Chapter 9 - The Final Stand
Matteo collapsed to the ground, gasping desperately for air as his airway crushed under Lorenzo's blow.
I grabbed Lorenzo's hand, and we sprinted out of the burning mansion into the cool night air.
Before we left the bunker, Lorenzo had wisely hidden the real Leo inside a specialized, fireproof floor safe equipped with oxygen.
The bronze statue had been a desperate, brilliant decoy to buy us time to escape the ambush.
We reached the center of the courtyard just as the distant wail of police sirens pierced the night.
Sophia stumbled out of the flaming doorway, her expensive clothes singed and her face twisted in pure madness.
She was holding Matteo's dropped pistol with her uninjured left hand.
"If I cannot have the Rossi empire, nobody will!" Sophia screamed hysterically.
She raised the gun and aimed it directly at my chest, determined to end my life.
I froze, completely paralyzed by fear as I stared down the barrel of the weapon.
A gunshot rang out loudly in the courtyard.
I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting the agonizing pain of a bullet tearing through my body.
Instead, I felt a heavy weight crash violently into my side, knocking me safely to the grass.
I opened my eyes and saw Lorenzo lying on the ground beside me.
He had thrown himself in front of me, taking the bullet meant for my heart.
Blood rapidly blossomed across his white dress shirt, completely soaking the fabric.
"Lorenzo!" I screamed in sheer terror, pressing my hands frantically against his bleeding chest.
Sophia laughed manically and stepped closer to deliver the final, execution-style shot.
Before she could pull the trigger, the front gates burst open.
Dozens of armored federal agents swarmed the courtyard, their weapons trained on the deranged woman.
"Drop the weapon!" the lead agent roared over a megaphone.
Sophia refused to surrender, raising her gun toward the tactical team in a final act of defiance.
The agents opened fire, dropping Sophia to the ground instantly.
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The threat was finally, permanently over.
I wept over Lorenzo's body, begging him to stay with me as the paramedics rushed toward us.
