30
DANTE
The gunfire starts before I even see the convoy.
We've been watching this cluster of soldiers advance on us and I'm not sitting back ever again.
Once Gerard sent his men to my home, all bets were off.
Now I'm hunting him in the streets and I won’t let him anywhere near my home again.
Bullets tear through the windshield of my SUV, spiderwebbing the glass.
I swerve hard left, the tires screaming as I pull behind a freight container.
Luca braces himself against the dashboard, his rifle already in his hands.
"Contact right," one of my enforcers shouts from the back seat. "Three vehicles approaching from the north."
I kill the engine and throw open the door.
The industrial district sprawls around us—concrete overpasses, rusted freight containers, and empty loading docks.
Perfect terrain for an ambush.
Antonelli's convoy was supposed to pass through here on their way to the villa, but my intel provided me a way to intercept them and that's what we're doing.
"How many men?" I ask, moving to the front of the SUV and using it for cover.
Luca peers around the edge of the container. "I count at least twelve. Maybe more in the vehicles."
I pull my pistol and check the magazine—fifteen rounds.
I have two spare clips on my belt, but that's not enough if this turns into a prolonged firefight. I'm hoping it doesn’t come to that.
The convoy rolls closer, three black SUVs moving in formation.
They slow as they approach our position, and I can see shadows moving inside the vehicles, men with weapons.
"Wait for my signal," I tell my crew. "Let them get closer."
The lead SUV stops twenty meters away.
The doors open, and men pour out.
They spread out, taking cover behind their vehicles.
Antonelli trained them well, like good soldiers, but my men are trained better.
One of them steps forward, a rifle slung across his chest.
He scans the area, eyes landing on our position.
"Santonelli," he shouts. "We know you're here. Come out and we'll make this quick."
The man takes another step forward.
"Mr. Gerard has a message for you. He's going to broadcast your death live to the Turks at midnight. Show them what happens when you fuck with him."
