Chapter 9 - The Final Stand at the LighthouseThe salt wind whipped fiercely around the crumbling stone walls of the abandoned Vung Tau lighthouse. Below us, waves smashed against jagged black rocks with violent, deafening crashes.
I walked slowly down the overgrown dirt path, my hands raised visibly in the air, clutching a small black flash drive between my fingers. Behind me, hidden deep within the brush and rocks, Mateo and Luca’s elite tactical squad moved silently like ghosts in the dark.
Standing near the rotting wooden door of the lighthouse were three men. In the center stood a tall, slender man in an expensive white linen suit, smoking a cigarette despite the freezing wind.
As I got closer, the moonlight caught the intricate, writhing design of a green dragon tattoo curling up the right side of his neck and disappearing beneath his collar.
Master Chen. The legendary regional enforcer of the Triad.
"Stop right there, boy," Chen said smoothly, blowing a thin ring of smoke into the cold air. His eyes gleamed with sadistic amusement. "I must admit, I am impressed. You made it all the way from the city to the coast. But where is your little protector? Where is Mr. Ravellini?"
"Luca is dead," I lied, my voice steady despite my hammering heart. "Your men tore his estate apart. He didn't make it. I have the drive. That's all you wanted. Let my sister go, and take the data."
Chen chuckled—a dry, raspy sound that made my skin crawl. He stepped forward, holding out an open palm.
"You think I'm an idiot, Julian?" Chen sneered. "Luca Ravellini doesn't die so easily. But it doesn't matter. Whether he's rotting in his mansion or hiding in a hole, once I plug this drive into my terminal, every corrupt politician, judge, and cop in this country falls under our thumb permanently. Hand it over."
I hesitated, taking one final step forward. I could feel the cold plastic of the decoy USB drive in my palm.
"Give me your word that Sofia is safe," I demanded.
Chen's smile turned razor-sharp. "A dead girl needs no safety, boy. Kill him."
The two thugs flanking Chen instantly drew their suppressed pistols, raising them directly toward my chest.
Now! my mind screamed.
CRACK!
A high-powered sniper rifle shot echoed like thunder off the cliffside. The thug on the left dropped instantly, his head exploding in a burst of crimson spray. Before Chen could even process what was happening, a second shot blew the weapon clean out of the second enforcer’s hand.
From the shadows of the cliff, a figure stepped out, holding a smoking sniper rifle.
It wasn't Mateo.
It was Luca Ravellini.
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His suit was torn, a dark stain of dried blood crusted over his left shoulder, and his face was smeared with soot and dirt. But his eyes were wide, clear, and burning with absolute, unstoppable fury.
"You missed me, Chen," Luca called out, his voice cutting through the roaring ocean wind like a knife.
