Chapter 7 - The Traitor's Bullet
Dante collapsed heavily to his knees, his weapon clattering onto the concrete floor.
Mara screamed in sheer terror, dropping down to catch him before his face hit the ground.
She pressed her hands frantically against the massive, bleeding exit wound on his chest, her fingers instantly slick with his blood.
She looked over her shoulder to see who had fired the devastating shot.
Silas, Dante’s massive and supposedly loyal second-in-command, stepped out of the shadows holding a smoking sniper rifle.
"I am sorry, Boss," Silas said, his voice entirely devoid of remorse.
"The Senator offered me ten million dollars and full immunity to take over your syndicate."
Senator Thorne let out a booming, triumphant laugh, stepping forward to kick Dante’s discarded weapon away.
"You really thought a filthy mafia thug could outsmart a United States Senator?" Thorne mocked, straightening his expensive tie.
Bianca stepped out from behind her father, a wicked, victorious smile stretching across her face.
"Finish them both, Silas," Bianca ordered, pointing a manicured finger at Mara. "And make sure you aim for her stomach."
Silas raised the heavy rifle, resting the crosshairs directly on Mara's trembling body.
Dante, bleeding out and struggling for breath, suddenly grabbed Mara's wrist with terrifying strength.
With a roar of pure, primal adrenaline, Dante pulled a hidden flashbang grenade from his tactical belt and pulled the pin with his teeth.
He threw it directly at Silas's feet and shoved Mara down behind a steel beam.
The grenade detonated with a blinding flash of white light and a deafening, high-pitched screech.
Silas dropped his rifle, clawing at his blinded eyes and screaming in agony.
The Senator and Bianca stumbled backward, completely disoriented by the concussive blast.
Dante grabbed his sidearm from the floor, his breathing ragged and shallow as blood poured from his shoulder.
He didn't have the strength to shoot accurately, so he shot the massive overhead chain holding a suspended shipping container.
The heavy steel links snapped, and the multi-ton container crashed down directly between them and the Senator.
The impact shook the entire pier, creating a temporary, impenetrable wall of steel and debris.
"We have to go," Dante gasped, his weight leaning entirely heavily on Mara's small frame.
Mara wrapped her arm around his waist, practically dragging the massive mafia boss toward the side exit of the warehouse.
They stumbled out into the freezing rain, hiding in the dark alleyways as police sirens began wailing in the distance.
Dante’s knees finally buckled, and he collapsed against the brick wall of an abandoned storefront.
"Mara," he rasped, his face turning an alarming shade of gray. "I can't make it to the safehouse."
Mara ripped off her coat and pressed it hard against his bleeding chest, weeping openly.
"You are not allowed to die on me, Dante Russo," she sobbed desperately.
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He reached up with a bloody, trembling hand and softly cupped her cheek.
"I love you, Mara," he whispered, his eyes rolling back in his head as he finally lost consciousness.
