Chapter 5 - THE SNAKE IN THE GARDEN
The ballroom erupted into instant chaos.
Valenti screamed, clutching his eyes as the champagne—and the burning chemical toxin dissolved within it—stung his face. His bodyguards drew their weapons instantly, but Vincent was already moving.
Vincent pulled his pistol, grabbed my waist, and flipped the heavy oak table onto its side, creating an impenetrable barricade just as the first volley of gunfire shattered the crystal chandeliers overhead.
Screams echoed through the room as wealthy guests scrambled for the exits.
"Clara! Stay behind me!" Vincent barked, firing three rapid shots over the edge of the table. Two of Valenti’s men dropped to the floor, dead before they hit the carpet.
"The waiter!" I shouted over the deafening noise, pointing toward the side exit leading to the hotel kitchens. "He had a viper tattoo on his wrist! It was Mateo’s men!"
Vincent’s eyes darkened with lethal focus. He tapped his earpiece. "Marcus! Seal the hotel exits! Nobody leaves this building alive!"
He turned to me, his hands grasping my shoulders tightly. His gaze scanned my face, looking for any sign of fear, but all he found was adrenaline and absolute trust.
"You saved my life," Vincent said, his voice raw with disbelief. "He poisoned the glass."
"I told you I was paying attention," I said, my chest heaving as I pulled the silver pistol from my handbag just like he had taught me.
A slow, fierce smile touched Vincent’s lips—a look of pure pride. "My queen."
We moved together through the smoke and flashing muzzle lights, covering each other’s flanks as Vincent’s vanguard flooded the ballroom, completely overwhelming Valenti’s remaining men.
Within five minutes, the gunfire died down to a terrifying silence.
Don Valenti was on his knees behind the bar, his hands tied behind his back, his face red and swollen from the poison champagne. Around him, thirty of his lieutenants were pinned against the marble walls by Rossi soldiers.
Vincent walked over to Valenti, stepping over the shattered glass and spent shell casings. He stopped right in front of the old man, looking down at him with utter contempt.
"You tried to poison me at the Commission table," Vincent said softly. "You broke the sacred truce."
"It wasn't me!" Valenti panicked, coughing violently. "It was Mateo’s faction! They paid off my head guard! They told me if I distracted you, they would take care of the rest!"
"Where is their base?" Vincent demanded, leveling his gun at Valenti’s forehead.
"The abandoned meatpacking plant on 14th Street!" Valenti wept, completely broken. "They have fifty men waiting there! They have automatic weapons, explosives—they were planning to storm your estate tonight while you were here!"
Vincent didn't flinch. He looked over at Marcus, his chief of security.
"Take Valenti into custody," Vincent ordered. "Hold him in the cellar until I return."
He turned back to me, taking my hand and pulling me out of the ruined ballroom toward the waiting armored motorcade outside.
"Where are we going?" I asked, my blood pumping fast.
"They planned to attack my house while I was away," Vincent said, his eyes burning with an ancient, dark fire as he helped me into the back of the SUV. "So I am going to bring the war to their doorstep before they even realize the poison failed."
He reached over, taking my gun from my hand, checking the magazine, and handing it back to me.
"You stay in the command vehicle with the rear guard," Vincent instructed sternly. "You've done enough tonight, Clara."
"No," I said, locking my eyes onto his. "If they come for our house, they come for me too. I am going with you."
Vincent stared at me for three long seconds. The cold mob boss faded, replaced by a man looking at a woman he couldn't help but revere.
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"You really are insane," he murmured, a breathy laugh escaping his lips. "God help me, Clara... I am completely in love with you."
My heart did a violent flip in my chest. Before I could process his words, he leaned in and kissed me—hard, possessive, and full of a desperate passion that made the rest of the dark world disappear.
