Chapter 4 - Ambush at the Estate
The sound of shattering glass and heavy gunfire echoed through the grand marble hallways of the Moretti manor.
Rocco didn't flinch. He personally lifted his fragile son from the medical bed, wrapping him tightly in a thick leather bulletproof jacket, holding him close against his chest with his left arm while his right hand wielded his custom steel pistol.
"Mateo! Flank the eastern courtyard!" Rocco ordered into his radio as he made his way down the private rear staircase. "Don't let a single enemy mercenary reach the upper wing!"
Down in the main foyer, six heavily armed men clad in tactical gear were laying down suppressive fire, tearing through the mahogany furniture and priceless art pieces. They were Castiglione hitmen, sent to finish the job that Valentina had failed to complete.
"Where is the child?!" one of the masked gunmen shouted over the deafening noise of automatic rifles. "Find the boy and burn the house!"
From the shadows of the mezzanine balcony, Rocco appeared like a phantom.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Three deliberate, deadly shots rang out. Three mercenaries dropped to the marble floor instantly, their weapons clattering against the stone.
The remaining hitmen whirled around, spraying bullets toward the balcony, but Rocco had already moved, slipping through the secret service passages built by his father decades ago. He knew every inch of this mansion—every hidden door, every blind spot, every whisper of air in the ventilation shafts.
He reached the heavy reinforced door of the library panic room. He punched in the seven-digit security code, and the heavy steel door slid open with a soft hydraulic hiss.
Inside, Elena was holding Sophia in a tight embrace, both of them trembling as the sound of battle raged outside.
"Rocco!" Elena cried out in relief as he stepped inside.
Rocco gently transferred the wrapped bundle containing little Leo into Elena’s arms. "Keep him quiet. The walls are three feet of solid reinforced steel. You are safe here."
Sophia looked up at Rocco, noticing a small trickle of blood running down his cheek from a stray piece of flying glass. She reached out with her small hand and touched his arm.
"Don't let the bad men take him," she begged softly.
Rocco looked at the little girl, feeling a surge of protective fury that he hadn't felt in decades. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his gold pocket watch—the legacy of his father—and placed it gently in Sophia’s small hand.
"Hold this for me, Sophia," Rocco said softly. "As long as you have this watch, I will always come back."
He stepped back out into the hallway, and the heavy steel door sealed shut behind him with a thud.
Outside, the tide of battle had turned. Thomas Russo and thirty fully armed Moretti loyalists had surrounded the remaining invaders in the main courtyard. The rain had picked up again, washing the blood down the stone driveway.
Rocco walked down the front steps, his coat soaking wet, his eyes fixed on the leader of the hitmen, who was now pinned against the hood of a smoking SUV with Thomas's gun pressed against his temple.
Rocco pulled off his leather glove and slapped the mercenary across the face. "Who sent you? Was it Don Castiglione himself?"
The man spat blood onto the wet pavement, sneering. "You're too late, Moretti! The Commission already knows! Castiglione told them you went mad... that you killed your own wife and made up a story about a missing kid to start a war!"
Rocco chuckled—a cold, terrifying sound that made the captured hitman’s smile instantly disappear.
"Castiglione thinks he plays chess," Rocco said quietly. "But he forgot who owns the board."
Rocco turned to Thomas. "Load the trucks. We aren't waiting for noon. We are going to the Commission now."
"And the boy?" Thomas asked nervously. "Is it safe to leave him here?"
"The estate is locked down under heavy guard," Rocco said. "Mateo will stay with fifty men. But I am taking the evidence with me."
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Rocco pulled out his phone and dialed a private, unlisted number.
"District Attorney Vance," Rocco said as soon as the line connected. "This is Rocco Moretti. I have a story for you that will put Don Castiglione and three high-ranking judges in federal prison for the rest of their natural lives. Get your tactical team ready. We are meeting at the Grand Hotel."
