Chapter 5 - THE AMBUSH IN THE RAIN
The explosion blew the reinforced doors inward in a shower of sparks and twisted metal. Smoke poured into the warehouse, followed instantly by the staccato roar of automatic gunfire. I dove behind a stack of shipping crates, shielding Leo with my body. My son let out a sharp cry, but I shushed him gently, praying the sound mufflers I’d placed over his tiny ears were working.
"Hold the line!" Carlo shouted over the deafening noise. My men returned fire, the muzzle flashes illuminating the dark warehouse like strobe lights.
Through the smoke, I saw them. Men in tactical gear, bearing the subtle insignias of Matteo’s private hit squad. He hadn’t sent the family’s soldiers; he had hired mercenaries. He knew the loyal men of the Moretti family would never fire on their true Don, especially not while he was holding a child.
I leaned out from behind cover and fired three precise shots. Two mercenaries dropped. "Carlo! The boat!" I yelled.
"Two minutes out, Boss!"
The warehouse was becoming a slaughterhouse. We were outnumbered. I needed to create a diversion. I spotted a forklift loaded with barrels of highly flammable industrial solvent near the breached entrance.
"Cover me!" I commanded. Leaving Leo safely tucked behind the thickest crates with Maria and Sophia, I sprinted across the open floor. Bullets chewed the concrete at my heels. I dove behind the forklift, released the emergency brake, and slammed my fist onto the accelerator pedal, jumping away as the heavy machine rolled forward toward the invading mercenaries.
I raised my rifle and fired directly into the solvent barrels.
The explosion was monumental. A wall of orange flame erupted, consuming the front entrance and blowing the mercenaries back out into the pouring rain. The shockwave rattled my teeth, but it bought us the time we needed.
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"Boat is here!" Carlo yelled.
I scooped up Leo, signaling Maria and Sophia to run. We scrambled through the back exit, stepping out into the freezing storm. A sleek, armored speedboat waited at the dock, engines roaring. We piled in, Carlo firing a final barrage covering our escape. As the boat tore away into the black waters, I looked back at the burning warehouse. Matteo had drawn first blood in the war, but I was going to drain every last drop of his.
