Chapter 30 Dante
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."
This man is like Goliath, taunting the little shepherd boy.
But he's wrong about one thing.
I'm not some meek boy hiding behind sheep with a slingshot.
And if that boy can fell a giant with a single stone, imagine what I can do with my munitions and my soldiers.
"On my mark," I whisper into my radio.
I feel my men collectively tense as I start the count down. "Three, two, one—"
I rise from cover and fire.
The first shot hits the man in the chest, dropping him before he can react.
My crew opens fire from three directions, catching Antonelli's men in a crossfire.
Muzzle flashes light up the night.
The sound is deafening, a cacophony of ricocheting rounds and booms from pistols and rifles.
Two of Antonelli's men go down and the rest scramble for cover, returning fire blindly.
Bullets bounce off the freight containers, sparking in the darkness.
Luca moves to my right, his rifle barking in short bursts.
One of the enforcers in my crew takes a round to the shoulder and goes down, clutching the wound, so Enzo lays cover fire while I drag him behind the SUV and press a rag against the bleeding.
"Stay down," I tell him. "We'll get you out of here."
He nods and grimaces, grunting as he puts pressure on the wound.
It's superficial.
He'll survive, but it reminds me how I have to be more careful.
My father's death left me scarred, and I can't do that to Sofia.
She's not even gotten a chance to know me yet.
I reload and move back to the edge of the container.
The convoy's in chaos now.
One of the SUVs has its engine smoking, bullets having punched through the hood.
Men are scattered behind vehicles and debris, firing wildly.
I signal two of Kemal's men who are positioned on the opposite side of the overpass.
They throw grenades toward the second SUV and the explosions are massive, twin fireballs that engulf the vehicle and the men sheltering behind it.
The heat washes over me even from this distance as I watch two men burst into flames and run screaming through the onslaught only to collect a few rounds in their bodies before collapsing.
The remaining men break.
Some try to retreat back toward their vehicles.
Others charge forward, desperate to close the distance.
My crew cuts them down one by one.
Luca takes out three men in rapid succession and the enforcers finish off the rest.
The firefight lasts maybe twelve minutes and when it's over, the road is littered with bodies and burning wreckage.
The smells of gasoline and smoke fill the air while distant sirens wail, warning me that we can't sit around and investigate what's going on.
Antonelli isn’t here, and he's my target.
But I'm not taking any prisoners either.
I move through the carnage, checking for survivors.
Most are dead.
A few are still breathing but won't last long.
I find one man pinned beneath the wreckage of the third SUV, his legs crushed.
Blood pools beneath him in a dark kidney-shaped puddle.
I crouch beside him.
"Where's your boss?"
He coughs, blood bubbling at his lips.
"Go fuck yourself."
I press my pistol against his forehead.
"I don't have time for this. Tell me what I need to know or I'll put a bullet in your skull right now."
His eyes widen but he spits in my face.
"I'm telling you nothing." The man laughs, a wet, choking sound, and then coughs so hard, blood oozes from his lips.
I pull the trigger without hesitation.
The gunshot echoes across the empty road, and the man goes still as blood splatters the ground behind him.
Luca appears at my side, breathing hard.
"We need to move. The sirens…"
His eyes flick up at the horizon and I know he's right.
The cops will be here any minute, and for all we know, this was just a distraction.
Gerard could be on his way to my villa by now.
"Get everyone back to the vehicles," I order. "Now."
We run for the SUVs and load my injured man into the back seat.
Kemal's men take the second vehicle as I slide behind the wheel of the lead SUV and start the engine.
The windshield is shattered, cold air rushing through the cabin as we peel out, but it doesn't stop me from checking in.
Every second counts at this point.
I dial Rico as I drive, my phone pressed between my ear and shoulder. He answers immediately.
"Talk to me," I say.
"We've got movement two blocks east of the villa. At least twenty men, maybe more. They're staging for an assault, Boss. We may be outnumbered."
"What's the perimeter status?"
