Chapter 8 - The Ultimate Price
The sniper rifle echoed like a cannon shot through the warehouse.
Alessandro felt a blinding, white-hot pain explode in his right shoulder.
The impact spun him around, dropping him to his knees on the freezing concrete.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Marco return fire, hitting Victor square in the chest.
The Russian boss tumbled over the railing, crashing into the metal machinery below.
Alessandro gritted his teeth, ignoring the blood pouring down his sleeve, and crawled toward the edge of the pit.
Bruno was whining in agony, his teeth bleeding profusely, but he still refused to let go of the rope.
With his one good arm, Alessandro grabbed the rope below the dog's jaws.
“I have her, buddy,” Alessandro grunted.
“Let go.”
Bruno finally released his grip, collapsing onto the concrete, gasping for air.
Alessandro summoned every ounce of his remaining strength and hauled Sophia up over the jagged edge.
She collapsed into his chest, shaking uncontrollably and sobbing his name.
For a brief, quiet moment, Alessandro held her tight, feeling the warmth of her life against his own.
The remaining Russian thugs were dead or fleeing into the night.
They had won.
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Then, a metallic clink echoed across the silent floor.
One of the dying Russian guards had pulled the pin on a fragmentation grenade and rolled it directly toward them.
