Chapter 12 - THE WAREHOUSE SHOWDOWN
Warehouse four smelled of damp cement, fish scales, and old rust.
Rain hammered tin roof panels overhead, creating a deafening roar.
I slipped through the side loading door, keeping to the deep shadows cast by towering stacks of shipping containers.
In the center of the warehouse, a single halogen work light illuminated a brutal scene.
Dante was on his knees.
His midnight-blue tuxedo was stained with mud and blood.
Nico Valenti stood over him, holding a silenced pistol pointed at the back of Dante’s head.
Four of Nico’s enforcers stood nearby with drawn weapons.
“Any last words, boss man?” Nico sneered, resting his finger against the trigger.
“You’re taking over a graveyard, Nico,” Dante said, his voice steady and unyielding.
“Elena already took everything that matters.”
“Elena is next,” Nico laughed.
“Once I clean up this—!”
“Drop the gun, Nico.”
The voice echoed sharply off the concrete walls.
Nico froze.
He spun around, searching the shadows.
I stepped out from behind a green shipping container.
I raised my father’s revolver with both hands, aiming directly at Nico Valenti’s chest.
Nico’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
“Elena? What the hell are you doing here?”
“Saving my husband from a second-rate thug,” I replied, walking forward into the light.
Dante turned his head, looking back in absolute shock.
“Elena, get out of here!” Dante shouted.
“It’s a trap!”
“Shut up, Dante,” I snapped without taking my eyes off Nico.
“I’m still talking.”
Nico recovered his composure and smirked.
“Well, well.”
“The grieving wife comes to die with her cheating husband.”
“How romantic.”
“Drop your weapon, Nico,” I repeated, my finger tightening on the trigger.
“You think you’ll shoot me?” Nico laughed, raising his pistol toward me.
“You’re a society woman, Elena.”
“You’ve never fired a real bullet in your life.”
“My father taught me how to shoot targets moving twice as fast as you, Nico.”
“Want to test the theory?”
Nico’s smile wavered.
He looked at my eyes.
He saw no fear.
He saw the exact same cold, calculated resolve that had brought down the entire Caruso empire in three days.
Slowly, very slowly, Nico lowered his pistol.
“You’re insane,” Nico muttered.
“Police are three minutes away, Nico,” I lied smoothly, tilting my head toward the back exit.
“Run while you still have legs.”
May you like
Nico cursed under his breath, spat on the cement, and motioned to his men.
“This isn’t over,” Nico snarled as they retreated into the dark rainy corridors of the pier.
