Chapter 24 - The Midnight VisitorBy 11:30 PM, the nor’easter had hit the coast with full force. Heavy rain lashed violently against the windows, and the wind howled through the pine trees like a trapped animal.
Inside the house, all the lights were turned off.
Maya was fast asleep in her nursery upstairs, blissfully unaware of the danger outside. Marco sat in the basement with a heavy iron fire poker, guarding the lower entrance.
Roman and Celeste stood side-by-side in the darkened living room, looking out through the rain-streaked front windows.
At 11:45 PM, two unmarked black SUVs crept down the unpaved gravel driveway, their headlights completely off, rolling silently through the mud.
"They're here," Roman murmured, his hand resting securely on the grip of the Sig Sauer at his side.
"Let them come," Celeste replied, her voice as cold as ice.
The SUVs parked near the edge of the property. Four heavy-set figures stepped out into the pouring rain, wearing tactical gear and holding silenced sidearms. They moved with professional military precision, spreading out to cover the exits.
The lead man—Detective Gallo, broad-shouldered and sneering even in the dark—walked straight up the wooden steps of the front porch.
He didn't bother knocking.
With a brutal kick of his steel-toed boot, the front door splintered inward, crashing open against the hallway wall.
Gallo stepped into the dark foyer, weapon raised, scanning the shadows. "Vascari! I know you're in here, you coward! Bring Bellini out, and maybe we don't have to burn this whole place down around your pregnant—"
"She isn't pregnant anymore, Detective," a calm, deep voice echoed from the top of the stairs.
Gallo whipped his gun up toward the landing.
Standing at the top of the staircase, illuminated only by a flash of lightning outside the high clerestory windows, was Roman Vascari. He wasn't wearing a tailored suit or a tactical vest. He wore a simple dark sweater and jeans. But the look in his eyes made Gallo’s trigger finger freeze.
"Vascari," Gallo hissed, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "You look like a ghost."
"You should have stayed in Chicago, Gallo," Roman said quietly.
"I'm taking you both back," Gallo sneered, raising his pistol. "Dead or—"
Before Gallo could finish the sentence, the red-and-blue emergency strobe lights suddenly illuminated the entire front yard.
Sirens wailed through the storm as three Maine State Police cruisers and an unmarked federal vehicle blocked the driveway, trapping the two black SUVs in. Megaphones crackled through the rain.
“Detective Gallo! Drop your weapon! You are surrounded by federal agents and state police! Drop your weapon and put your hands behind your head!”
Gallo’s face drained of all color. He spun around toward the shattered doorway, realizing too late that he hadn't been hunting Roman—he had walked directly into an executioner's trap.
May you like
From the shadows of the hallway, Celeste stepped out, holding a secure satellite phone to her ear. She looked down at the paralyzed detective with absolute, chilling pity.
"You really should have checked the federal dockets before you left the precinct, Detective," Celeste said softly. "The warrant for your arrest was cleared twenty minutes ago."
