Chapter 10 - The Sicilian Warning
Adrenaline surged through Tessa’s veins, washing away the paralyzing terror. She didn't hesitate. She scrambled backward, keeping low beneath the chassis of the vehicle, and grabbed a discarded radio set dropped by one of the wounded guards.
She switched the channel to the open tactical frequency used by the attackers, which she had overheard a security guard mention earlier that evening. Drawing a deep, steadying breath, she spoke directly into the mic, dropping her voice into the harsh, aggressive, rapid-fire Sicilian dialect she had learned from old Mr. Cosenza.
“Fermati! Siete circondati dai cani di Salvatore! Gettate le armi o morirete tutti in questa fogna!” (*Stop! You are surrounded by Salvatore’s dogs! Drop your weapons or you will all die in this sewer!*)
The effect was instantaneous and staggering.
The three gunmen creeping along container block four froze dead in their tracks. The ancient, terrifying dialect—associated in the underworld with the most ruthless enforcers of the old guard—sent a primal wave of superstitious panic straight through the raiding party. In their minds, Don Salvatore’s legendary ghost hit squads had flanked them from the shadows.
Hesitation is fatal in a firefight. In that single second of paralyzed confusion, Gabriel’s elite guards caught the movement, pivoting their weapons and neutralizing the threat with clean, decisive precision.
Within minutes, the gunfire died down into a tense, ringing silence. The remaining attackers, completely demoralized and terrified by the ghostly voice from the dark, scrambled back into their vans and sped away into the night, leaving the pier littered with smoke and shattered glass.
Gabriel spun around, his weapon still raised, his eyes frantically searching for Tessa. He found her crouching behind the SUV, calmly setting the radio down on the pavement.
“What... what did you just do?” Gabriel breathed, rushing to her side and pulling her up by her shoulders, checking frantically for injuries. “How did you know their comms channel? What did you say?”
May you like
“I told them the ghosts of Corleone were right behind them,” Tessa replied, her dark eyes flashing with fierce composure. “Never underestimate what an old man from Palermo teaches a girl who just wants to survive.”
---
