Chapter 9 - The Crossfire
The heavy oak doors of the ballroom blew completely off their hinges.
Thick, blinding smoke poured into the elegant room.
The syndicate bosses and wealthy guests threw themselves to the marble floor in absolute panic.
Through the smoke stepped a dozen heavily armed men wearing tactical gear bearing the Falcone family crest.
Ruby’s estranged older brother, Dante Falcone, led the charge with a heavy assault rifle in his hands.
"Nobody touches my sister!" Dante roared, opening fire on Camilla's guards.
Complete chaos erupted as a massive gunfight broke out between the two rival factions.
Crystal chandeliers shattered above them, raining sharp glass down on the terrified crowd.
Santiago tackled Ruby and Sophia to the ground, shielding them from the deadly crossfire.
"You called your family?" Santiago yelled over the deafening noise.
"I sent Dante a distress signal from the truck!" Ruby shouted back.
"I told him Camilla was the one who framed our father for the murder!"
Santiago realized Ruby had brilliantly manipulated the situation to bring an entire army to their rescue.
He pushed himself up and returned fire, covering their retreat toward the kitchen service doors.
Camilla was screaming frantically from the stage, watching her carefully constructed empire crumble into ruins.
She grabbed a silver pistol from one of her fallen guards and aimed it directly at Sophia's back.
Santiago saw the weapon raise out of the corner of his eye.
He did not have time to aim his own gun.
He threw his body in front of his sister just as Camilla pulled the trigger.
The bullet tore through Santiago’s shoulder, spinning him violently to the ground.
Ruby screamed his name in absolute terror.
Before Camilla could fire a second shot, Dante Falcone stepped through the smoke and unleashed a burst of gunfire.
Camilla collapsed onto the stage, her treacherous life finally coming to a bloody end.
The remaining Moretti traitors threw down their weapons and surrendered immediately.
The massive ballroom fell eerily silent, save for the groans of the wounded and the ringing in everyone's ears.
Ruby dropped to her knees beside Santiago, pressing her hands desperately against his bleeding shoulder.
"Stay with me, Santiago," she begged, tears streaming down her face.
Santiago smiled weakly, his hand reaching up to touch her cheek.
"I told you I protect what belongs to me," he whispered, coughing slightly.
Sophia knelt beside him, her hands trembling as she grabbed his coat.
She looked deeply into her brother's eyes.
She opened her mouth, fighting through seven years of deeply ingrained psychological trauma.
"San... ti... ago," Sophia choked out, her voice raspy and fragile.
May you like
Santiago’s eyes widened in sheer shock and overwhelming joy.
His sister had finally spoken her first word in seven years.
