Chapter 6 - The Breach at Dawn
At 7:00 a.m., the rain cleared, leaving a thick, grey fog clinging to the limestone pillars of Don Marco’s grand estate in the high-rent district of the city.
The massive iron gates at the entrance were guarded by four armed men in leather jackets, sipping warm coffee from paper cups, leaning lazily against the stone walls. They were expecting a quiet morning—perhaps a phone call from the hotel confirming the wedding night consummation.
They did not expect three black armored SUVs to smash straight through the iron gates at forty miles per hour.
The sound of shattering iron and tearing metal exploded through the quiet morning air like a artillery shell. The gates tore off their hinges, crashing onto the gravel driveway as the lead SUV rammed straight through the debris, followed closely by the other two vehicles.
Before the guards could drop their coffee cups or reach for their holstered pistols, eight men in tactical gear poured out of the trailing SUVs, weapons raised, securing the perimeter with terrifying, mechanical speed.
"Don't move!" Leo’s voice boomed across the courtyard, his shotgun leveled at the lead guard's chest. "Hands on your heads! Down on the gravel! Now!"
The guards raised their hands instantly, falling to their knees in the wet gravel.
From the middle SUV, Matteo stepped out onto the driveway.
He was dressed impeccably in a charcoal three-piece suit, a dark coat draped over his broad shoulders, his leather shoes stepping calmly over the shattered iron of the gate. He didn't carry a rifle. He carried only a single, heavy silver revolver tucked into his belt, his gloved hands resting casually in his coat pockets.
"Dante," Matteo commanded without looking back. "Take Team Two to the east wing. Secure the boy. If anyone steps in your way, put a bullet in their leg."
"Understood, Boss," Dante nodded, gesturing for three men to follow him around the side of the mansion.
Matteo walked up the grand stone steps leading to the main entrance of the mansion. The heavy oak double doors were locked from the inside, but Leo stepped forward with a hydraulic door-breacher, placing it against the lock mechanism.
CRACK!
The lock shattered, and the grand double doors swung open into the marble entrance hall.
Standing in the center of the foyer, wearing a silk bathrobe, holding a half-empty glass of brandy, stood Don Marco. His fat face was red with fury, his graying hair uncombed, three personal bodyguards standing frantically in front of him with drawn handguns.
"Matteo!" Marco roared, his voice shaking the crystal chandeliers above. "Are you out of your mind?! You breach my home with armed men?! Have you lost your head?!"
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Matteo walked into the foyer, his heavy boots clicking against the polished marble floor, completely ignoring the three handguns pointed directly at his heart.
"Lower your guns," Matteo said softly to Marco’s bodyguards. "Before I make your boss eat them."
