Chapter 5 - Shadow over the Estate
The cellar beneath the Moretti mansion was an ancient network of stone archways and vaulted wine vaults dating back to the late nineteenth century.
Luca’s hand was on his custom gold-embossed Beretta before Grace could even stand up. He placed his body in front of hers, signaling for Titan to stay close.
"Reyes!" Luca called out, his voice sharp as a razor.
The heavy door to the security monitoring room opened, but it wasn't Victor Reyes who stepped out.
It was three men dressed in unmarked tactical gear, carrying suppressed submachine guns. Behind them stood Victor Reyes himself, holding a steel briefcase and a encrypted radio.
"I was hoping you'd stay upstairs for another twenty minutes, Boss," Reyes said, his voice cold and devoid of its usual deference.
Luca didn't flinch, keeping his weapon trained directly on Reyes’ chest. "The Volkov cartel paid you, Victor? Or was it the Falcone family?"
"Falcone offered twenty million for the shipment records in your private vault," Reyes smirked, gesturing toward the hidden reinforced door at the back of the kitchen pantry. "And another five million for the dogs' disarm codes. But it turns out I didn't need the codes. All I needed was for you to let your guard down because of a pretty cook."
Grace stepped out from behind Luca's broad shoulder, her eyes cold. "You brought mercenaries into this house."
"Shut up, girl!" Reyes snapped. "You ruined six months of planning! Those dogs were supposed to attack you, create a distraction, and let my team slip through the north gate during the chaos! Instead, you turned them into pets!"
"They aren't pets," Grace said softly, her voice calm despite the three submachine guns pointed at her chest. "They're a family."
Grace raised her right hand slowly to her mouth and let out a soft, low whistle—a two-note melody that sounded like a meadow lark calling through the fog.
From the courtyard outside, six massive bodies slammed simultaneously against the reinforced glass windows of the kitchen.
CRACK.
The bulletproof glass Spider-webbed under the incredible kinetic impact of six three-hundred-pound animals throwing themselves against the frame.
The three mercenaries turned their weapons toward the window in a panic.
"Titan, STRIKE!" Grace commanded.
Titan didn't leap through the glass. He lunged directly at Reyes’ legs from inside the room, knocking the chief security officer off his feet with the force of a freight train.
Luca fired three rapid shots, dropping two of the mercenaries before they could acquire their targets. The third mercenary swung his gun toward Grace, but Luca closed the distance in a single stride, grabbing the barrel of the weapon, twisting the man's arm until the bone snapped, and driving a knee violently into his ribs.
The mercenary hit the floor, unconscious.
Outside, the remaining five dogs shattered the inner timber doors, flooding into the hallway like a wave of dark armor. They surrounded Reyes, who was screaming on the floor as Titan held his shoulder down with a single, massive paw, his jaws hovering an inch from Reyes’ throat.
"Call them off! Call them off!" Reyes shrieked, tears and sweat streaming down his face. "Luca! Please!"
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Luca walked over, stepping on Reyes' dropped gun. He looked down at his former chief of security with utter disgust.
"You thought Grace made me weak, Victor?" Luca said smoothly, bending down to pick up the dropped steel briefcase. "Grace didn't make me weak. She showed me who was loyal... and who was trash."
