Chapter 7 - The Blood on the Marble The hallway outside the study turned into a killing floor. Two more mercenaries pushed through the broken glass, their tactical gear glistening with melting snow. Dante moved with the predatory grace of an apex predator, utilizing the heavy oak doorframes for cover as his pistol barked twice in rapid succession. The lead mercenary crumpled against the wall, leaving a long, dark smear of blood across the white marble.
From the end of the hall, Nico appeared out of the shadows, a submachine gun smoking in his hands. "Boss! The west perimeter gates have been breached! Viktor Vance has activated the strike team. They've cut the main power grid!"
The overhead chandeliers flickered and died, plunging the estate into pitch blackness save for the flickering orange glow of the fireplace inside the study.
"Where is Viktor?" Dante demanded, stepping over the body of the fallen mercenary.
"He's in the west lounge with the remaining captains," Nico shouted over the rising wind howling through the broken windows. "He’s trying to force the vault codes out of Marco!"
May you like
Dante didn't hesitate. "Secure the perimeter and keep Leo safe inside the bunker beneath the study. If so much as a hair on that boy's head is touched, I want every captain at this table executed before sunrise."
As Nico rushed back into the study to grab Leo, Dante slipped down the darkened marble corridor toward the lower levels. The air grew colder as he descended the spiral stone staircase leading to the estate vaults—the underground heart of the Vatello syndicate where centuries of secrets, gold, and blood were stored.
