Chapter 27: The Vatican Operation

Rome – Midnight

An old black car pulled up in a narrow alley near Roberto Grimaldi's villa, with Marco sitting in the front seat, anxiously checking his watch. In the back, Columbo was fiddling with his tablet, while Franco and Salvo were getting ready in black masks and gloves.

Salvo looked at Marco and said, "Are we sure the tunnel is still open?"

Columbo, without taking his eyes off his screen, said, "Yes, 80% sure."

Franco frowned. "And what about the other 20%?"

Columbo sighed and said coldly, "Either it's completely closed… or someone else is using it."

Marco muttered, "That's very reassuring."

The Unknown Tunnel

The four of them moved cautiously toward the entrance to the abandoned tunnel, a rusty metal door located behind a group of dense trees. Franco slowly pushed the door open, making it creak like a horror soundtrack.

"That's a very soothing sound." Salvo said sarcastically.

Marco entered first, followed by the rest. The tunnel was narrow, dusty, and the flashlights they carried revealed old stone walls and stagnant water on the ground.

After a few minutes of walking, Columbo suddenly stopped and pointed to an old surveillance camera mounted on the ceiling.

"That doesn't make sense, this tunnel has been abandoned for decades, who put a camera here?"

Franco smiled and said, "Maybe Grimaldi likes to watch rats in his spare time?"

Columbo checked the camera and shook his head. "No… this camera is new. That means someone is using the tunnel."

Salvo put his hand on his gun and said, "Are we ready for an unpleasant surprise?"

Marco motioned for them to continue, but cautiously.

The Unexpected Guest

At the end of the tunnel, there was another door, but this time it was slightly open, and footsteps could be heard from inside.

Marco motioned for everyone to be quiet, then slowly approached and peered through the gap.

Inside, there was a large, bald-headed man carrying a small briefcase, speaking on the phone in coded language.

Salvo whispered, "This is not Grimaldi… This is one of his men."

Colombo took out his phone, used an app to hack the communication frequencies, and whispered to them as he read the conversation on his screen:

"The mission is going as planned… The money will be transferred tonight… No room for mistakes."

Franco smiled and said, "Good news! The money will be transferred… But it's not us who will transfer it."

Marco thought quickly and said, "This might be easier than we thought… We'll let them get the money out for us."

The Smart Game

They watched the large man open a secret safe inside the basement wall, take out the bundles of money and put them in his briefcase.

Marco gestured to the others, then muttered, "We'll let him take the money out… then we'll take it from him."

Salvo smiled and said, "I like effortless heist plans."

They waited in silence until the man emerged from the tunnel and headed to his black car, then began to follow him.

Once he reached the back parking lot of the villa, another car was waiting to deliver the money.

Marco gestured for Salvo and Franco to move, while Columbo stayed behind to disable any cameras or communications devices.

The moment the man opened the bag to display the money, Franco jumped up from behind him and hit him on the head with the butt of his gun, knocking him unconscious.

Marco grabbed the bag and smiled. "Well, that was a pretty clean operation."

But suddenly, the spotlights came on, and they heard sirens go off.

Colombo shouted from behind, "We've been spotted! The police are on the way!"

Marco muttered as he ran towards the car, "Well, things are getting interesting."

The Great Escape

Everyone jumped into the car, while the security cars sped up behind them. Franco, who was driving, pressed the gas pedal at full speed.

Salvo was shooting at the tires of the cars chasing them, while Colombo was trying to hack into the radio signals to confuse the police.

Marco, who was sitting next to Franco, shouted: "Turn right! There's a narrow alley we can use!"

Franco slammed on the brakes, then spun hard, causing one of the police cars to crash into the wall of the building.

But suddenly, another police car appeared from in front, cutting them off.

Colombo shouted: "Not good! Not good!"

Marco looked at Salvo and said: "Time for plan B."

Salvo pulled a small smoke bomb from his pocket, then opened the window and threw it into the air.

In seconds, the street was filled with thick smoke, giving them a chance to escape.

Franco drove quickly through the narrow alley, then entered an underground parking lot, where he parked the car and turned off the lights.

Minutes later, police cars sped past, unaware that they had disappeared.

Marco took a deep breath, then smiled as he looked at the bag full of money.

"Well guys… we narrowly escaped."

Franco sighed and said, "We should stop stealing for a while, I think my heart can't take this stress anymore."

Salvo laughed and said, "But a little confession… that was a lot of fun."

Colombo, who was catching his breath, said seriously, "Well, we still have a problem… we've made ourselves a new enemy."

Marco looked at him worriedly. "Grimaldi?"

Colombo shook his head. "No… someone much bigger than him."

Franco muttered, "It seems our game has become more dangerous than we thought."