Chapter 9 - The Final Stand
My vision turned entirely red as the terrifying truth washed over me.
Vincenzo had deliberately stalled me at the gate just long enough to smuggle my newborn son away.
I turned toward the mafia boss with a murderous rage that words could not describe.
I dropped my gun entirely, refusing to give him a quick or merciful death.
I lunged forward and tackled Vincenzo violently to the hard stone floor.
I punched him in the face over and over again, shattering his nose and cheekbones.
He fought back desperately, pulling a hidden dagger from his boot and slashing my side.
I ignored the burning pain in my ribs and pinned his armed hand to the ground.
I demanded to know exactly where his guard had taken my innocent son.
Vincenzo spat blood directly into my face and smiled through his broken teeth.
He told me the guard was taking the child to an orphanage in Europe to be raised as a forgotten nobody.
I wrapped both of my hands firmly around Vincenzo's throat and squeezed with all my remaining strength.
I watched the cruel light slowly fade from his dark, evil eyes until he stopped moving completely.
I stood up, breathing heavily, completely covered in my enemy's blood.
My loyal soldiers flooded into the crypt, securing the room and calling for immediate medical help.
I knelt beside Grace and held her tightly against my chest.
I swore on my own life that I would tear the entire world apart to find our missing boy.
Just then, my lead lieutenant rushed over to me with a frantic look on his face.
He had chased the escaping guard into the dark tunnel system beneath the church.
He reported that the tunnel led directly to a hidden underground garage.
The guard was cornered, but he had locked himself inside an armored transport van.
The lieutenant hesitated, his face going completely pale in the flickering candlelight.
He told me the van was rigged with a massive amount of military-grade C4 explosives.
The desperate guard was holding a dead-man's switch connected directly to the bomb.
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If we tried to breach the armored vehicle, the guard would release the switch and kill everyone.
Including my newborn son trapped inside.
