Chapter 7 - The Final Stand at the ThresholdWhen I reached the basement door, it was already blown wide open. Twisted steel and smoking hinges littered the concrete floor.
I swept my shotgun forward, moving cautiously up the concrete steps into the small hallway outside Anna and Lily’s apartment.
Inside, the scene was pure chaos.
A tall, heavily scarred enforcer—one of Rossi’s top hitmen—was standing in the middle of the room, holding Anna by the arm while she struggled desperately. In the corner, Lily was curled into a tight ball, screaming and clutching her stuffed rabbit, while her white leg brace lay discarded on the floor where it had been torn off during the scuffle.
“Let her go,” I said, my voice cutting through the room like a razor blade.
The enforcer froze, slowly turning his head to look at me, a cruel smirk spreading across his scarred face. He pulled a heavy tactical knife from his belt and pressed the cold steel blade directly against Anna’s throat.
“Drop the piece, Moretti, or the maid gets a new smile from ear to ear,” the enforcer sneer.
Anna squeezed her eyes shut, tears streaming down her face, but she didn't make a sound. She was protecting her daughter even in the jaws of death.
I stared at the knife blade resting against her skin. My pulse thrummed in my ears, but my hands remained ice-cold, steady as stone.
“You think cutting her throat saves you?” I asked quietly, taking one slow step forward. “Rossi is already rotting in a federal holding cell. You’re the last rat left on a sinking ship. If you kill her, I won’t just put a bullet in your head—I’ll feed you to the catfish in the Calumet River piece by piece.”
The enforcer’s smirk faltered for a fraction of a second. His eyes flicked nervously toward the doorway.
That micro-second of hesitation was all I needed.
I raised the shotgun—not aiming at his chest, but straight at his right shoulder.
BOOM.
The buckshot tore through the air, catching the enforcer square in the shoulder joint. The impact spun him around like a ragdoll, forcing him to drop the knife as he screamed in agony and collapsed onto the hardwood floor.
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Anna stumbled forward, gasping for air. I rushed across the room, scooping Lily up into my arms before she could register what had happened.
“You’re okay,” I murmured, pressing her small head against my shoulder while she sobbed softly into my jacket. “It’s over. I’ve got you.”
