Chapter 7 - The Siege of Villa Delombra
The catacombs exploded into violent chaos.
Vincent didn't hesitate. He tackled Claret to the stone floor just as a hail of gunfire tore through the air, sparking off the heavy iron doors of the vault. Vincent fired back with lethal precision, dropping two of Lorenzo’s mercenaries before pulling Claret behind the shelter of the massive steel vault door.
"Stay down!" Vincent commanded over the deafening roar of automatic weapons.
"Vincent, the antidote!" Claret screamed, pointing toward the center of the chamber.
Lorenzo was already striding into the room, aiming his gun at the glass pedestal. "If I can't have the vault, nobody gets the cure!" Lorenzo shouted, squeezing the trigger.
CRACK!
The glass pedestal shattered, sending shards flying everywhere. The silver vial tipped over, rolling toward the edge of the stone table!
Without a second thought, Claret threw herself across the open space, ignoring the bullets whizzing past her ears. She dove onto the hard stone floor, her hands reaching out just as the silver vial tumbled off the edge.
She caught it in her palm a fraction of a second before it hit the floor!
"Got it!" Claret yelled, clutching the vial to her chest.
"You stupid bitch!" Lorenzo screamed, turning his gun directly toward Claret.
"Hey! Lorenzo!" Vincent shouted from the side.
Lorenzo turned just in time to see Vincent lunging at him like a enraged lion. Vincent slammed his shoulder into Lorenzo’s chest, sending both men crashing into a display of antique armor. Guns clattered across the stone floor as the two men locked in a brutal, hand-to-hand struggle for control of the room.
Lorenzo was older, but he was ruthless, gouging at Vincent’s eyes and throwing heavy punches. Vincent, driven by a primal need to protect Claret, absorbed the blows and delivered a devastating uppercut that broke Lorenzo’s jaw, throwing the traitor against the stone wall.
Meanwhile, Vincent’s remaining bodyguards managed to flank Lorenzo’s mercenaries, pinning them down in the corridor with heavy covering fire.
Vincent stood over the bleeding underboss, his breathing heavy, his knuckles bruised and bloodied. He picked up his gun, aiming it at Lorenzo’s forehead.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't end you right now," Vincent growled.
"Vincent... please..." Lorenzo choked out, holding up his hands in terror. "It was just business... Don Salvatore killed your own uncle thirty years ago... he’s a monster..."
"And you’re a coward," Vincent spat. He didn't shoot. Instead, he swung the butt of his pistol into Lorenzo’s temple, knocking him unconscious. "You'll spend the rest of your life in a federal prison."
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Vincent rushed over to Claret, pulling her up from the floor and wrapping his arms around her tightly. "Are you alright? Did they hit you?"
"I’m fine," Claret gasped, holding up the intact silver vial. "We have the antidote. We have to save your father!"
