Chapter 9 - The Final Confrontation
The ride back to the safe house was quiet,
the adrenaline finally fading and leaving a deep,
aching exhaustion in its place.
But when I pulled into the clearing,
my heart stopped.
The front door of the cabin was standing wide open.
"Hunter!"
I shouted,
lunging out of the car with my gun drawn.
The cabin was empty,
the fire in the stove gone cold.
There was no sign of a struggle,
no blood on the floor.
But Leo’s basket was gone.
I saw a single,
white rose petal on the table,
the same kind Moretti was known for keeping in his gardens.
"The old man,"
I whispered,
a cold rage rising in me that made Halloran’s betrayal look like child's play.
He hadn't been a distraction.
He had been the final act.
He knew Halloran would fail,
and he had used the doctor as bait to draw me away from the cabin.
I dialed his number again.
"Where are they?"
I hissed into the phone.
"At my estate,
Lorenzo,"
Moretti laughed,
the sound full of a cruel triumph.
"Come and get them."
"But be quick."
"My men are hungry,
and the maid is...
quite lovely."
I didn't waste a second.
I called in every favor,
every loyal soldier,
and every weapon I had left in the city.
We descended on the Moretti estate like the wrath of God.
The gates were blown apart with C4.
The walls were scaled with grappling hooks.
The house was a fortress,
but we were a hurricane.
I found them in the grand ballroom,
Moretti sitting on his throne with Hunter and Leo at his feet.
He was holding a knife to Hunter’s throat,
his eyes gleaming with a mad,
ancient hatred.
"One more step,
Rossi,"
he warned.
I didn't take another step.
I signaled my snipers.
Three red dots appeared on Moretti’s chest simultaneously.
"You think you can win by hiding behind a woman?"
I asked,
my voice echoing through the ballroom.
"I already won,"
Moretti spat.
"I took your pride,
your wife,
and now I'll take your legacy."
"No,"
I said.
"You took nothing."
Hunter moved then,
with a speed and ferocity I didn't know she possessed.
She bit Moretti’s hand,
hard,
and as he winced,
she dove to the floor,
covering Leo with her body.
"Now!"
I roared.
The snipers fired.
Moretti’s body was jerked back by the force of the bullets,
his blood spraying across the white marble floor.
He was dead before he hit the ground.
I ran to Hunter,
pulling her and Leo into my arms.
"Are you okay?"
I gasped,
checking them both for injuries.
"We're fine,"
she cried,
clinging to me as the tears finally came.
"I didn't let him touch him,
Lorenzo!"
"I know,"
I said,
burying my face in her neck.
"I know."
The war for Manhattan was finally over.
The traitors were dead.
The rivals were gone.
And the Rossi name was finally,
May you like
truly,
safe.
