Chapter 3 - Fire and Steel
They plunged through the kitchen doors into a scene of absolute chaos. Chefs, line cooks, and terrified waiters had abandoned their stations, diving behind prep tables and ovens as the reality of the mob war breached the back-of-house barrier.
Valerio didn't slow down. He kept Danica shielded against his right side, his eyes scanning every shadow, every exit, every flicker of movement overhead. Veto had planned this down to the minute. The hotel staff had been bought off or replaced.
"Boss!" Ignatio hissed, pointing toward the loading dock exit at the far end of the kitchen. "The alley is blocked by two black SUVs. Felicity’s crew."
"They're boxing us in," Valerio growled.
He pulled a secure burner phone from his pocket with his left hand, tapping a single emergency speed-dial code while keeping his pistol leveled forward. It rang twice before a raspy, loyal voice answered on the other end.
"Boss? We heard scanner chatter near the Etor. Are you good?"
"Marcus, listen to me very carefully," Valerio commanded, his voice cutting through the distant sounds of gunfire echoing from the front lobby. "Veto has flipped. The South Side has the building surrounded. Bring the heavy transport unit around to the service alley on 61st Street. Blow through their blockade if you have to. I want every man we have stationed within ten blocks deployed right now."
"On my way, Valerio. Ten minutes."
"We don't have ten minutes. Make it three."
Valerio snapped the phone shut and grabbed Danica’s waist, pulling her behind a massive walk-in freezer unit as a burst of automatic gunfire peppered the stainless-steel exterior, sending sparks flying across the tiled floor.
"They're coming through the pastry bay!" Ignatio shouted, firing a controlled burst down the secondary corridor.
The situation was deteriorating by the second. They were outgunned, trapped inside a hostile hotel, and betrayed from within by family.
Danica gripped the sleeve of Valerio’s shirt. Her fingers were cold, but her eyes were remarkably steady. "Your ledgers," she said quietly over the sound of approaching boots.
Valerio blinked, looking down at her. "What?"
"The digital drives in my briefcase," she urged, her voice frantic yet clear. "In the bridal suite upstairs. I was backing up the primary Castellion accounts onto an encrypted hard drive before the gala. If Veto gets his hands on those drives, he doesn't just take your empire—he hands the entire syndicate over to the federal authorities on a silver platter to buy his own immunity."
Valerio’s blood ran colder than ice. It wasn't just a coup; it was an annihilation. Veto intended to sacrifice the entire family to secure a comfortable life as an informant for the DOJ.
"Ignatio," Valerio ordered, his voice dropping into its most dangerous, icy register. "Hold this corridor. Do not let them pass."
"Boss, you can't go back up—"
"It's not a request, Ignatio. If we don't secure those drives, we have nothing left to fight for." Valerio looked down at Danica, his gray eyes locking onto hers with absolute, unyielding intensity. "Can you climb?"
May you like
"Try me," she whispered.
Instead of heading toward the blocked loading dock, Valerio grabbed her hand and dashed toward the service stairwell leading back into the heart of the hotel.
