Chapter 68
A single, flickering lightbulb swung from the ceiling, casting long, restless shadows across the walls of the Romano family's secret hideout. The air smelled of old wood, gunpowder, and tension so thick it was almost suffocating.
Enzo stood at the center of the room, his hands planted firmly on the scarred wooden table. His eyes-cold, sharp, and unyielding-swept across the men gathered before him. Each face carried battle scars, the weight of past fights, and the silent promise of loyalty. Yet, one of them had broken that promise.
One of them had betrayed him.
Isabella stood beside him, arms crossed, her body rigid with controlled fury. Her pulse thrummed in her ears as she studied the faces before them. She had fought alongside these men, trusted them with her life. But now, trust was a fragile thing, shattering under the weight of suspicion.
"Someone gave Moretti our location." Enzo's voice was quiet, deadly. "Someone in this room."
Silence.
A thick, uneasy silence that stretched between them like a blade, pressing against their throats. No one moved. No one spoke.
Enzo's fingers tapped against the table. Once. Twice. Then, with a sudden movement, he slammed his fist down. The impact sent a sharp crack through the room, making a few men flinch.
"Do not test me." His voice dropped lower, colder. "We were careful. We moved in silence. Yet, Moretti always knew where we would be. He was always one step ahead." His gaze darkened. "That only happens when there's a rat among us."
A murmur rippled through the group, shifting feet, nervous glances.
Isabella inhaled sharply. "We intercepted a message." She pulled a small device from her pocket, setting it on the table. The screen flickered to life, showing a coded message. "It was sent from inside this warehouse. A signal to Moretti's remaining forces."
Silence once more. But this time, it was charged with something different.
Fear.
"When was it sent?" Matteo, Enzo's second-in-command, asked.
Enzo met his gaze. "Minutes ago."
A slow, sinking realization passed over the room.
Then, the first gunshot rang out.
The sharp crack of a rifle split the silence. A second later, the windows exploded inward as bullets rained into the room. Men dove for cover, overturning tables, pressing against the walls as chaos erupted.
"They're here!" someone shouted.
Enzo pulled Isabella down just as another bullet whizzed past her head, embedding itself into the wall behind her. Glass shattered. Wood splintered. The air filled with the acrid scent of gunfire and smoke.
"They knew exactly where to hit us," Isabella said, reloading her gun. "We have to move!"
Enzo's jaw clenched as he pulled his weapon free. They weren't just under attack. They were trapped.
The Romano safe house had stood for years as an unbreakable fortress-layers of security, reinforced walls, and a defense system designed to withstand any assault. But now, it was crumbling under the weight of betrayal.
Moretti's men swarmed the building, their gunfire relentless. Enzo fired back, taking down two of them in quick succession before ducking behind a metal cabinet. Isabella crouched beside him, pressing a hand against a shallow cut on her arm.
Matteo barked orders across the room, directing their men to hold the main entrance, but they were already being pushed back.
"We won't last," Isabella muttered.
A metallic clatter echoed through the room.
Enzo's stomach dropped.
"Move!" He grabbed Isabella, shoving her behind cover just as the grenade detonated.
The explosion shook the ground. Smoke and dust filled the air, blinding them. Enzo coughed, forcing himself to his feet. His ears rang, his vision swimming. Across the room, Matteo was already dragging wounded men toward the back exit.
Then-
"Enzo! Over here!"
Matteo stood at the far side of the room, near a partially hidden entrance in the floor. A onnnel.
Enzo's blood ran cold. That tunnel wasn't on the original blueprints. Someone had built it without his knowledge.
Someone had prepared an escape route before the attack even happened.
The mole hadn't just given Moretti their location.
They had planned for this.
"Go!" Matteo motioned toward the tunnel as bullets tore through the air. One by one, the remaining Romano men disappeared into the darkness. Enzo hesitated only a second before gripping Isabella's hand and pulling her after him.
The moment they stepped inside, the entrance slammed shut behind them.
The underground passage was damp and narrow, the walls pressing close. Their footsteps echoed, mixing with the distant sound of gunfire above.
Enzo's mind raced.
Who built this?
How long had they been playing this game?
Then-
A voice whispered from the shadows.
"You were never supposed to find out."
The group skidded to a halt.
Enzo spun, gun raised, his pulse thundering. The dim emergency lights lining the tunnel cast long shadows across the walls.
And then-
Matteo stepped forward.
The world slowed.
The air in the tunnel seemed to thin as realization sank in.
"You," Isabella whispered, her voice barely audible over the pounding of her heart.
Matteo exhaled, shaking his head. "I never wanted it to come to this, Enzo."
"Then why?" Enzo's voice was quiet, but the weight of it was deadly.
Matteo met his gaze without flinching. "You think Moretti is the real enemy?" He let out a humorless laugh. "You're wrong. You've been wrong all along."
Enzo's fingers tightened around his gun. "Explain."
Matteo smirked. "You wouldn't believe me even if I did. Moretti was never the endgame. There's someone else, someone bigger. Someone pulling all the strings." His eyes darkened. "And you, Enzo, were never supposed to make it this far."
A sharp click echoed through the tunnel.
Enzo barely had time to register the red laser dot that appeared on his chest.
Sniper.
The mole wasn't working alone.
Time stretched.
A gunshot rang out.
The tunnel exploded into chaos.
And everything went black.