chapter 16: A dangerous game

The warehouse Alessandro chose for the meeting was cold, cavernous, and strategically perfect—no easy exits, no high ground. His men were hidden in the shadows, weapons ready. Rachel checked the feeds from the tiny surveillance cameras they'd planted around the perimeter.

Caruso paced nervously in the center of the concrete floor, glancing at the door every few seconds. "He'll know it's a setup," he whispered, voice trembling. "Vittorio's not stupid."

Alessandro loomed over him, eyes cold and unyielding. "Then you'd better sell your fear as loyalty. Make him believe you're desperate."

Rachel adjusted her earpiece, scanning the security feeds. "Black SUV approaching from the east. Three… no, four men inside. Vittorio's here."

The SUV rolled to a stop outside the warehouse. The doors opened, and four men stepped out in matching dark suits. One of them—taller, broader, his presence radiating quiet menace—was unmistakable.

Vittorio Bellucci.

He entered the warehouse slowly, eyes sweeping the shadows with unsettling calm. His voice, when he spoke, was smooth as silk—and just as deadly.

"Caruso," Vittorio drawled, his Italian accent subtle but unmistakable. "You said you had information worth my time."

Caruso swallowed hard. "I—I know who really betrayed Marco Marcone. And I know who's behind the FBI raids. It wasn't me. It was—"

Suddenly Vittorio's eyes flicked past Caruso, locking directly onto Alessandro, half-hidden behind a steel pillar.

"You must be Alessandro Romano," Vittorio said softly, a faint, knowing smile curling his lips. "Marco always did underestimate you."

Rachel's finger hovered over her trigger as Vittorio's men began to spread out. Alessandro stepped into the light, gun raised but lowered at his side—a sign of both confidence and invitation.

"Marco was a blunt instrument," Alessandro replied coolly. "You're different. You hide in the shadows. But you made a mistake coming here."

Vittorio chuckled, the sound cold and hollow in the empty warehouse. "Oh, I disagree. I think you're the one out of his depth."

In a blink, one of Vittorio's men lunged. Rachel fired first, a single, echoing shot that dropped the attacker instantly. Gunfire erupted, the warehouse exploding in chaos.

Alessandro rolled behind a stack of crates as bullets shredded the air. He returned fire with deadly precision, taking down another of Vittorio's men. Rachel, moving like a phantom, flanked left, forcing Vittorio's guards to split their focus.

Smoke filled the warehouse, muzzle flashes lighting the darkness like lightning. Alessandro caught a glimpse of Vittorio slipping behind a forklift, moving with the confidence of a man who had survived a hundred ambushes.

Caruso crawled toward the exit, only to be cut down by a burst of gunfire—he collapsed with a strangled cry. Alessandro swore under his breath; Caruso had been their bait, and now he was gone.

Through the haze, Vittorio's voice carried, calm and cruel. "You think you've won something tonight? Even if you kill me, there will always be another. Another family. Another boss."

Alessandro rose from cover, eyes blazing. "Then I'll burn them all down until none are left."

He fired, the bullet slamming into Vittorio's shoulder, spinning him to the ground. Rachel sprinted forward, gun trained on Vittorio's head.

But Vittorio only smiled, blood running from his lips. "You don't understand, Romano… you've already lost."

A sudden, deafening roar split the air as a car bomb detonated outside, the shockwave rattling the warehouse and throwing Alessandro and Rachel to the ground. Flames engulfed the parked vehicles, sending shrapnel raining down.

Coughing through the smoke, Alessandro pulled Rachel to her feet. Vittorio was gone—vanished in the confusion, leaving only blood and the echo of his words behind.

Rachel clutched Alessandro's arm, eyes fierce even through the soot. "He escaped. But we hurt him tonight."

Alessandro stared into the burning night, fury boiling in his chest. "Then we finish this. Once and for all."