Chapter 19 - The Final ReckoningMy penthouse was completely silent when I stepped out of the private elevator.
The floor-to-ceiling glass windows offered a panoramic view of the Austin skyline, but the room itself looked like a hurricane had hit it. Expensive Italian porcelain vases were shattered across the marble floor. Minimalist furniture was overturned.
Standing in the center of my living room, holding a trembling Maya in his arms, was Carlos Salazar.
Salazar was a heavily built man with slicked-back dark hair and an arrogant sneer plastered across his face. A silenced pistol was pressed casually against Maya’s temple.
Maya was crying softly, her tiny hands clutching her favorite stuffed unicorn.
“Well, well, well,” Salazar laughed, a harsh, grating sound. “The great Thomas Moretti. Look at you—all dressed up, ready to play God. Drop your weapon, Thomas, or the little girl gets a new ventilation hole.”
I slowly raised my hands, letting my pistol drop to the marble floor with a heavy clack.
“You made a massive mistake coming here, Carlos,” I said, my voice terrifyingly calm, gliding forward like a predator cornering its prey.
“I made a smart business move!” Salazar sneered, pressing the pistol a fraction of an inch closer to Maya’s head. “You took my territory in East Austin. You ruined my operations. You thought you could hide behind diapers and bedtime stories—”
He didn't finish the sentence.
From the hallway ceiling ventilation shaft, a tiny click echoed through the room.
Salazar’s eyes widened in confusion for a split second. That was all the time I needed.
I lunged forward with explosive speed, grabbing Salazar’s gun wrist and twisting it upward with bone-crushing force. A suppressed gunshot went harmlessly into the ceiling as Salazar screamed in agony, dropping the weapon.
Before he could recover, I slammed my fist into his jaw, sending him crashing backward over the coffee table.
Marcus and four of my elite guards dropped silently out of the ceiling access hatch like shadows, their weapons instantly trained on Salazar’s remaining men stationed at the elevators. Within three seconds, the entire Dallas crew was disarmed and kneeling on the floor in zip-ties.
I didn't look at them. I immediately knelt down, scooped Maya into my arms, and pulled her tight against my chest.
“Are you okay, sweetie?” I whispered, kissing the top of her head.
May you like
“I want Leo,” she sobbed into my shoulder.
“I know, baby. I know. Let’s go get your brother.”
