Chương 8 - The Betrayal
Salvatore Moretti stepped entirely into the vault, blocking our only exit.
His armed men fanned out behind him, raising their assault rifles.
"Hand over the ledger, Dante," Salvatore demanded, extending his free hand.
"And I might let the girl live long enough to watch you die."
Dante pushed me firmly behind his back, shielding me with his body.
"How did you know we were here, Salvatore?" Dante asked, his voice lethally calm.
"You really should pay your staff better, Dante," Salvatore chuckled softly.
I looked past Salvatore's shoulder and saw a familiar figure step into the light.
It was Enzo.
Dante's loyal, scarred guard was holding a suppressed pistol, completely unharmed.
"Enzo?" Dante whispered, genuine shock finally cracking his stoic facade.
"It is nothing personal, Boss," Enzo said, avoiding Dante's eyes.
"Moretti offered me three million dollars and a territory in Brooklyn."
"I am tired of taking bullets for your family."
The betrayal hung heavily in the freezing, damp air of the vault.
Dante slowly raised his good hand, holding the black leather ledger out toward Salvatore.
"Take it," Dante said quietly.
Salvatore smiled greedily and stepped forward to claim his prize.
As Salvatore reached for the book, Dante violently threw it directly into the man's face.
In the same fluid motion, Dante drew his pistol and fired two rapid shots.
The first bullet took out the closest Moretti guard.
The second bullet grazed Salvatore's cheek, spinning the old mafia boss around.
"Close the door!" Salvatore screamed in a panic, scrambling backward into the hallway.
Enzo and the remaining guards retreated out of the vault.
With a deafening metallic screech, the massive steel door began to swing shut.
Dante lunged forward to stop it, but he was a second too late.
The vault door slammed closed, plunging us into absolute, pitch-black darkness.
The heavy mechanical locks clicked into place with finality.
We were entirely trapped inside a steel tomb beneath the city.
I heard Dante breathing heavily in the dark.
"Dante?" I whispered, my voice echoing off the metal walls.
"I am here," he replied, turning on his tactical flashlight.
The narrow beam of light illuminated the sheer panic on my face.
"They are going to leave us down here to starve," I cried, backing against the cold wall.
"No, they are not," Dante said grimly, shining the light toward the floor.
I looked down and gasped in absolute horror.
Thick, freezing water was rapidly pouring into the vault through the ventilation grates near the baseboards.
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Enzo had completely ruptured the main water line of the abandoned bank.
The water was already covering my shoes.
