Chapter 4 - The Infiltration
The rain had turned into a torrential downpour by midnight. A fleet of three blacked-out armored SUVs sat idle on a muddy service road overlooking the Romano estate in Bergen County, New Jersey.
Inside the lead vehicle, Adrian was strapping on a black tactical vest, checking the slide on his custom suppressed pistol. Marco sat in the passenger seat, reviewing the compound's blueprint on a glowing tablet.
"The compound is heavily guarded, Boss," Marco warned. "Hector brought in at least twenty mercenaries from Miami after he took the dog. He knows you're coming."
"He doesn't know how fast I come," Adrian replied coldly. "Has the power grid been prepped?"
"Our hacker will cut the main lines in two minutes. Backup generators will take forty-five seconds to kick in. That's our window."
"Forty-five seconds is plenty of time," Adrian said. He looked out the tinted window at the distant estate lights. "Remember, primary objective is Bruno’s retrieval. Secondary objective is Hector Romano’s complete capitulation. No one leaves that house alive if the dog is dead."
"Understood."
At exactly 12:05 a.m., the glowing lights of the Romano mansion flickered and died. Darkness swallowed the compound.
"Move!" Adrian barked.
The doors flew open, and twelve heavily armed Moretti operatives poured into the shadows of the estate grounds. They bypassed the outer fence using hydraulic cutters, moving with terrifying, silent efficiency.
Adrian led the entry team through the rear greenhouse, breaching the double glass doors with a swift boot. The thermal scope on his rifle illuminated two guards running down the hallway in confusion, trying to reset their night-vision goggles.
Pfft. Pfft.
Two suppressed rounds echoed softly in the corridor. The guards dropped instantly. Adrian moved past them without slowing down, his boots silent on the marble floor.
"Checking the basement kennel," Marco radioed in. "I have two hostiles near the storage rooms."
Adrian moved toward the central study on the ground floor. He kicked open the heavy oak doors, flooding the room with the beam of his tactical flashlight.
Sitting behind a massive desk, holding an antique revolver with trembling hands, was Don Hector Romano. His face was pale, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared into the dark barrel of Adrian’s rifle.
"Where is my dog, Hector?" Adrian asked, his voice deathly calm.
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Hector swallowed hard, pointing a shaking finger toward the floor. "He’s... he’s in the wine cellar! Adrian, wait! This was a mistake! Vivienne told me you were going to eliminate our family!"
"Vivienne is locked in a room," Adrian said, stepping forward and striking Hector across the face with the butt of his weapon, sending the older man crashing to the floor. "And you are out of time."
