Chapter 7 - The Rage of the Lion
When Luca’s black armored SUV roared up the driveway ten minutes later, the Santoro estate looked like a war zone. Smoke billowed from the upper floor windows, snow was trampled and stained with blood, and the sound of distant sirens wailed in the city below.
Luca leaped out of the vehicle before it had even come to a complete stop. His face was a mask of sheer, apocalyptic rage. In his hands, he held a sleek black assault rifle.
He stormed through the shattered mahogany front doors, stepping over the bodies of fallen men without a second glance.
"Geno!" Luca roared, his voice echoing through the ruined foyer.
Geno emerged from the dining room, leaning heavily against the wall, a makeshift bandage wrapped around his bleeding shoulder. "Boss... I'm sorry... they overwhelmed the rear..."
"Where are they?!" Luca demanded, grabbing Geno by his lapels, his dark eyes burning with terrifying fury. "Where is Vanessa? Where is the child?!"
"The child... she's safe," Geno panted. "She made it into the panic room. The door is locked from the inside. But... Victor... he took Vanessa. They dragged her out through the gardens two minutes before you arrived."
Luca dropped Geno, his body rigid with a lethal, overwhelming fury. He looked at the trail of blood and boot prints leading out toward the rear gates.
"They took her to the old meatpacking plant near the docks," Geno said, struggling to stand straight. "I heard Victor on his radio before I was hit. Don Moretti is there himself. It's a trap, Luca. They want you to come alone."
Luca didn't hesitate. He turned on his heel, marching back toward his SUV.
"Luca, wait!" Geno called out. "We need to call the crews! We need thirty men! You can't just walk in there!"
"I don't have time for thirty men," Luca said, his voice dropping into a register so cold it chilled the blood of every soldier standing in the driveway. "By the time thirty men arrive, Moretti will have touched her. I am going now."
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He racked the slide of his weapon with a metallic clank.
"Tell the men to surround the block," Luca commanded. "No one leaves that plant alive. Not a single one."
