Chapter 4 - Crossfire
Chaos erupted in a heartbeat. Bullets shattered shipping containers, sending a shower of sparks flying into the foggy night air.
Leandro yanked Daphne down behind a thick steel barrier as return fire tore through the space they had occupied a second prior. Peering around the edge of the crate, Leandro saw an unexpected sight spilling out of the shadows—Estelle, flanked by a squad of loyalists, firing a submachine gun with terrifying, cold precision.
“Mom?!” Leandro shouted over the deafening roar of combat.
“Did you really think I’d sit at home while my family name was dragged through the mud?” Estelle yelled back, dropping a Moretti operative with a clean headshot before sliding behind a stack of barrels next to them.
The tide of the firefight turned instantly. Maribel’s mercenaries, caught between Leandro’s strategic assault and Estelle’s unexpected flanking maneuver, began to scatter and fall.
Maribel shrieked in panic, realizing her elite guard was crumbling. She scrambled backward toward the edge of the loading ramp, her eyes darting wildly for an escape route.
“Stop her!” Daphne screamed.
Leandro vaulted over the steel barrier, sprinting through the crossfire with ruthless speed. He dodged a hail of bullets, sliding across the wet concrete of the loading ramp just as Maribel reached the door of the ship.
Leandro grabbed the hem of her fur coat, spinning her around and pinning her against the steel hull of the freighter. The cold metal pressed against her back as Leandro towered over her, his breathing heavy, his eyes burning with absolute wrath.
“It’s over, Mother,” Leandro whispered, the threat in his voice absolute.
Maribel struggled against his grip, her face contorted in sheer malice. “You think arresting me stops anything? Look at the manifest, boy! Look at who funded this entire operation!”
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Leandro paused, his grip loosening for a fraction of a second. “What are you talking about?”
Before Maribel could answer, a blinding explosion ripped through the forward section of the freighter, sending a shockwave that threw them both to the ground.
