Chapter 8 - the double cross
Gunfire echoed across the manicured lawns of the Bellacorte estate as high-caliber rounds shattered the high windows of the main hall.
Dominic drew his heavy pistol instantly, taking cover behind a stone pillar near the courtyard fountain. Leo reacted just as fast, pulling his silver sidearm and firing three shots toward the iron front gates where three dark SUVs had smashed through the perimeter.
"Mateo! Flank the eastern drive!" Dominic ordered into his comms. "Hold the main entrance!"
Through the smoke and flashing muzzle fire, a group of eight heavily armed tactical operatives moved in tight formation toward the courtyard. Leading the strike team was Marcus Vale, wearing a kevlar vest over his ruined charcoal suit, holding an automatic rifle.
"Dominic!" Marcus shouted over the roar of gunfire. "Surrender the master charter, and we leave the estate intact!"
Dominic didn't answer with words. He leaned out from behind the pillar and fired four precise shots, dropping Marcus's lead tactical operator instantly.
Beside him, Leo returned fire with lethal efficiency, pinning down two mercenaries near the garage wing.
"Dominic!" Leo yelled over the deafening noise. "We need to fall back to the safe house in the basement!"
"No," Dominic said, his eyes fixed on Marcus through the smoke. "This ends tonight."
Dominic moved like a phantom through the courtyard shadows, flanking Marcus's team from the left corridor. He eliminated two more shooters with cold, military precision, closing the distance until he was ten feet from Marcus.
Marcus ran out of ammunition, dropping his empty rifle and reaching for his sidearm. Dominic lunged forward, grabbing Marcus’s wrist and slamming him hard against the stone wall of the garage.
Dominic pressed the cold barrel of his gun against Marcus's throat. "Who gave you the perimeter security codes to my house?"
Marcus gasped for air, his face bruised and bloody, but he let out a bitter, raspy laugh. "Look behind you, Don Dominic."
Dominic turned his head slightly, keeping his weapon pinned to Marcus's neck.
Standing twenty feet away in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by four dark SUVs, was Vivienne Vale. Beside her stood Leo, holding his silver pistol—pointed directly at Dominic’s chest.
"I tried to tell you, brother," Leo said softly, his voice devoid of anger, replaced by a cold, practical indifference. "The Bellacorte empire was built on a lie. It's time for the true bloodline to take control."
Dominic stared at Leo, his eyes narrowing into slits. The double cross was complete. Leo hadn't just used Vivienne—Leo, Marcus, and Vivienne were three corners of a single, unified triangle that had been planning this coup for thirty years.
"Lower your weapon, Dominic," Vivienne commanded, stepping forward in her crimson dress. "Or Leo will execute you where you stand."
Dominic looked at Leo, his expression unreadable, terrifyingly calm.
"You made one mistake, Leo," Dominic said, his voice smooth as glass.
"What mistake?" Leo asked, his finger resting on the trigger.
"You forgot who built the automated security grid in this courtyard," Dominic said.
May you like
Dominic reached into his suit pocket and clicked a small silver transmitter.
Instantly, six heavy steel defense shutters dropped down from the upper arches of the courtyard, sealing the inner perimeter and blinding the mercenary drivers with three thousand watts of high-intensity floodlights.
