Chapter 24 - Fire in the Hallway
The battle raged through the grand corridors of the mansion. Gunpowder filled the air, stinging our eyes as shadows clashed against the ornate wallpaper. Two Sicilian hitmen rounded the corner toward the east wing stairs, weapons raised.
Before I could even react, Massimo stepped in front of me, firing twice with absolute, surgical precision. Both men dropped instantly.
“Keep moving!” he shouted over the ringing echoes of gunfire.
We fought our way toward the secure panic room at the end of the hall, but as we reached the heavy steel door, a heavy-set enforcer lunged out from the shadows, tackling Massimo to the floor. The weapon went flying, clattering across the polished wooden boards.
Massimo and the hitman rolled across the floor in a brutal, desperate struggle for dominance. The enforcer reached for a combat knife strapped to his thigh.
Without thinking, I grabbed a heavy brass floor-lamp from the hallway table, ran forward, and brought it down across the back of the hitman’s head with every ounce of strength I possessed.
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The man collapsed unconscious onto the carpet.
Massimo pushed the body off himself, breathing heavily, and looked up at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. He slowly stood up, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the safety of the reinforced room just as a hail of bullets shredded the outer wall.
