Chapter 8 - THE TRAP AT THE TRIBECA TOWER
"They jammed the cell towers and cut the city fiber lines beneath the block," Marco reported, racking the bolt of a heavy combat shotgun. "We have twelve loyal men on the roof and eight in the lobby. But they brought heavy firepower."
Dominic’s mind worked with ruthless tactical speed. He turned to Marco. "Take Ethan, Clara, and Lily into the reinforced panic bunker beneath the master suite floor. It has independent air scrubbers and a direct tunnel leading to the subway maintenance line. Seal them inside."
"No!" I cried, grabbing Dominic’s arm. "You can't fight an entire assault force alone in this penthouse!"
Dominic looked down at me, his eyes burning with an intensity that took my breath away. He reached up, cupping the back of my neck and pulling me into a fierce, breathless kiss right in front of his men.
"I am not fighting them alone, Clara," he whispered against my lips when he pulled away. "I am the head of the Moretti family. This is my city. Vincenzo thinks he trapped a wolf in a cage, but he forgets who built the cage."
Dominic turned to Marco. "Execute Protocol Cerberus. Open the roof baffles and vent the natural gas line into the upper atrium."
Marco’s eyes widened with dark understanding. "Understood, boss."
Before I could say another word, Marco ushered me, Lily, and Ethan toward the concealed floor hatch inside the master closet. Ethan held Lily’s hand tightly, behaving like the bravest big brother in the world. As the heavy steel hatch began to lower, I caught one last glimpse of Dominic Moretti standing in the center of the dark living room, dual handguns drawn, waiting for the glass ceiling to shatter.
Down inside the subterranean maintenance corridor, the roar of the assault above sounded like rolling thunder. Explosions shook the concrete walls, and the distant chatter of heavy machine-gun fire reverberated through the pipes.
We moved quickly through the damp, narrow tunnel under the guidance of Dr. Harris and two guards. After ten agonizing minutes of running, we reached an exit hatch leading into an abandoned subway service bay near the Brooklyn Bridge.
"We have a sterile vehicle waiting fifty yards down the alley," Dr. Harris said, pushing open the iron grate. "Once we cross the river to the safehouse—"
Suddenly, the beam of a high-powered tactical flashlight blinded us.
"Going somewhere, pretty lady?" a gravelly, mocking voice called out from the shadows of the alley.
Stepping out from behind a parked delivery truck were four armed men led by Julian Vance—Don Vincenzo’s eldest son and top enforcer. Julian was a sadistic monster known throughout the underworld for his cruelty. He held a gold-plated revolver, his face twisted into an arrogant sneer.
"Vincenzo knew Dominic had a rat hole down here," Julian laughed. "Drop your weapons, old man, or I’ll blow this little girl’s head off right now."
Dr. Harris raised his hands, but before he could move, Julian fired a shot into the doctor’s shoulder, dropping him to the wet pavement.
The guards behind us tried to raise their rifles, but Julian’s men opened fire, pinning them back inside the tunnel hatch.
"Grab the woman and the kids," Julian ordered his men. "Vincenzo wants the girl who ruined his cake to watch the whole Moretti empire burn before we dump them in the East River."
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Two large men grabbed me by the hair and tore Lily from my arms. Ethan screamed, kicking and biting the guard holding him, but a heavy blow to the stomach silenced him.
I fought with everything I had, clawing at the mercenary’s eyes, but a heavy pistol whip struck the side of my temple, sending me crashing into darkness on the cold, wet asphalt.
