Chapter 7 - The Final StandIn the center of the smoking foyer, Dante and his traitorous brother Vance stood face-to-face, their guns locked on each other.
"You always were weak, Dante," Vance sneered, blood dripping from a graze on his cheek. "You fell in love with a civilian. You let her die, and you tried to play house with brats. You think you can protect them?"
"I didn't let her die, Vance," Dante said, his voice deadly calm, his finger twitching on the trigger. "I sent her into hiding to protect her from you. And now, you've stepped into the grave I dug for you five years ago."
Vance laughed maniacally, his finger tightening on his own weapon. "We'll die together, brother—"
Bang!
A single, perfectly placed shot shattered the chandelier chain above Vance’s head. Tons of crystal and iron crashed down between the two brothers, pinning Vance’s legs to the marble floor in a cage of jagged glass and heavy metal.
Vance screamed in agony, dropping his weapon.
Dante blinked, lowering his gun slightly, and looked toward the upper landing.
There stood Claire, holding Dante’s sniper rifle with effortless poise, a wisp of smoke curling from the barrel. She blew gently across the metal sight, exactly like she used to do with her old hair dryer when it short-circuited.
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"Never interrupt a mother when she's trying to secure her paycheck," Claire called down, her voice ringing clear through the ruined, silent hall.
Dante stared up at her, the cold, ruthless mafia king completely undone by the breathtaking, chaotic reality of the woman standing before him.
