Chapter 17 - Blood on the Velvet
The cavern exploded into absolute, violent mayhem.
Dante moved with terrifying lethality, firing controlled bursts that dropped three Valenti mercenaries into the freezing river water before they could recover from the sonic blast.
"Elena! Get on the boat! NOW!" Dante bellowed over the deafening thunder of gunfire.
Elena grabbed Lily, scrambling over the boat's reinforced carbon-fiber hull and dropping into the leather cockpit. She slammed her palm onto the dual V8 engine starter button. The twin racing engines roared to life with a deafening scream, churning the dark river water into white foam.
Lord Valenti screamed in rage, backing toward the cavern exit while pulling a secondary detonator from his suit jacket. "FIRE AT THE FUEL TANKS!"
Dante executed a tactical roll across the wet concrete floor, grabbed the edge of the interceptor boat’s stern, and hauled his massive body aboard just as a hail of bullets shattered the boathouse support columns.
"FULL THROTTLE!" Dante ordered, taking the steering wheel with his bloodied hand.
Elena slammed the twin throttles fully forward. The interceptor boat rocketed out of the dark cavern like a missile, crashing through the heavy wooden harbor gates and launching into the open, storm-tossed waters of the Hudson River at sixty knots.
Behind them, the boathouse collapsed into the river in a towering fireball of orange flame and black smoke.
Ten minutes later, the boat sliced through the dark swells toward the glowing skyline of Midtown Manhattan.
Dante stood at the helm, rain lashing against his rugged face, his eyes fixed on the towering glass structure of the Manhattan Imperial Hotel—where the Midnight Gala was taking place.
"Dante," Elena called out, coming up beside him with a heavy wool coat wrapped around her shoulders. "You're bleeding again. You can't fight the entire Council alone!"
Dante looked down at her, then looked back at Lily, who was sitting safely in the passenger lounge holding her small toy stethoscope.
"I am not fighting them alone, Elena," Dante murmured softly. "I am going to show the Council what happens when you threaten the heiress of the Moretti bloodline."
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He reached into his jacket, pulled out his satellite communicator, and dialed an untraceable frequency.
"Execute Shadow Protocol," Dante ordered into the speaker. "Bring every loyal soldier to the Imperial Hotel."
