Chapter 9 - The Meeting
The docks were shrouded in a thick, freezing fog rolling off the harbor.
I stood beside Dominic, wearing a heavy wool coat over my bandages.
Dozens of heavily armed men from both syndicates formed a tense circle around a single wooden crate.
Victor Costa stood on the other side, wearing a triumphant grin.
"Ah, the blushing bride," Costa mocked, spreading his arms wide.
"Where is her mother, Victor?" Dominic demanded, his hand resting on the grip of his pistol.
Costa laughed, a grating sound that cut through the foggy night.
"I don't have her mother, Dominic," Costa sneered.
"I just needed the girl out in the open so we could end this little war."
Costa pulled a heavily modified handgun from his waistband and pointed it at me.
"Her bloodline ends tonight, and the Chicago territory becomes mine."
Dominic stepped in front of me, completely shielding my body with his own.
"If you shoot, you won't leave these docks alive," Dominic warned.
"I am willing to make that trade," Costa smiled.
Before Costa could pull the trigger, a sharp, echoing crack split the air.
Victor Costa’s eyes widened in sudden, agonizing surprise.
A red bloom blossomed on his chest, and he collapsed backward onto the wet wooden planks.
Panic erupted instantly as Costa's men drew their weapons, looking for the unseen shooter.
"Sniper!" Enzo yelled, tackling Dominic and me to the ground.
Chaos consumed the docks as gunfire erupted blindly into the fog.
I lay pressed against the cold, wet wood, struggling to breathe beneath Dominic's heavy frame.
"Hold your fire!" Dominic roared to his men, realizing they had no clear target.
The silence that followed was terrifying, broken only by the sound of groaning men.
I looked up cautiously and saw a tiny, bright red laser dot cutting through the fog.
May you like
It danced across the wooden planks before resting perfectly still.
The red dot was planted firmly squarely between Dominic’s eyes.
