CHAPTER NINE
ROME
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Bullets riddled the front door.
The reinforced steel rattled beneath the barrage as rounds slammed into the lock assembly. Whoever was outside wasn't firing blindly. They were targeting the weakest point of the entrance and trying to force their way inside.
At this rate, they’d be in soon.
Crouched behind the lab table, I watched the security monitor through my night-vision goggles. The green glow illuminated everything around me, turning the darkness into an advantage instead of a hindrance.
The security screen showed four of the six men spreading out around the building. Two remained near the door, concentrating their fire on the lock. One of the four who were spreading out moved toward the side of the building.
Three moved to the back of the building, hoping to enter that way. The hiss of the gas continued as the knock-out compound spread through the lab. It needed time to work. Exactly how much time, I wasn't entirely sure yet.
A loud crash echoed through the building. Glass shattered somewhere to my right. One of the men had broken a window. My jaw tightened. They were trying to create multiple entry points. Smart. Unfortunately for them, it wasn't going to do them much good.
The shooting of the front door continued for several more seconds before finally stopping. Silence settled over the lab. The only sounds were the faint hiss of the gas and the pounding of my own heartbeat.
Something slammed into the front door. My gaze moved to the monitor again. One of the guys was kicking the door now. Another loud bang sounded. Another kick, this one more forceful and aimed directly at the doorknob.
The steel door shuddered as it was kicked again. Then again. More shattering glass sounded. I looked toward the window to see one of the guys punching the glass shards, clearing a way for him to enter.
Terzo raised his weapon, preparing to shoot the bastard before he could climb through the window.
"Not yet," I whispered. "I want to see how long it takes the compound to start affecting them."
“Damn it, Rome, this isn’t a science experiment,” Terzo muttered, lowering his weapon.
The broken window had introduced a variable I hadn't accounted for. The compound was still spreading through the lab, but now part of it had somewhere else to go. The ventilation would reduce the concentration inside the building.
That would potentially slow the onset of symptoms. Under normal conditions, I'd have tested that theory in a controlled environment. But in my line of work, shit was rarely normal. Since the situation had presented itself, I intended to learn as much from it as possible.
The door shuddered again, the fourth kick forcing it open. The first man stepped inside just as another climbed through the broken window. Those in the back were having a harder time opening the door.
Even if they shot the doorknob off, the boxes in front of them would cause them problems, keeping them occupied while we took out these three. The first man through the door took three cautious steps into the lab before stopping.
His weapon swept across the darkness as he searched for movement. The second man climbed through the broken window and landed awkwardly on the floor. A third followed seconds later through the front door, weapon raised, scanning the room.
All three were looking for their targets. Us. Instead, they found silence. I watched them through the green glow of my goggles. One started to cough. Another rubbed at his eyes before tightening his grip on his weapon.
The compound was finally starting to work. I looked over at Terzo. Raising my hand, I pointed toward the men near the front door.
"I'll take that side," I whispered, speaking of the door.
Terzo gave a single nod. The attackers continued moving deeper into the lab. One kicked aside a box. The first man rubbed at his eyes again. The second shook his head, a sign that dizziness was kicking in.
The third coughed loudly, sounding like he was choking on air. These men should’ve been dropping by now. Though they were showing symptoms of being affected, they were still standing. That damn window!
“What’s that noise?” the window guy asked, voice raspy.
All three men turned toward the canister against the wall.
“It’s coming from that canister,” another guy stated.
“It’s tear gas,” the window guy announced, alarmed. “Get it out of here. We’re not alone.”
Just as he uttered those words and prepared to turn around, Terzo was moving from behind the counter. Terzo fired. The man’s head jerked, blood splattering. Then his body dropped to the ground. With the canister now forgotten about, the other two men faced Terzo.
Rising from behind the lab counter, I fired two rapid shots. Both men’s heads jerked, bodies dropping like dominoes. A bullet whizzed past me, barely missing my face, close enough for me to feel the heat of it.
“Get down,” Terzo yelled. “They’re at the window.”
I ducked and moved back behind the lab table. More shots erupted from the broken window. Bullets slammed into the counters, equipment, and walls around us. Glass exploded from a nearby cabinet as another round tore through it.
