Chapter 18 - The Bloody Banquet
Before Mateo could pull the trigger, the entire penthouse violently shook.
A deafening, massive explosion shattered the reinforced glass windows of the grand dining room down the hall.
The incredibly loud blare of tactical security alarms filled the entire compound.
Ricardo had received my distress signal.
He did not just call the police.
He brought the entire, heavily armed force of the Commission's private army directly to the penthouse.
Mateo flinched in absolute shock as the sounds of heavy machine-gun fire erupted outside the server room.
I did not hesitate for a fraction of a second.
I lunged forward, grabbing Mateo's wrist and violently twisting the gun away from my face.
The weapon fired wildly into the ceiling, showering us with hot plaster.
I drove my knee fiercely into his stomach, sending him crashing into the heavy server racks.
I snatched the dropped pistol from the floor and sprinted out into the chaotic hallway.
The luxurious penthouse was a complete, horrific warzone.
Thick smoke filled the air, and cartel mercenaries were engaging in brutal, close-quarters combat with Italian enforcers.
"Clara!" a deeply familiar, desperate voice roared over the gunfire.
Ricardo emerged from the smoke, wearing heavy tactical body armor and carrying an assault rifle.
He looked like a terrifying, unstoppable god of war.
He saw me holding the pistol and rushed forward, pulling me fiercely behind a solid marble pillar.
"You foolish, beautiful idiot," Ricardo yelled, kissing my forehead aggressively.
"I told you we never run from our enemies."
"I was gathering intel," I yelled back over the deafening noise.
"I have the exact locations of every single Vargas cartel safehouse in the city."
Before Ricardo could respond, Alejandro Vargas stepped into the ruined hallway.
He held a heavy shotgun, his elegant overcoat completely covered in dust and blood.
He looked at me standing securely behind Ricardo, and his face twisted into absolute, demonic fury.
"You betrayed your own blood!" Alejandro roared, racking his weapon.
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"You are not my blood," I yelled back, stepping out from behind the pillar with my gun raised.
"You are just a monster."
