2025-06-17 19:29:59
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Chapter 63: Loyal Heart
The explosion shook the warehouse as emergency lights flickered on as the main power died. In the chaos, Santino broke free from his guards' grip and dove toward Zara's chair."Down!" she shouted.Santino hit the concrete as gunfire erupted. Sandra's men were shooting at shadows, confused by the sudden darkness. He crawled toward Zara and found the ropes binding her arms."Can you move?""I think so." Her voice was weak but determined.He untied her hands as he helped her stand. She was shaking but alive nonetheless."This way," she whispered, pointing toward a fire exit barely visible in the red emergency lighting.They moved through the shadows, staying low. Behind them, Sandra screamed orders in Italian and French. Her carefully planned operation was falling apart."The failsafe," Santino whispered as they reached the door, "what did it really do?""Everything I said. Plus a few surprises." Zara managed a bloody smile. "I've been preparing for this day since we started working toge
Chapter 62: Zara's Agony
The warehouse smelled like rust as Santino stepped through the doorway, his hands were empty but his mind were racing. Three black SUVs sat outside like sleeping predators. Snipers on the rooftops had tracked his every move."Drop the knife too," Sandra's voice echoed from speakers mounted on the walls.Santino pulled the blade from his boot, letting it clatter on concrete. "I'm here. Let her go.""Not how this works." Sandra emerged from the shadows, her heels clicking against the floor. She wore a black wool coat that probably cost more than most people's cars. "You don't make demands anymore."Guards flanked her as four men with automatic weapons."Where is she?"Sandra smiled. "Follow me."They walked deeper into the warehouse as Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting harsh shadows between stacked shipping containers. The smell got worse, blood, sweat, and something else. Something that made Santino's stomach turn.Then he saw her.Zara sat tied to a metal chair in the cen
Chapter 61: Tortured Ally
The phone buzzed at 3 AM as Santino rolled over, his hand finding the device on the nightstand an Unknown number. He almost declined, then something made him answer."Santino." The voice was distorted, electronic. "We have something of yours.""Who is this?""Check your laptop. Now."The line went dead as Santino's blood turned cold. He grabbed his laptop from the dresser, fingers shaking as he opened it. A video call request popped up immediately. He accepted.The screen filled with a concrete room as Water dripped somewhere in the darkness. Then he
Chapter 60: Chaos Reigns
Vincent swayed on his feet, one hand pressed against a shipping container for support. The poison was working, just slower than Mia had planned."Activated charcoal," he wheezed. "Take it every morning. Old CIA trick."Mia clutched her wounded shoulder, blood seeping through her fingers. "You're dying anyway.""Probably. But you'll die first."The pier had become a war zone as bodies scattered between shipping containers. Vincent's men fighting Mia's soldiers. Gunfire echoing off the water.Santino crouched behind a concrete barrier, trying to make s
Chapter 59: Blood Sacrifice
The warehouse pier stretched into the dark water. Shipping containers stacked three high as it created a maze of shadows and blind corners. Santino counted at least twenty men positioned on rooftops and behind cover.Mia waited at the end of the pier, her silhouette against the harbor lights. She'd changed into a long coat that flapped in the wind off the water."You came alone. I'm impressed.""Where's Claire?""Safe. For now." Mia walked closer. "Did you bring what I asked for?""Isabelle? No.""Pity. That would have made this easier."Santino saw movement in the shadows. More men than she'd claimed. Probably closer to fifty, just like she'd said."Let's talk about your real father," he said.Mia stopped walking. "What?""Francesco Amore. The man Vincent murdered to steal his identity.""I don't know what you're talking about.""You're a terrible liar when you're surprised." Santino took a step closer. "Vincent told me he killed his twin brother. What he didn't tell me was that you
Chapter 58: Smuggler's Tale
The dockside bar in Barcelona was exactly the kind of place Santino needed. Dark corners, no questions asked, and locals who minded their own business. He sat at the back table, nursing a whiskey and watching the door.Tatiana arrived twenty minutes late, just like always. She moved through the bar like she owned it, nodding to the bartender and several fishermen who clearly knew her well."Santino Leandro." She sat across from him, lighting a cigarette. "You look like hell.""Feel worse."Tatiana was in her forties, weathered by sun and salt water. She'd been smuggling everything from cigarettes to people across the Mediterranean for fifteen years. Never been caught, never been betrayed."What do you need?""Safe passage. Tonight.""Where to?""Doesn't matter. Anywhere but here."Tatiana studied his face. "This isn't about money, is it? You're running from something personal."The bartender brought her usual – vodka, neat and she knocked it back without flinching."You know what I l
