian," Alessandro growled, his face twisting in disgust. "They had a helicopter waiting at the private estate down the road. They are heading for the private airfields in Bergamo."
He looked down at Emma. My small, brave daughter reached out her tiny hand, gently touching the dark red stain on Alessandro's white shirt.
"You have a boo-boo, Mr. Big Man," she whispered innocently.
Alessandro looked down at her tiny fingers on his blood-stained shirt. For a brief second, his terrifying rage seemed to melt away, replaced by a profound, overwhelming humility.
"It isn't my blood, little one," he said softly, gently taking her small hand in his. He looked up into my eyes, his dark gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that made my breath catch in my throat.
"They took everything from you, Clara," Alessandro said softly. "They murdered your husband, stole your dignity, and forced you to live like an outcast in my city."
May you like
He stood up, offering his hand to lift me off the cold floor.
"Tonight, I am going to tear down everything Don Ricci built," Alessandro swore, his voice echoing with absolute, terrifying conviction. "And when the sun rises, you will never have to bow your head to anyone ever again."