The bastard at the window wasn't aiming at us anymore. He was firing blindly to keep our heads down. Fuck! The others must be on the way. Heavy footsteps sounded from the front of the lab.
I glanced toward the entrance and saw two more men rush through the damaged doorway. The moment they spotted movement from behind the lab table, they opened fire. Bullets ripped across the room.
Metal pinged.
Glass shattered.
I pressed my back against the lab table as rounds hammered into the other side of it. The attackers had us pinned down. Beside me, Terzo remained crouched low. The gunfire continued for several seconds before finally easing.
The moment it did, Terzo leaned out from one side of the table while I leaned out from the other. We fired as the men dived for cover. The window shooter had abandoned his position and was entering through the front.
I fired at him. He stumbled over a body, causing my bullet to miss. Fuck. I continued firing as he used the dead body to cover himself. Return fire started. Damn it, we’d given them time to reload.
Bullets struck walls, equipment, and boxes. I ducked back down as rounds zipped overhead. One struck the edge of the table close enough to shower my arm with splinters and pieces of metal.
Terzo fired several more shots.
I joined him.
Neither of us could see much anymore. The room had become a haze of debris from broken equipment, shattered glass, and pieces of cardboard. The sound of coughing filled the air. Either the gas was still working on them, or the dust was getting to them.
Even so, they were firing blindly, hoping to strike us. The goggles still gave us an advantage, but the dust and debris filling the lab made it harder to see. Then suddenly...
Click... Click... Click.
I frowned. My clip was empty. Across from me, Terzo squeezed his trigger again.
Click... Click... Click.
A second later, the attackers' firing stopped as well, the clicks of their weapons letting us know they were out of bullets too. Silence settled over the lab.
No gunshots.
No movement.
Just the hiss of the compound and the sound of several men breathing hard. It appeared everyone had reached the same problem at the exact same time. Nobody had bullets left.
I looked back at Terzo and nodded. We’d been in situations like this so many times that no words were needed. Both of us raced from around the table. I tossed my gun aside, no longer needing it.
One big bastard shoved the dead body off him and rose to his feet. One punch from me sent him stumbling backward. But his big ass didn’t drop. He swung at me. I dodged, able to see better in the dark than he could.
When he swung again, I ducked and drove my fist into his stomach, making him double over in pain. With a roar, he rushed forward, ramming his shoulders into my chest, forcing me backward.
My back crashed into the lab table as his fist pummeled my side. I gritted my teeth, pain radiating from my old wound. I needed to get this big motherfucker off me. I elbowed his back, making him grunt, but he didn’t let go of me.
Another punch to my side had me feeling nauseous. I slammed my elbow into his shoulder again, while bringing my knee up. When his grip loosened, I shoved him away from me. I smashed my fist into his face, over and over, blood smearing against my knuckles.
He tripped over a body, falling to the ground with a grunt. I followed him down, still swinging. His fist clipped my chin. Fuck. Ignoring the pain, I punched him harder, feeling his nose break against my knuckles.
I kept hammering his face, not slowing down, not pausing. I couldn’t give him a chance to get another hit in. His face was becoming a swollen mess beneath my fists, but I kept going.
The bastard had come here to kill me. He'd shot up my lab, damaged my equipment, and made my bruised side start hurting again. He would pay with his life for this. His attempts to fight back grew weaker.
The gas was finally doing what it was supposed to do. As his movements slowed, his eyes lost focus. It was time to end this. I wrapped my hands around his throat and squeezed. The bastard clawed weakly at my wrists, but the gas had stolen whatever fight he had left.
When his movements slowed to almost nothing, I placed one hand on his chin and one at the back of his head. Then I twisted forcefully, but didn’t feel the crack I craved. It took me two more tries to finally feel his neck break.
His body went limp. Releasing him, I slowly rose to my feet, side aching. Breathing hard, I wiped blood from my mouth with the back of my hand and looked around the room, searching for Terzo.
Dust still hung in the air. The hiss of the compound continued in the background. My gaze landed on Terzo. I started in his direction, intending to help finish off whoever was left standing.
