Chapter 8 - Blood and Betrayal
The weak beam of the flashlight trembled as it illuminated the terrifying visage of Don Salvatore.
The old man did not look frail or dying anymore.
He stood perfectly straight, the shotgun resting comfortably against his shoulder, his black eyes shining with cruel amusement.
"Dad," Gabriel choked out, lowering his pistol slightly out of pure shock.
"What are you doing down here?"
Salvatore chuckled, the harsh, grating sound echoing off the damp concrete walls.
"Did you really think the Lupattis could breach my compound without my permission, Gabriel?"
Tessa felt all the blood drain from her face as the horrifying truth settled into her bones.
"You let them in," Tessa whispered, stepping slightly behind Gabriel's broad shoulders.
"I opened the front gates," Salvatore corrected her smoothly, his finger resting lightly on the trigger.
"I needed a proper excuse to wipe out the remaining Lupatti trash, and I needed them gathered in one place to do it."
Gabriel gripped his gun tighter, his knuckles turning stark white in the dim light.
"You used us as bait."
"You put your own son in the crossfire just to settle an old score."
"You have grown soft, Gabriel," Salvatore spat, his voice dripping with venomous disgust.
"You spend your days playing businessman, worrying about stock prices and public relations."
"You brought this peasant girl into my home instead of putting a bullet in her brain the moment you found out about the money."
Salvatore pumped the shotgun with a loud, metallic clack that sounded like a death knell in the tight space.
"I am cleaning up your mess."
"Move aside, Gabriel, and let me kill the girl."
Gabriel stood his ground, raising his pistol and aiming it directly at his father's chest.
"I won't let you do it."
The silence that followed was heavier than the concrete buried above their heads.
Tessa held her breath, watching a father and son prepare to murder each other in the dark.
Salvatore did not hesitate.
He pulled the trigger.
The deafening boom of the shotgun blast ruptured Tessa's eardrums, sending a spray of lead tearing through the air.
Gabriel violently shoved Tessa to the ground, taking the brunt of the blast in his left shoulder.
He fired twice as he fell, his bullets striking the stone walls just inches from Salvatore's head.
Salvatore cursed and retreated into the darkness, leaving them alone in the smoke-filled tunnel.
Gabriel collapsed onto the dirt floor, clutching his ruined shoulder as dark blood rapidly pooled around his fingers.
Tessa crawled toward him in absolute terror, pressing her hands against the catastrophic wound to stop the bleeding.
Gabriel grabbed her wrist with his good hand, his eyes rolling back in excruciating pain.
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"He isn't coming back to finish us," Gabriel gasped, coughing up a speck of blood.
"He rigged the tunnel with explosives, Tessa, we have exactly three minutes before he blows it."
