Chapter 3 - The Trap is Sprung
Word Count: ~3,500 words
Silvio’s face went pale, but he didn't reach for his weapon. Instead, a slow, bitter laugh escaped his lips.
"I always knew you were too smart for your own good, Matteo," Silvio said, raising his hands slowly. "But you're too late. You think this is just about some offshore trust? You think Celeste is acting alone?"
"Who else?" Matteo demanded, keeping his hand steady.
"The Leones," Silvio sneered. "They’ve already crossed the river. As we speak, Celeste is signing over the harbor docks to them in exchange for safe passage out of the country with her share of the trust. By tomorrow morning, the Valenti family will be a memory, and you will be buried in the same basement you just dragged that girl out of."
Suddenly, the lights in the estate flickered and died. The backup generators did not kick in.
Over the intercom system, a high-pitched squeal echoed, followed by static.
"Matteo," a voice purred through the darkness—it was Celeste, her voice broadcasting from the security control room. "You should have stayed away. You should have let the girl die in the dark. Now, you’ll join her."
The sound of heavy gunfire erupted from the courtyard below. The Leones were attacking the estate.
"Drop the gun, Matteo," Silvio said, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight filtering through the nursery window. "You're outnumbered. My men are already inside."
Matteo didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger.
The bullet caught Silvio directly in the shoulder, spinning him around. Silvio screamed, dropping to the floor, but before Matteo could finish him, the door to the nursery was blown off its hinges by a flashbang grenade.
Matteo lunged behind the heavy oak dresser as splinters and plaster rained down. Armed men in black tactical gear poured into the room, firing wildly.
Matteo fired back, dropping two men with precise headshots, but the sheer volume of suppressed gunfire was overwhelming. He had to get to Sophie and Elena. They were defenseless in the medical wing.
He slipped through the adjoining bathroom door, sliding down the laundry chute that led directly to the kitchen pantry on the ground floor. It was a shortcut he had used as a child, one that saved his life now.
He crashed into the dark pantry, bruised but alive. Outside, the mansion was a warzone. Alarms were blaring, and the sounds of automatic weapons echoed through the grand hallways.
He had to reach the medical wing before Celeste’s mercenaries did.
As he slipped through the darkened kitchen, a shadow loomed behind him. Matteo spun, parrying a knife strike with his forearm. He grabbed his attacker's wrist, slamming him against the stainless-steel counter. In the dim light, he recognized the face of one of his own guards—men he had paid, men he had protected.
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"Where is Celeste?" Matteo growled, snapping the man's wrist and forcing him to his knees.
"She... she's in the vault," the guard gasped through his teeth. "She took the girl... she took Sophie!"
