Chapter 9 - Vengeance in the Dark
Upstairs and downstairs, the Moretti estate was a war zone.
Lorenzo moved through the shadows of the grand staircase like a ghost. He had spent his entire life preparing for this moment. Born into blood, raised in violence, he knew every blind spot, every shadow, and every escape route of his own home.
Bang. Bang.
Two more East Coast mercenaries hit the marble floor, their tactical gear useless against close-range headshots in the dim corridors.
In the courtyard, Senator Vance stood behind a bulletproof SUV, shouting orders into a satellite phone. "Burn the whole place down! I want no survivors! Clean slate!"
Suddenly, the headlights of the SUV flickered and died.
The courtyard fell dead silent, save for the crackle of a small fire licking at the edge of the east wing.
"Looking for someone, Senator?"
Senator Vance spun around, his hand flying to his holster.
Standing ten feet away, leaning casually against a stone pillar with a smoking pistol resting loosely at his side, was Lorenzo Moretti. His suit was stained with smoke and ash, but his eyes were clear, steady, and utterly lethal.
"Lorenzo," Vance choked out, forcing a facsimile of confidence. "You're finished. My men have the entire estate surrounded. You can't fight an army."
"Your men aren't answering their radios right now, Senator," Lorenzo replied softly, stepping out of the shadows. "You brought rats into my house. And in Chicago, we exterminate them."
Vance drew his weapon, but before his finger could squeeze the trigger, a sharp crack echoed through the courtyard.
Vance dropped his gun, screaming as a bullet tore clean through his shoulder. He collapsed onto his knees in the gravel.
Lorenzo walked over, standing directly above the bleeding politician. He didn't fire a second shot. He simply looked down with absolute, crushing contempt.
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"You thought you could buy my city. You thought you could marry your snake of a daughter into my family and take over from the inside," Lorenzo whispered. "Tell me, Senator... do you know what happens to men who touch my family?"
Before Vance could answer, the front gates of the estate swung open once more. But it wasn't reinforcements. It was a fleet of black SUVs bearing the crest of the Chicago Police Department—and every single badge belonged to a captain on Lorenzo's payroll. The trap had just snapped shut.
