Chapter 9 - The Commission's Judgment
The entire warehouse froze as Marcus held the cold blade to my throat.
My mother fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably and begging him to take her life instead.
Don Carmine signaled his elite enforcers to hold their fire, unwilling to risk a stray bullet hitting the hostage.
Vincent stood up slowly, blood dripping heavily from a deep cut on his cheek.
"Let the girl go, Marcus," Vincent said, his voice completely devoid of any emotion.
"You are surrounded, and you have absolutely nowhere left to run."
Marcus laughed hysterically, his eyes wide with desperate, unhinged panic.
"I am walking out of here right now, and if anyone follows me, I will end her!" Marcus screamed.
He took a step backward toward the loading dock doors, dragging me aggressively along with him.
I remembered what Vincent had done at the bistro when Marcus pulled a gun.
I waited until Marcus took another heavy, unbalanced step backward.
Then, I stomped my hard plastic light-up sneaker down onto his toes with every ounce of strength I had.
Marcus gasped in sudden pain, and his grip loosened for just a fraction of a second.
That fraction of a second was all Vincent needed to act.
Vincent hurled a heavy metal wrench he had picked up from the floor with lethal, perfect precision.
The heavy steel struck Marcus squarely in the center of his forehead.
Marcus collapsed backward like a broken puppet, dropping the knife instantly to the floor.
Vincent rushed forward and scooped me up, carrying me safely back to my weeping mother.
Don Carmine stood up from his leather chair and walked slowly over to the unconscious traitor.
He looked at the unencrypted ledger one last time before turning to his armed men.
"Clean up this mess, and bring David Sterling to me alive," Carmine commanded coldly.
He looked at Vincent with a newfound sense of profound, undeniable respect.
"You have proven your loyalty tonight, Vincent," Carmine said softly.
"Your territory is secure, and you have my sincere apologies for the misunderstanding."
May you like
Carmine turned to walk away, leaving us in the cold, echoing warehouse.
Just as we thought the nightmare was finally over, Vincent pulled out his own gun and pointed it directly at Carmine's back.
