Chapter 8 - The Battle for the Ridge
"Tony, take Marco and Danny and hold the main stairwell," Vincent ordered calmly, his voice instantly reverting to the cold, authoritative tone of a wartime commander. "Use the heavy armaments from the basement. Do not let them breach the second floor."
He turned to Elena, who was trying to get out of bed despite her pain. "Elena, no. Stay here. Take Sophie into the panic room behind the master closet. It's reinforced steel. Even if they bring the house down, you will be safe inside."
Elena grabbed his jacket, pulling him down until their faces were inches apart. "Don't die, Vincent. We still haven't had our dinner."
Vincent felt a sudden, powerful surge of emotion. He leaned down and pressed a brief, intense kiss to her forehead. "I'll be back for dessert."
He ushered Elena and a terrified but brave Sophie into the hidden panic room, sealing the heavy security door behind them. Then, he turned to face the storm.
Vincent ran down the grand staircase just as the front oak doors were blown off their hinges by a flash-bang grenade. Smoke poured into the foyer, followed by masked men wielding automatic weapons.
The safehouse erupted into a warzone. The deafening roar of gunfire shattered the beautiful plaster ceilings, showering the room in white dust. Tony and Marco fired from behind the marble balustrade, cutting down the first wave of attackers.
Vincent moved with terrifying, fluid precision. He fired his Kimber pistol until it clicked empty, dropped the magazine, slapped in a fresh one, and kept moving. He was no longer just a businessman; he was the apex predator of the city's underworld, fighting not just for survival, but for the future he had just begun to dare to imagine.
Through the smoke, an older man stepped into the foyer, flanked by two massive bodyguards. It was Don Sal Marcone himself, his face twisted in a snarl of desperation.
May you like
"Torino!" Marcone shouted over the din of gunfire. "Give me the ledger, and I'll let you live! Keep it, and I'll burn this whole ridge to the ground!"
"You're welcome to try, Sal!" Vincent roared back, stepping out from behind a pillar, his weapon leveled directly at the older Don. "But you forgot one thing: this is my city now."
