Chapter 7 - The Breach at the Gates
By eleven-forty-five at night, three heavy armored black SUVs roared out of the Ravelli estate gates, their snow tires cutting through the thick drifts on the mountain highway toward Manhattan.
Dominic sat in the rear seat of the lead vehicle, flanked by Frank and two heavily armed bodyguards. In his lap lay the leather briefcase containing his father's private codicil and the gold pendant given to him by Agatha.
Beside him sat eighty-year-old Agatha, wrapped in a warm fur coat, her sharp eyes watching the rain-swept highway ahead.
"Are you sure you want to be here, Mother?" Dominic asked softly, taking her frail hand in his broad palm.
"I built this house alongside your father, Dominic," Agatha said, her voice sharp as steel. "I will not let European vultures tear it down on Christmas night."
Suddenly, the lead SUV’s tactical radio crackled with urgent static: "Boss! Multiple incoming vehicles on the lower ridge! Blacked-out vans crossing the median!"
Before Frank could respond, two heavy tactical trucks swerved out of the storm, attempting to ram Dominic’s armored convoy off the mountain road.
Sparks flew wildly as metal scraped against metal in the darkness.
"Hold on!" Frank yelled, gripping the steering wheel.
Dominic didn't show a second of panic. He pulled a heavy tactical sidearm from his coat, lowered his bulletproof window three inches, and fired four controlled rounds into the lead truck's front tire.
The tactical truck blew its tire, swerving wildly before crashing into the snowbank at sixty miles an hour.
The second truck tried to flank them from the right, but Dominic’s rear escort vehicle rammed the truck from behind, pinning it against the guardrail until the highway was cleared.
Dominic rolled his window back up, racking his slide with a crisp click. "Keep driving, Frank. We have ten minutes."
By 11:55 PM, the convoy arrived at the grand glass tower of the Swiss Consulate in downtown Manhattan.
The building was lit by brilliant floodlights, flanked by armed security guards dressed in dark suits.
Dominic stepped out of the vehicle into the freezing city air, his midnight-black tuxedo spotless, his towering presence commanding the entire plaza.
He helped Agatha out of the vehicle, holding her hand firmly as they walked up the marble steps toward the high glass doors.
May you like
Standing inside the grand lobby, surrounded by twelve armed European mercenaries and holding a stack of legal trust documents, was Lord Sterling—a sharp-faced, sixty-year-old crime lord in a dark tailored suit.
Beside Sterling stood Vivienne, who had been freed by Sterling’s elite team during the highway ambush!
