Chapter 7 - A Councilman’s Bargain
Rossi’s scotch glass slipped from his fingers, shattering against the metal rim of the desk and splashing amber liquid across a stack of municipal export documents.
“Moretti,” Rossi breathed, his face draining of color as he scrambled backward in his executive chair, desperately fumbling for the holster beneath his suit jacket.
I didn't give him the chance. I crossed the room in two strides, kicked his desk hard enough to send it crashing into his knees, and pressed the cold steel barrel of my revolver directly against the center of his forehead.
“Touch your holster, Victor, and I’ll paint this wall with your expensive dental work,” I whispered, my voice flat, cold, and entirely devoid of human warmth.
Rossi froze, his hands hovering mid-air, trembling violently. Sweat beaded across his slicked-back gray hair. “W-wait! Think about this, Gabriel! You kill a sitting city councilman in cold blood, the feds will tear your entire operation apart piece by piece! You won't survive forty-eight hours!”
“You poisoned my shoulder, you embezzled millions from public safety funds, and you dragged a four-year-old child out of my home to cover your tracks,” I replied, applying just enough pressure with the barrel to force his head back against the wall. “What makes you think I care about federal indictments right now?”
From beneath the desk, a tiny sniffle caught my ear.
I lowered my gaze. Lily was staring up at me with massive, tear-swollen eyes, her small fingers clutching the fabric of my trousers. She didn't scream, but her lower lip quivered as she whispered, “Are you going to hurt him?”
The pure, unfiltered innocence in her voice cut through the white-hot rage roaring in my veins.
I lowered the gun slightly, keeping it trained on Rossi’s chest, and dropped down onto one knee right in front of the little girl.
“No, sweetheart,” I said softly, my voice changing entirely as I reached out and gently plucked a piece of lint from her white orthopedic brace. “I’m not going to hurt anyone anymore. Can you stand up for me?”
Lily nodded slowly, her brave little face trying to mimic a smile. With a slight wince as the metal hinge caught her skirt, she pushed herself up, leaning heavily against my shoulder.
“Good girl,” I murmured, scooping her up into my right arm, keeping my left hand firmly gripping the revolver aimed dead at Rossi’s heart.
Rossi swallowed hard, his eyes darting toward the open office door behind me. “You... you think you can just walk out of here with her? My men are stationed all through this warehouse, Moretti. The second you step out that door—"
CRASH.
The rear loading bay doors exploded inward with a deafening roar of grinding metal and shattered glass. Heavy automatic gunfire echoed through the cavernous warehouse as Carmine and the tactical strike team swarmed the floor, cutting down Rossi’s security detail before they could even unholster their weapons.
The battle was over almost as soon as it began.
Carmine’s boots thudded heavily down the corridor, and a second later, he appeared in the office doorway, his submachine gun smoking, a grim smile on his face.
“Building’s secure, boss,” Carmine announced, his eyes darting to Rossi. “Looks like the councilman’s private army retired early.”
Rossi slumped back in his chair, his last shred of bravado completely shattered. He looked at me, holding a terrified little girl in one arm and a smoking gun in the other, and realized the game was over.
“What do you want?” Rossi croaked.
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“I want every ledger, every shipping code, and every digital file connecting you to the municipal medical conspiracy,” I said coldly. “And then, Victor... I want you to sign a full confession detailing every dollar you stole from the city and every threat you made against my house.”
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