Chapter 7 - Blood in the Foyer
The grand foyer of the Lake Forest mansion was a scene out of a nightmare.
Crystal from the shattered chandelier lay scattered across the blood-stained Italian marble floor like sparkling ice. Smoke filled the air, smelling of burnt cordite, plaster dust, and copper.
Three of Corvo's mercenaries were advancing slowly past the grand staircase, their rifles sweeping the upper balconies.
I stepped out from behind a marble pillar, my Kimber barked twice—BANG! BANG!
The lead shooter took two heavy rounds straight through his tactical visor, dropping instantly onto his back. The second man whirled toward me, but I rolled across the slick marble floor, coming up on one knee, firing three rapid shots into his chest plate before finishing him with a round to the neck.
The third mercenary dove behind the grand piano, returning blind fire that chipped away the marble pillar above my head.
"Matteo!" Leo yelled from the balcony above, dropping a fresh magazine into his submachine gun, pouring suppressed fire down into the entry hall, driving the remaining attackers back toward the shattered front entrance.
I sprinted toward the piano, sliding across the blood-slicked floor, grabbing the third mercenary by his tactical vest and smashing his head viciously against the solid mahogany frame until he went completely limp.
I panted heavily, wiping blood and plaster dust from my eyes. "Leo! Clear the ground floor! Where is Corvo?!"
A calm, cultured voice echoed from the shattered front doorway, amplified by a bullhorn.
"He's right here, Matteo."
I ducked behind the thick marble pillar, reloading my Kimber with my last spare magazine.
A tall, thin man stepped through the ruined iron framework of the front door. He wore an expensive gray trench coat, polished Italian leather shoes, and held a gold-plated cane in his right hand. His hair was silver, his face scarred by deep, old burn marks across his left cheek.
Don Corvo.
Behind him stood four massive, heavily armored bodyguards equipped with military-grade riot shields and fully automatic assault rifles.
"You've built a lovely fortress, Matteo," Corvo said smoothly, his voice carrying effortlessly over the ringing silence of the foyer. "It reminds me of your father's estate in Palermo. So grand. So expensive. And completely useless when the people inside your house decide to open the door for you."
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My heart stopped beating. "What did you say?"
Corvo chuckled softly, resting both hands on his gold cane. "Did you really think Valeria Bellona came to your house to save your daughter? The Bellona family doesn't protect people, Matteo. They execute contracts. She opened my dead-man's switch server. She leaked your Newark files. She led my strike team straight through your security grid."