After two steps, I realized he didn't need my help. One of his attackers was sprawled across a lab table, motionless. Judging from the way the guy’s neck was angled, he would never be getting up again.
The last one wasn't faring much better. Terzo had the bastard on his knees as he stood behind him. One hand gripped the back of the man’s neck while the other was positioned beneath his chin. The attacker's eyes were wide with panic. Terzo was about to snap his neck.
"Wait," I yelled.
Terzo glanced in my direction.
"We need one alive,” I reminded him.
His jaw tightened. "If I don't kill him, you win."
Even after a gunfight, a fistfight, and six men trying to kill us, this motherfucker was still thinking about our bet.
"Think about the bigger picture,” I told him.
Terzo glared down at the attacker. The man appeared seconds away from passing out. Blood ran from his nose. One eye was already swollen shut. The gas wasn't helping his situation either. For a moment, I thought Terzo might ignore me and kill the bastard. Instead, he sighed.
"Winning is the bigger picture," he muttered under his breath.
Despite the complaint, he loosened his grip. The attacker slumped forward, coughing violently. Terzo glared at me.
"I still think this should count as my kill,” he told me.
"It doesn't."
"Bullshit."
I moved forward and crouched in front of the surviving attacker.
“You can torture him for information,” I told Terzo as I stared into the man’s eyes.
“I’ll go get my chainsaw.” Terzo started toward the front door.
“Wait,” the man whispered, body swaying. “I’ll.... I’ll talk.”
He started coughing. I gripped his shoulders to keep him from falling down.
“Please... don’t kill me,” he rasped, words slurred. “I have... I have... a family.”
That was a line I hated the most. Motherfuckers with families should do a better job of not getting caught. Or better yet, don’t put themselves in situations that would take them from their families.
I didn’t owe his family shit. He did. If you asked me, a man who couldn’t protect himself and his family didn’t deserve one.
“Terzo, wait,” I called out, realizing torture wasn’t necessary.
“What about the chainsaw?” Terzo asked.
“We won’t need it. Help me get him outside before he passes out.”
Together, we hauled him outside, stepping over bodies and broken equipment along the way. I kicked the canister out the door on my way out. From the sputtered hisses, I could tell it was almost out of gas anyway.
Our captor inhaled deeply once we were no longer in the lab. Terzo and I released him, letting his body drop to the ground. I quickly removed my goggles and mask. Inhaling deeply, I sucked in the cool night air as I took off my glasses, blinking rapidly.
Sliding my glasses back on, I stared down at my clothing, noticing I was covered in dust, splinters of wood, and metal. This was not how my night was supposed to go. I turned my glare to the surviving attacker, who was lying on his back, staring up at the night sky.
“I’ll call the cleaners to come take care of the mess,” Terzo told me. “I’ll tell them to bring gas masks. You can question our friend here.”
That said, he walked off, brushing dust from his clothing. I strode over to our captor and squatted next to him, my leg protesting the movement. If I’d known we’d have company, I would’ve taken a pain pill before leaving the house. I glared down at the man. His gaze swung to mine.
“Who sent you?” I asked, keeping this shit short and simple.
“If I tell you, will you let me go?”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll let my friend saw your fingers and toes off one at a time and feed them to you.”
His eyes widened, lips trembling as tears spilled down his cheeks. Weak ass. I’d been threatened with worse and hadn’t teared up. What the fuck was wrong with this guy?
“I’ll only ask one more time,” I told him. “Who sent you here to kill me?”
The man coughed. I watched, growing impatient.
“Fuck it. I’ll get the chainsaw,” I muttered, starting to stand up.
“It was Pasquale Cattaneo,” the man sobbed, snot bubbling from his nostrils.
Pasquale Cattaneo!
I should've known. The bastard had spent months trying to stop the casino from opening. Delays. Inspections. Legal bullshit. Every time I turned around, he was creating another problem.
I just hadn't expected him to get this desperate. Apparently, sabotage wasn't enough anymore. Now, he wanted me dead. But I wanted him dead also. I guess it was now a race to see which Cattaneo would end the other.
He’d had his turn.
Now it was mine.