Chapter 12 - Venom Behind Golden Doors
THWACK!
A high-velocity sniper round shattered the bulletproof reinforced glass of Alder & Stone, tearing through the high-backed leather chair where Dante had been sitting a split second prior.
Dante moved with terrifying, inhuman reflexes. Before the shattered glass hit the marble floor, he swept five-year-old Lily into his left arm, grabbed Elena by her collar with his right, and ducked behind the heavy mahogany bar counter.
"RETURN FIRE!" Dante roared, drawing two black SIG Sauer handguns from beneath his tailored coat.
Chaos erupted inside the luxury restaurant. Heavy automatic fire shattered the crystal chandeliers, showering the room in a rain of sparkling glass and blinding sparks. Vanessa’s screams echoed over the thunder of gunshots as three black-clad mercenaries crashed through the skylight, firing indiscriminately into the room.
"Dante! They breached the south perimeter!" his chief lieutenant, Marcus, shouted over the deafening noise, firing a burst from behind a marble pillar. "It’s a synchronized hit! The Valenti clan!"
Dante didn't flinch. Holding Lily securely against his chest, he raised his weapon and put three precise rounds into the mercenaries coming down the velvet ropes.
"Elena, keep her down!" Dante commanded, shoving Elena and Lily into the wine cellar service elevator behind the bar. "Take the sub-tunnel to my private transport!"
"Don Moretti, wait!" Elena begged, clutching her daughter tight. "Vanessa didn't just poison you! She took my husband’s research notes! The Valenti clan has the entire formula!"
Dante’s gray eyes narrowed into slits of lethal steel. He shoved the keycard into the elevator slot and slammed the door shut, sending Elena and Lily safely into the subterranean vaults below.
Dante turned back to the burning dining room. Vanessa was scrambling toward the shattered front entrance, flanked by two Valenti mercenaries who were covering her retreat.
Dante sprinted across the blood-stained carpet, racking his slide. He fired twice, dropping both mercenaries instantly. Vanessa stumbled onto her knees on the rain-slicked sidewalk outside, screaming as Dante’s heavy leather boot pinned her shoulder to the concrete.
"Who gave you the order, Vanessa?" Dante asked, his voice deathly quiet as rain washed the soot from his rugged face.
Vanessa spat blood onto his shoes, her eyes wild with hysterical venom. "It’s too late, Dante! The Valenti family already controls your outer shipping routes! You think you’re a king? You’re just a dead man walking!"
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Her encrypted burner phone buzzed violently in her purse. Dante reached down, snatched the phone, and swiped the screen.
A deep, raspy voice purred through the speaker: "Did the poison work, my dear Vanessa? Or do I need to send the secondary strike team to wipe out the girl?"
