Chapter 9 - The Turning Point
The fog clung to Grace’s skin like wet ice as she sprinted low along the stone wall of the east wing. Just twenty yards away, two Moretti mercenaries were setting up a portable mortar launcher on its tripod, their backs turned as they calibrated the trajectory toward the mansion's foundation.
Grace didn't hesitate. She lunged forward, swinging the heavy metal fire extinguisher with all the strength in her body.
The cylinder slammed squarely into the back of the lead mercenary’s knee with a sickening crack, sending him crashing to the ground with a howling shriek.
The second mercenary spun around in shock, his rifle raised. "What the—?"
Before he could pull the trigger, a dark streak of muscle tackled him from the side. Nero, the largest of the three Cane Corsos, hit the gunman square in the chest, pinning him to the cobblestones with a terrifying growl vibrating deep in his massive throat.
"Good boy, Nero," Grace panted, her heart hammering against her ribs like a sledgehammer.
She didn't waste a second. She grabbed the metal release pin of the mortar shell, ripped it loose, and kicked the entire apparatus over, sending the explosive rolling harmlessly into a patch of muddy ornamental bushes.
From the balcony above, Dante saw the flash of movement in the side courtyard. His heart leaped into his throat as he spotted Grace standing amidst the chaos.
With three rapid shots, Dante cleared the remaining mercenaries near the gate, vaulted over the balcony railing down to the courtyard below—a dangerous, death-defying drop of twenty feet—and hit the stone running.
He crossed the courtyard in seconds, sliding to a halt right in front of Grace just as Marcus Moretti emerged from behind an armored truck, a heavy automatic pistol raised and pointed directly at Dante’s chest.
"End of the line, Vance!" Moretti snarled, his finger tightening on the trigger.
In a fraction of a second, before Dante could raise his weapon, Grace stepped directly into Moretti's line of fire, spreading her arms wide to shield Dante with her own body.
"Don't you dare!" Grace screamed.
Moretti hesitated for a split second, momentarily thrown off by the unexpected move. That microsecond of hesitation was all Dante needed.
With lightning speed, Dante drew his sidearm and fired a single, perfect shot.
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The bullet struck Moretti’s weapon, shattering the metal frame and sending the gun flying from his hand with a sharp clatter. Before Moretti could recover, Viktor and the remaining security detail swarmed the courtyard, pinning the aging syndicate boss to the ground and disarming the last of his surviving men.
The courtyard fell into a profound, echoing silence, broken only by the hiss of steam from a punctured radiator on one of the enemy trucks.