"Locked down—every entrance is covered. But if they hit us with full force, I don't know how long we can hold." Rico sounds intimidated, but help is on the way.
I won’t let my home fall to these bastards, not with the woman I love and my only child there.
I grip the steering wheel tighter.
"I'm ten minutes out—make sure Angelica and Sofia are in the safe room," I bark, and his response is immediately comforting.
"They've been down there since ten thirty. Marta's with them."
Good. At least they're protected.
"Keep them there no matter what happens. I don't care if the villa burns to the ground. They don't come out until I give the all-clear."
"Understood."
I end the call and press the accelerator harder.
The SUV surges forward, weaving through the sparse late-night traffic.
Rome rushes past the windows—but all I can think about is getting to my family before the enemy closes in.
I should've stayed home.
Coming out to end this convoy may have stopped a few of Gerard's men, but the bulk of them were setting up around my house the whole time.
It was just a distraction.
We reach the villa ten minutes later.
The gates are closed, guarded by four of my men.
They recognize the SUV and wave us through to where the main house is dark, every window shuttered, but security lights flood the garden, turning the olive trees into harsh silhouettes.
I park near the front entrance and jump out.
Rico meets me at the door with a grim expression.
And not a single soul in my army questions me as I leave them to prepare while I descend the staircase that leads to the safe room.
The door is locked, reinforced steel designed to withstand explosives, and the only way in or out is by typing in the code—Sofia's birthday, set only last night to make sure Angelica could remember.
The lock disengages with a heavy click.
The door swings open, and Angelica stands on the other side.
"She's been asking for you," Angelica says quietly, but she wraps her arms around me tightly for a moment as I look past her, over her shoulder to see Sofia curled on the short sofa.
She looks up when she sees me.
Her face is pale, her eyes red from crying.
"Is it over, Papa?” she asks, and I frown.
"Not yet." I cross the room and kneel beside the couch. "But it will be soon." I cup her cheek tenderly and try to reassure her with my expression, but there's no real way to make a child understand to what lengths I'll go to ensure she stays safe.
"I'm scared."
"I know."
I reach out and take her hand.
Her fingers are cold, trembling.
"But you're safe down here—you and your mama. No matter what happens up there, the bad men can't reach you."
Sofia nods and sniffles, and I can tell she's been crying.
"I love you, Papa," she says softly, then wraps her tiny arms around my neck and squeezes.
"I love you too, Tesoro." I kiss her cheek before standing, and Angelica is there, right beside me.
Marta sits next to Sofia while I pull Angelica to the side to try to give her some instructions.
"What if he gets in here?" she says in a panicked tone.
"He won't." I lean forward and press my forehead against hers. "I'll finish this before dawn. I promise."
She searches my face, looking for certainty I'm not sure I can give.
"What if you don't come back?"
"I will." I kiss her forehead tenderly and pour every ounce of strength I have into the words I say. "Trust me. I will end this, and I will come back to you."
I stand and turn to Marta.
"Lock the door behind me. Don't open it for anyone except me or Enzo. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
I leave the safe room and climb the stairs.
The door closes behind me, and I hear the lock engage.
They're as protected as they can be for now, and I have to take my own advice and trust that they'll be okay.
And that I'll be able to come back to them.
I return to the main hall where Rico and Enzo are waiting.
The map is still spread across the table, marked with positions and patrol routes.
"Antonelli's forces are moving," Rico says. "They're two blocks out now, closing in."
I check my watch. 11:54 p.m. Six minutes until midnight.
"Get everyone in position," I order. "Snipers on the roof. Patrols ready. If Antonelli wants a war, we'll give him one."
My men disperse to get into position and I look down the hall at the door to the safe room one last time.
"I'll come back, I promise," I whisper one last time as I turn to head to the roof.
Gerard's attacks on me will be over tonight, one way or another.
And I can only pray I end up on top.
Because if I don't make it out of this, I don't know what he'll do to Sofia.
But I know it won't be good.