Chapter 9 - The Bellini Syndicate Strikes Back
Before we could prepare to leave for Lake Forest, the warehouse's external perimeter alarms roared to life.
Red strobe lights bathed the concrete walls in a bloody hue.
Matteo burst through the comms room door, his rifle drawn.
“Don Luca! We’ve got multiple vehicles approaching from the north and south! Bellini loyalists—they must have tracked the GPS transponder on Vittorio’s vehicle!”
Luca didn't panic. His voice was cold, decisive, and calm.
“How many?”
“At least thirty men. Heavily armed. They brought RPGs, Boss.”
Vittorio Bellini’s mocking laughter echoed from the holding cell down the hall.
“You’re finished, Luca! My captains will burn this warehouse to the ground and bury you in the rubble!”
Luca walked out into the corridor, looking at Vittorio through the steel bars.
“Matteo, secure the prisoner in the armored transport. Daniel, Emma—get your gear. We’re taking the subterranean rail tunnel.”
The warehouse possessed an old decommissioned freight tunnel that connected directly to the Chicago subway lines—a relic of the Prohibition era that the Moretti family had maintained for emergencies.
Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the front gates of the warehouse.
Concrete dust rained from the ceiling. The concussive blast blew the light fixtures out, leaving only the eerie red emergency lights.
Mercenaries in black combat gear poured into the warehouse floor, rifles blazing.
Moretti soldiers returned fire from behind steel crates, creating a wall of lead that held the invaders at bay.
“Emma! Run!” Luca yelled, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the heavy vault door leading to the tunnel.
A bullet ricocheted off the steel doorframe inches from my head.
I stumbled, but Luca caught me around the waist without missing a beat, hauling me inside and slamming the four-inch-thick steel blast door shut behind us.
He threw the heavy locking wheel into place just as two grenades detonated against the outside of the door, vibrating the steel but failing to breach it.
We were in the dim, damp tunnel.
Daniel was ahead of us, illuminating the tracks with a high-powered tactical flashlight. Behind us, Matteo was pushing a bound Vittorio Bellini along the rail line.
“Are you hurt?” Luca asked, checking my arms and face with gentle, urgent hands.
“I’m fine,” I breathed, brushing dust from my hair. “Just out of breath.”
Luca looked into my eyes, his thumb gently brushing a streak of soot from my cheek.
“You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever met, Emma Reed.”
My heart skipped a beat. In the middle of an underground tunnel with explosions echoing behind us, his intense gaze made the entire world vanish.
“I won't let them take what’s yours, Luca,” I whispered.
May you like
A slow, fierce smile spread across his lips.
“Good. Because after tonight, there won't be a Bellini syndicate left in this city.”
