Chapter 9 - The Siege of the Lakehouse
Luca was wrong.
Lorenzo wasn't at the south docks. He had leaked that information intentionally to draw Luca and eighty percent of the Ferrante security force away from the lake estate.
At four in the afternoon, the perimeter sirens shrieked to life.
I was in the kitchen pouring tea for Gabi when the power suddenly cut. The lights went black, and the heavy automated emergency shutters began slamming down over the ground-floor windows with deafening clangs.
“Nora!” Gabi screamed, jumping from her seat. “What’s happening?!”
“Get to the panic room!” I yelled, grabbing her arm. “The library, behind the east bookcase! Move!”
Automatic gunfire erupted outside on the lawn. The few guards Luca had left behind were returning fire, but the relentless spray of bullets told me they were hopelessly outnumbered. Vincenzo Coretti had brought his remaining syndicate to the estate to slaughter the Ferrante household while Luca was away.
I dragged Gabi through the darkened hallways, my heart pounding like a war drum in my ears. We reached the library just as the heavy glass terrace doors shattered into a million pieces.
“Nora! How sweet of you to wait for us!”
The mocking voice made my blood curdle. It was Lorenzo Ferrante, Luca’s cousin, holding a silver handgun, followed by Vincenzo Coretti and four heavily armed mercenaries.
I shoved Gabi behind me into the alcove of the bookshelf, pulling the small ceramic Glock that Luca had hidden inside his desk drawer hours earlier. I leveled the barrel with both hands, aiming directly at Lorenzo’s chest.
“Stay back!” I yelled, my voice ringing clear and steady despite the adrenaline roaring in my ears. “One more step and I’ll put a bullet through your throat, Lorenzo!”
Lorenzo laughed, a sneering, ugly sound. “A civilian with a popgun. Isn't she precious, Vincenzo? Luca really lost his mind over this little paperwork girl.”
“Put the gun down, child,” Vincenzo growled, stepping forward with his shotgun. “You sign the transfer codes on the laptop, and maybe I let your little sister walk out of here alive.”
“She won’t sign a damn thing,” a voice boomed from the shadows behind the shattered terrace doors.
A sudden, deafening flashbang grenade exploded in the center of the library. Lorenzo screamed, clutching his eyes.
Before the smoke could clear, Luca materialized like an avenging demon from the mist. He fired three pinpoint rounds, dropping the mercenaries instantly. Vincenzo swung his shotgun around, but Luca crossed the distance in a blur of terrifying speed, grabbing the barrel, wrenching it from the older man’s grasp, and smashing his fist across Vincenzo’s jaw.
The boss of the Coretti family hit the Persian rug, blood pooling under his broken nose.
Lorenzo, half-blinded, tried to raise his gun toward Luca’s back.
I didn't think. I didn't hesitate. I pulled the trigger.
The gunshot roared in the confined space. Lorenzo dropped his weapon with a sharp cry, collapsing to his knees with a bullet lodged in his right shoulder.
Silence descended over the ruined library, broken only by the heavy panting of four survivors.
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Luca turned slowly. He looked at Lorenzo on the floor, looked at me holding the smoking gun, and then let out a low, breathless laugh that was equal parts astonishment and sheer adoration.
“Remind me never to cross you, Mrs. Ferrante,” he whispered.
