Chapter 5 - THE PHANTOM GUARDIAN
Pfft.
A silenced shot whistled through the humid air of the tunnel.
Don Ricci’s eyes widened in shock as he collapsed forward onto the wet stones, a single neat hole drilled into his skull.
Before Vivian’s guards could even raise their weapons, a blur of motion emerged from the darkness behind them. It was a whirlwind of sheer, brutal lethality. Knives flashed, suppressed gunfire coughed in rhythmic bursts, and within six terrifying seconds, all six mercenaries dropped to the wet ground.
Vivian shrieked, backing away in horror as the killer stepped into the faint beam of the tunnel light.
It wasn't Alessandro.
It was a woman. She wore sleek tactical gear, her dark hair pulled tight into a braid, a scarred eyebrow giving her a fierce, demonic intensity. On her left shoulder was a tattooed emblem—a silver wolf biting a broken crown.
"The Iron Wolf..." Vivian gasped, her voice trembling with genuine terror for the first time. "You... you were supposed to be dead in Palermo!"
"Reports of my death were greatly exaggerated, Vivian," the woman said, her voice like grinding stone. She didn't hesitate; she raised her weapon and shot Vivian straight through the shoulder. Vivian screamed, falling to her knees, clutching her bleeding arm.
The woman ignored Vivian's groans and walked over to me. She looked down at Emma, then lowered her weapon, dropping to one knee.
"You look just like your father, little one," the stranger whispered, her harsh expression softening for a fraction of a second.
"Who are you?" I gasped, pulling Emma back slightly.
"My name is Valeria Moretti," the woman replied, looking up at me with icy blue eyes. "I am Alessandro's older sister. The one the world thinks died ten years ago along with Davide."
My brain struggled to process the information. "Alessandro’s... sister? He never mentioned you!"
"Because he thought I betrayed the family," Valeria said, standing up and pulling two fresh magazines from her vest. "The Romano family set us all up. Davide, me, and now Alessandro. But Alessandro isn't dead upstairs. He's tough to kill. We need to move now before the rest of the Romano militia collapses the tunnel."
"Is Alessandro really alive?" I asked, a surge of desperate hope washing over me.
May you like
Valeria smiled grimly. "He's currently burning down his own mansion to ensure no one leaves it alive. Come with me if you want to save your daughter."
CHAPTER 5 HOOK: As Valeria led us down a side passage, Vivian’s cell phone—lying on the ground near her pool of blood—began to ring. I glanced at the glowing screen. The caller ID read: DON MORETTI (ALIVE). But Alessandro was supposed to be upstairs fighting... so who was calling from his personal secure line?
