Chapter 9 - The Reckoning in the Hallway
The shot was muffled, but in the confined space of the study, it sounded like a heavy book slamming onto a hardwood floor.
Thwip.
The bullet grazed Marco’s shoulder, tearing through his dark jacket and sending him stumbling back against the wall with a grunt of pain.
Before Carlo could rack the slide for a second shot, Alessandro moved.
It wasn't the slow, calculated movement of a man negotiating terms. It was the explosive, terrifying speed of a apex predator striking its prey. In less than a second, Alessandro crossed the entire length of the study, his massive hand shooting out to clamp around Carlo’s wrist like an industrial vise.
Carlo gasped as the crushing pressure sent shooting pain up his arm. The Walther slipped from his fingers, clattering uselessly against the Persian rug.
Alessandro slammed Carlo backward against the mahogany bookshelf, sending historical ledgers and leather-bound volumes crashing to the floor in a chaotic cascade.
"You think you’re the smartest man in the room, Carlo?" Alessandro whispered, his face inches from the traitor’s, his gray eyes burning with cold, unmitigated fury. "You thought because I didn't scream or suspect, I didn't see?"
Carlo choked for air, his face turning purple, his professional composure finally cracking into absolute terror. "A-Alessandro... please... you can't—"
"I built this house," Alessandro interrupted, his voice dropping into an abyss of ice. "And I know every rat that crawls through its walls."
Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the study burst open.
Marcus Vance stood in the doorway, flanked by three armed enforcers holding automatic shotguns. Marcus grinned wickedly, raising his weapon toward Alessandro’s back.
"Well, well, well," Marcus sneered, stepping into the room. "Looks like the king is finally dead. Drop him, Carlo—oh, wait, you’re a bit tied up."
Marco Bianchi, bleeding from his shoulder, gritted his teeth, raised his pistol with his left hand, and fired twice through the pain.
Bang! Bang!
The lead enforcer dropped instantly, crashing hard against the marble hallway floor. The other two scrambled to return fire, turning the quiet study into a deafening war zone of flying lead, splintering wood, and shattering glass.
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In the chaos, Carlo broke free from Alessandro’s grip, scrambling on all fours toward the open hallway door, coughing and gasping for air.
"Kill them both!" Carlo shrieked, scrambling down the corridor toward the service stairs. "Burn the house down if you have to!"
