Chapter 9 - The Explosive Truth
Gianni screamed in agony, collapsing onto the wet pavement as his knee shattered entirely.
The thirty mercenaries immediately raised their weapons, completely confused by the sudden sniper fire.
Salvatore did not hesitate for a microsecond.
He grabbed Milo, threw himself violently out of the wheelchair, and rolled them both behind a massive steel shipping container.
"Fire in the hole!" Salvatore roared.
He pressed the detonator button firmly.
The wheelchair exploded with a deafening, earth-shattering boom.
A massive fireball erupted in the center of the shipyard, illuminating the night sky with brilliant orange light.
The shockwave threw the mercenaries backward, raining burning metal and debris down upon them.
The sheer force of the blast temporarily deafened everyone in the yard.
Before the smoke could even clear, Luca’s sniper rifle began to fire rhythmically from the high ground.
He picked off the disoriented mercenaries one by one with lethal, calculated precision.
Salvatore shielded Milo with his own body as bullets ricocheted off the steel container above them.
"Stay down, kid," Salvatore whispered, pulling his heavy pistol from his waistband.
The surviving mercenaries broke rank and fled in complete panic, abandoning their wounded leader in the rain.
The gunfire finally ceased, leaving only the sound of burning tires and groaning men.
Salvatore peeked around the corner of the container.
Gianni was dragging himself desperately across the wet concrete, leaving a thick trail of blood behind him.
Salvatore pulled himself forward, dragging his paralyzed legs through the freezing mud until he reached his treacherous cousin.
He pressed the hot barrel of his pistol directly against the back of Gianni's head.
Gianni froze, sobbing pathetically in the dirt.
"Please, Salvatore, we are family," Gianni begged, his voice cracking with sheer terror.
"Family does not shoot children," Salvatore replied coldly.
Before Salvatore could pull the trigger, the wail of police sirens pierced the distant night.
Someone had called the cops after hearing the massive explosion.
"Boss, we have to move now!" Luca shouted, scrambling down the rusted ladders from his sniper perch.
Salvatore looked down at his pathetic, bleeding cousin.
"You are going to spend the rest of your miserable life in a federal prison, Gianni."
"And if you ever breathe a word about me or my family, I will have you killed behind bars."
Salvatore struck Gianni across the temple with the heavy pistol, knocking him completely unconscious.
May you like
Luca arrived seconds later, scooping Milo up into his arms and helping Salvatore into a waiting getaway car.
They sped away into the dark night just as the flashing blue and red lights of the police cruisers flooded the shipyard.
