Chapter 9 - The Final Stand
Vincent collapsed onto the blood-stained snow. "No!" I screamed with all the air in my lungs. Noah fell to his knees beside his father, sobbing uncontrollably. From the shadows of the pine trees, a solitary figure walked out onto the snowy road. It was not Carlo. It was the man I had recognized the night before. It was the underboss, the man who had been Vincent's closest friend for twenty years. His name was Salvatore, and he held a smoking pistol in his hand. "Carlo was a loud, arrogant fool," Salvatore said smoothly. "He did the heavy lifting, but I am the one who orchestrated this entire coup." Salvatore pointed the gun directly at Noah’s head. "The Moretti bloodline ends tonight," Salvatore declared coldly. Vincent coughed up blood, trying desperately to reach his dropped weapon. He was entirely too weak to move. I looked at the terrified little boy who had offered me a smile when I had absolutely nothing. I looked at the father who had sacrificed his entire empire to protect his son. I refused to let them die here. I slowly stood up, raising my hands in the air. "Let the boy go," I said, my voice completely steady. Salvatore laughed mockingly at me. "And why would I do that, street rat?" he asked. "Because if you kill him, the other mafia families will know you murder children," I lied with absolute conviction. "They will never respect you as a leader." Salvatore hesitated for a fraction of a second. That was all the time I needed. I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out the small hunting knife Vincent had given me at the cabin. With a desperate, animalistic scream, I charged directly at the armed mafia boss. Salvatore’s eyes went wide. He immediately shifted his aim from Noah to me. He pulled the trigger twice in rapid succession. I felt a burning, tearing agony rip through my abdomen. The force of the bullets knocked me backward onto the icy ground. I lay in the snow, staring up at the dark, starry sky as my vision began to fade. Salvatore walked over to me, sneering in disgust. "Stupid woman," Salvatore muttered, raising his gun to finish me off. He never got the chance to pull the trigger. A massive, bloodied hand suddenly gripped Salvatore’s ankle from behind.
