Chapter 8 - The Burning Debt
The first Molotov cocktail smashed through the front window,
igniting the curtains and the dry wooden floorboards.
Orange light flooded the bakery,
casting long,
dancing shadows against the walls.
"Run!"
Rocco yelled,
grabbing Elara’s hand.
"The back door!"
But as they reached the rear exit,
the door was kicked open from the outside.
Two men with masks and suppressed pistols stepped in.
Rocco didn't hesitate.
He shoved Elara behind a stack of flour sacks and lunged at the first man.
The Mafia boss moved with the precision of a machine,
his years of training taking over.
He caught the man’s wrist,
snapping the bone with a sickening pop,
and took the gun before the man could scream.
He fired twice,
low and fast,
taking out the second man’s knees.
"Stay down!"
Rocco barked at Elara.
The heat was becoming unbearable,
the smoke thick and black.
He could hear Thorne’s men shouting outside,
the sound of more glass breaking.
He realized they weren't just trying to burn the place down,
they were trying to make sure no one got out alive.
Rocco grabbed a heavy fire extinguisher from the wall,
using it to bash his way through the side window.
"Come on!"
he urged,
lifting Elara and helping her through the narrow opening.
They tumbled onto the damp grass of the alleyway just as the roof of the bakery began to groan.
Rocco looked back,
seeing the flames devouring the only home Elara had ever known.
He felt a cold,
deadly calm settle over him.
He still had the ledger tucked under his arm.
"Are you okay?"
he asked,
checking her for injuries.
She was shaking,
sobbing as she watched her life go up in smoke.
"Everything,"
she choked out.
"It's all gone."
"No,"
Rocco said,
his voice like iron.
"It's just beginning."
"They made a mistake,
Elara."
"They thought they were fighting a baker."
"They didn't realize they were fighting the man who taught them how to be monsters."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the coin he had picked out of the gutter on his first day.
He handed it to her.
"Hold onto this,"
he said.
"I have a phone call to make."
"And this time,
May you like
I'm not asking for information."
"I'm giving an order."
