Chapter 7 - The Confrontation
Rain poured from the heavens in sheets, washing over the gravel courtyard. The three black SUVs roared up the driveway, their headlights cutting blinding beams through the torrential downpour. They skidded to a halt in front of the grand stone steps of the manor, tires spitting wet gravel.
Doors flew open simultaneously. Eight men in heavy raincoats stepped out, led by Victor Rossi—a burly, scarred man with slicked-back hair and a cruel sneer permanently etched onto his lips. Beside him stumbled Bram, soaked to the bone, trembling with a mixture of terror and manic adrenaline.
""Where is she?!"" Bram yelled over the roaring thunder, pointing wildly at the front doors. ""Tell that little bitch to come down here and sign the transfer documents! If she doesn't renounce the will tonight, none of you are walking away from this!""
Suddenly, the floodlights mounted atop the manor's stone pillars flared to life, illuminating the courtyard with blinding white light.
Victor Rossi squinted, raising a hand to shield his eyes.
Standing at the top of the stone steps, perfectly shielded beneath the broad portico, was Gabriel Ferrante. He stood alone in plain sight, his hands buried casually inside the pockets of his dark overcoat.
Bram’s voice died instantly in his throat. He shrank back behind Rossi, his bravado evaporating like mist. ""R-Rossi... you said he would be back in the city by now...""
Victor Rossi stepped forward, his sneer deepening, though his posture tightened cautiously. ""Gabriel. What are you doing playing watchdog for a dead old man's orphan?""
""I could ask you the same question, Victor,"" Gabriel replied smoothly, his voice carrying clearly over the storm. ""What are you doing trespassing on private property with a disgraced deadbeat? Did you really think you could force a signature out of Edmund's heir under the cover of night?""
Rossi laughed, a grating, harsh sound. ""The docks belong to whoever has the leverage. Bram signed over his mother's half of the holding company to me an hour ago to settle his debts. I have a legal claim, Gabriel. If the girl doesn't want to sign her half over peacefully, accidents happen all the time on stormy nights.""
Two of Rossi’s men reached under their coats, fingers inching toward holstered firearms.
Gabriel didn't flinch. He didn't even take his hands out of his pockets.
""You always were short-sighted, Victor,"" Gabriel remarked with quiet pity. ""You thought Bram was your leverage. You didn't bother checking the maritime authority registry before you drove out here, did you?""
Rossi’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. ""What are you talking about?""
""Edmund Davis didn't own the docks under his personal name,"" Gabriel said, taking two slow steps down the stone staircase into the driving rain. ""He owned them through a blind holding trust managed by the Port Logistics Federation. And ten minutes ago, the Port Authority revoked your shipping licenses across the entire eastern seaboard.""
Rossi’s face twisted in sudden panic. ""You're bluffing!""
""Check your phone,"" Gabriel said coldly.
Rossi fumbled in his pocket, pulling out his encrypted smartphone. As he unlocked the screen, notification after notification flooded the display. His bank accounts were frozen under federal maritime oversight. His warehouse permits at the docks had been cancelled. And worse—a dozen police cruisers with flashing red and blue lights suddenly appeared at the bottom of the long estate driveway, completely blocking the exit.
""You set me up!"" Rossi roared, drawing his weapon.
Before Rossi could raise his gun, the shadows along the perimeter erupted. Over twenty heavily armed tactical operators from Gabriel’s private security firm stepped out from the surrounding woods, their laser sights painting bright red dots across the chests of Rossi’s men.
""Drop your weapons,"" a booming voice ordered over a loudspeaker.
Rossi looked around wildly. He was surrounded on all sides, outmanned, outgunned, and outmaneuvered. His own men didn't hesitate; hearing the sirens approaching, they threw their handguns onto the wet gravel, raising their hands in surrender.
""You double-crossed me, Bram!"" Rossi snarled, spinning around and grabbing Bram by the lapels. ""You told me the girl was alone! You said this was an easy shakedown!""
Bram was weeping openly, dropping to his knees in the mud. ""I didn't know! I swear I didn't know!""
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Gabriel reached the bottom of the steps, stopping inches from where Bram groveled in the dirt. He looked down at the pathetic creature with cold, merciless disgust.
""You wanted Hannah to eat in the hallway,"" Gabriel whispered softly, loud enough only for Bram to hear. ""Now you won't even have a hallway to sleep in.""
