Chapter 5 - The Siege in the Dark
The underground medical bay felt like a tomb in the suffocating darkness.
Emergency red backup lights flickered on, casting long, bloody shadows across the walls.
Rocco quickly crushed the blinking GPS tracker beneath the heel of his leather shoe.
He drew his heavy tactical pistol and checked the chamber with practiced efficiency.
"Elena," Rocco commanded, his voice cutting through the panic.
"Grab the child and follow me exactly."
Elena scrambled to her feet, clutching the newborn tightly to her chest while grabbing Sophia's hand.
Rocco stepped over the lifeless body of his former consigliere and pushed open the heavy steel door.
The hidden servant’s corridor was completely silent, but the distinct smell of cordite drifted down from the upper floors.
He could hear the heavy, tactical footsteps of mercenaries moving methodically above them.
"We cannot go back up to the main house," Rocco whispered.
"We need to reach the security control room to open the armory."
He led the terrified family through a maze of narrow, brick-lined tunnels that had been built during prohibition.
They reached a reinforced steel door marked with a biometric scanner.
Rocco pressed his thumb against the glass panel, and the heavy door hissed open.
The security room was filled with glowing monitors displaying camera feeds from all over the estate.
Rocco quickly scanned the screens to assess the tactical situation.
Dozens of armed men wearing unmarked black tactical gear were swarming his beautiful home.
They were executing his remaining staff without a second thought.
Then, Rocco's eyes locked onto a specific camera feed from his private study.
Valentina had not fled the estate at all.
She was standing by his mahogany desk, casually directing the mercenaries with a radio.
She was holding the heavy, leather-bound ledger that contained the banking codes for the entire Moretti fortune.
Rocco felt a cold, calculating fury replace the shock of the betrayal.
She had orchestrated this massive assault just to steal his empire out from under him.
He watched the screen as the lead mercenary walked into the study to report to Valentina.
The mercenary pulled off his black tactical mask to wipe the sweat from his face.
Rocco stared at the monitor, his heart suddenly skipping a violent beat.
The man on the screen had the exact same square jaw, dark hair, and distinctive scar over his left eye.
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It was Rocco’s younger brother, Carlo Moretti.
The same brother Rocco had personally buried in a closed casket ten years ago.
