Chapter 8 - The Loyal Blood
Marco screamed in agony, dropping the silver revolver onto the wooden planks.
Lorenzo did not hesitate for a single second.
He sprinted across the pier and tackled Clara and Rosie to the ground, shielding them with his broad shoulders.
A massive firefight erupted as a dozen heavily armed men emerged from the shipping containers.
They were not Marco's mercenaries, and they were not corrupt police officers.
They were Lorenzo's elite personal guard, led by his supposedly traitorous captain, Leo.
Leo stepped out of the fog, firing a heavy assault rifle into Marco's panicked reinforcements.
"I faked the phone call, boss!" Leo shouted over the deafening roar of gunfire.
"I needed Marco to think I flipped so I could track his location and secure your mother!"
Lorenzo felt a massive surge of relief, realizing his true loyalists had never abandoned him.
Marco clutched his bleeding wrist and desperately scrambled toward a sleek, black speedboat tied to the dock.
He realized his coup had failed and his entire operation was collapsing around him.
Marco managed to leap into the boat and hit the ignition button with his good hand.
The powerful engines roared to life, churning the dark water into violent white foam.
Lorenzo knew that if Marco escaped, he would simply regroup and hunt his family forever.
Lorenzo grabbed a discarded pistol from the pier and jumped blindly toward the accelerating speedboat.
He landed hard on the fiberglass deck, the impact knocking the breath completely out of his lungs.
The boat tore away from the pier, speeding dangerously fast into the open ocean.
Lorenzo raised his pistol and aimed it directly at Marco's chest.
"It is over, Marco," Lorenzo yelled over the roaring wind.
Marco turned around, laughing hysterically despite the blood pouring from his shattered arm.
He opened his suit jacket, revealing heavy blocks of C4 explosives strapped tightly to his chest.
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Marco held up his good hand, displaying a small electronic detonator tightly gripped in his palm.
"If my heart stops, this thumb switch releases, and we both turn into red mist," Marco sneered.
