Chapter 7
Chaos erupted beyond the high brick walls of the memorial garden. The frantic screams of the luncheon guests mixed with the relentless chatter of automatic weapons, turning the luxurious Chicago estate into a blood-soaked battlefield in a matter of seconds. The New York syndicate had decided not to wait. They were executing a hostile takeover in broad daylight.
Alessio stood remarkably still amidst the roaring violence. He closed the black ledger, tucked it securely under his left arm, and looked at his two bodyguards.
"Matteo, Gianni," Alessio commanded, his voice cutting through the panic like a ship’s horn in thick fog. "Take cover behind the stone planters. They’ll try to breach the iron gates first. Do not let them enter the garden."
"Yes, Boss!" the men shouted in unison, diving behind the thick, reinforced concrete beds that Alessio’s wife had once used for her prized roses.
Alessio turned his attention back to Claudia. She was curled into a pathetic ball against the estate wall, her hands clamped over her ears, weeping hysterically as the gunfire drew closer. The elegant, scheming woman who had tried to drown a four-year-old child just twenty minutes ago was entirely gone, replaced by a terrified, broken shell.
Alessio reached down, grabbed the collar of her ruined designer dress, and hauled her roughly to her feet.
"You wanted a war, Claudia?" Alessio yelled over the deafening roar of a shotgun blast from the main terrace. "Welcome to the front lines. You're going to help me carry these ledgers."
He shoved the heavy steel lockbox into her chest. She instinctively wrapped her arms around it, staggering under the weight.
"I can't!" she sobbed. "They'll kill me too! I'm unarmed!"
"Then you had better stay very close to me," Alessio replied coldly.
A sudden, violent rattling shook the heavy wrought-iron gates of the garden. Someone was trying to kick them open from the outside. When the thick chain and padlock held, a voice screamed a command in Italian.
"Get down!" Alessio roared, shoving Claudia behind a massive oak tree just as the gate exploded inward.
The attackers had used a breaching charge. The heavy iron doors twisted and blew off their hinges, sending deadly shrapnel flying across the stone pathways. Through the smoke and settling dust, four heavily armed men dressed in tactical gear and tailored suits stormed into the sanctuary.
Gianni and Matteo opened fire immediately. The narrow chokepoint of the gate worked entirely in their favor. Two of the attackers dropped instantly, their bodies convulsing as bullets tore through their Kevlar vests. The remaining two scrambled for cover behind the overturned wooden planting tables, returning fire with terrifying accuracy.
Bullet holes punched through the delicate glass of the greenhouse, raining crystal shards down onto the terrace. The beautiful, blooming hydrangeas were shredded into green confetti by the crossfire.
Alessio leaned out from behind the oak tree, raising his silenced pistol. His movements were incredibly precise, completely devoid of panic. He waited for a break in the enemy's suppressing fire, took a breath, and squeezed the trigger twice.
Thwip. Thwip.
The two attackers behind the wooden tables slumped forward, perfectly executed headshots ending their assault instantly.
"Clear!" Matteo yelled, slapping a fresh magazine into his submachine gun.
But the victory was short-lived. Over the radio strapped to Gianni’s tactical vest, a frantic, static-filled voice broke through the noise of the battle.
"Boss! It's Maria! The safe room has been compromised! They blew the reinforced doors! I'm taking Ruby and Evelyn down into the cellar tunnels, but they are right behind us!"
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Alessio’s blood ran colder than ice. The ledgers, the garden, the betrayal—none of it mattered anymore. They were hunting his daughters.
"Matteo, hold this gate!" Alessio ordered, his eyes blazing with a feral, terrifying light. "Gianni, with me. We are going into the tunnels."
