Chapter 9 - The Siege of Cape Point
At 8:00 AM, the peaceful quiet of the morning was shattered by a loud, sudden explosion echoing from the lower perimeter gate.
Sirens wailed across the estate as the primary alarm system went into lockdown mode.
Vincent stood up instantly, pulling his radio from his belt. "Luca! Report!"
"BOSS!" Luca’s voice came through the speaker amidst the sound of intense automatic gunfire. "IT'S MORETTI! THREE ARMORED SUVS JUST RAMMED THE MAIN GATE! THEY'VE GOT OVER TWENTY MEN WITH HEAVY AUTOMATICS!"
Vincent’s face hardened, his old instincts returning in an instant. "Lock down the vault! Fall back to the main courtyard!"
He turned to Clara, who was already pulling Matteo from his bed and placing him into his heavy wheelchair.
"Take him down to the secret passage behind the study," Vincent ordered, pulling two extra magazines from his desk drawer. "There’s an iron door at the end of the corridor leading to the boat house. The key is on this ring."
He handed her a brass key ring.
"What about you?" Clara asked, her voice tight with fear, though her hands remained steady as she buckled Matteo’s safety harness.
"I'm going to end a war that should have been finished three years ago," Vincent said coldly, racking the slide of his pistol.
"Daddy, no!" Matteo cried out, reaching for Vincent’s jacket. "Don't go!"
Vincent knelt beside his son's chair, grabbing the boy's face gently between his hands. He kissed Matteo's forehead with a warmth he hadn't shown in years.
May you like
"I'm not going anywhere, Matty," Vincent promised, looking into his son's eyes. "I'll be right behind you. I promise."
Vincent stood up, pulled open the double doors of the nursery, and stepped out into the hallway as the sound of breaking glass and gunfire reached the second floor.
