Chapter 7 - BLOOD AND IRON
The interior of the foundry turned into a war zone. Smoke billowed from shattered electrical boxes, and the deafening roar of automatic gunfire echoed off the high corrugated iron walls.
Adrian led Daniel through the maze of machinery, moving from shadow to shadow with deadly efficiency. Every time a mercenary stepped around a corner, Adrian neutralized them with swift, precise shots, clearing a path toward the rear exit.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed overhead. A section of rusted iron catwalk collapsed, blocking the main exit hallway with a pile of twisted metal and debris!
From the top of the debris pile stepped Sal Moretti, holding a heavy tactical shotgun, his face covered in soot and blood from an earlier explosion.
"You're not leaving here alive, Adrian!" Moretti screamed, his voice wild with unhinged desperation. "The Vale line ends tonight!"
Moretti rack-fed his shotgun and aimed straight at Adrian!
Adrian shoved Daniel behind a concrete pillar just as the shotgun blasted, tearing heavy chunks out of the masonry!
Adrian returned fire, but his weapon clicked empty—his last magazine spent.
Moretti laughed maniacally, stepping down from the debris pile, racking another shell into the chamber. "Out of ammo, Vale? How poetically predictable!"
Adrian drew his combat knife from his vest, stepping out from behind the pillar to face Moretti head-on, willing to fight with his bare hands to buy Daniel time to escape.
"Run, Daniel!" Adrian yelled over his shoulder. "Get to the rear doors!"
But Daniel didn't run.
Instead, the fourteen-year-old boy stepped out from the shadows, raising his handgun with both hands, aiming directly at the man who had stolen his life.
"Drop it, Sal," Daniel said, his voice cold, steady, and filled with fourteen years of stolen truth.
Moretti froze, turning his shotgun toward the boy, a sneering grin on his face. "Look at you, little orphan. You think you have the guts to shoot me? I made you! I raised you!"
"You didn't raise me," Daniel spat, his finger tightening on the trigger. "You kidnapped me. You killed my father."
"And he died like a dog!" Moretti roared, raising the shotgun!
Before Moretti could pull the trigger, a sharp, deafening gunshot echoed from the high entrance doors behind them!
The bullet struck Moretti cleanly in the shoulder, knocking him off balance, forcing his shotgun blast to go wildly into the ceiling!
Moretti stumbled back, screaming in pain, dropping his weapon onto the concrete floor.
Adrian didn't hesitate. He closed the distance in a fraction of a second, tackling Moretti to the ground, pinning the mob boss under his weight. He pressed his combat knife directly against Moretti's throat, his eyes burning with a dark, lethal rage.
"It's over, Sal," Adrian growled, his voice deep as a grave. "Your syndicate is destroyed. Your men are dead. And my family is whole."
Moretti choked on his own blood, glaring up at Adrian with pure venom, but he couldn't speak.
Marcus and a squad of six heavily armed Vale guards burst into the foundry, securing the room within seconds, taking control of the perimeter.
Adrian stood up slowly, sheathing his knife, leaving Moretti pinned under the guns of his lieutenants.
He turned around to look at Daniel.
The boy stood in the center of the floor, his handgun lowered at his side, looking at Adrian with a profound expression of relief and wonder.
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Adrian walked over to him, reaching out and pulling his nephew into a tight, protective hug. For a moment, Daniel stiffened, unused to genuine affection—but then, slowly, he wrapped his arms around his uncle, burying his face into Adrian's jacket, letting out a long, shuddering breath.
"I've got you, son," Adrian whispered into the boy's hair. "I've got you."
