Chapter 7 - Unmasked
A server dressed in a black uniform pushed roughly through the crowd, carrying a covered silver tray.
Dante immediately reached for his holster, sensing something wrong, but the server was fast. He threw the silver tray to the ground, revealing a remote detonator in his hand.
"Nobody move!" the server screamed.
The crowd panicked, women shrieking as mobsters pulled their concealed weapons.
I looked at the server’s face beneath his cap. My blood ran cold.
It was Marcus.
He looked emaciated, his eyes sunken and bloodshot, a makeshift bandage wrapped around the bullet wound I had given him weeks ago.
"How did he get out of the cellar?!" I gasped, leaning into Lorenzo.
"Someone let him out," Lorenzo growled, his eyes sweeping the room until they landed on Eduardo Moretti, who was slowly backing away toward the exit. "Eduardo."
Marcus laughed maniacally, his finger resting heavily on the red button of the detonator. "You thought you could throw me in a dungeon, Rossi?! You thought you could take my woman?!"
"I am NOT your woman!" I shouted, stepping in front of Lorenzo. "You are a monster, Marcus! You killed our child!"
"Shut up!" Marcus shrieked. "I have five pounds of C4 strapped to the foundation of this ballroom! One press of this button, and everyone in this room goes to hell!"
The ballroom erupted into chaos as guests scrambled toward the double doors, but Lorenzo’s guards blocked the exits to prevent a stampede.
Lorenzo stood motionless, placing a calm hand on my back. "Marcus," Lorenzo spoke, his voice dangerously even. "You are a small bug who got caught in a game played by giants. Moretti promised you money and freedom if you set off that bomb, didn't he?"
Marcus hesitated, his grip on the detonator trembling. "He... he promised me ten million dollars!"
"Moretti lied to you," Lorenzo said smoothly, taking a slow step forward. "The moment you press that button, Eduardo’s snipers outside will put a bullet in your head so you can't talk to the FBI. Look behind you."
Marcus turned his head for a split second to look toward the balcony windows.
That microsecond was all Lorenzo needed.
With blinding speed, Lorenzo drew a hidden knife from his sleeve and threw it across the ten-foot gap. The blade buried itself deep into Marcus’s wrist. Marcus screamed in pain, dropping the detonator.
Before the device hit the floor, I dove forward, sliding across the polished marble floor, and caught the detonator in my hands just inches before it struck the hard ground.
Lorenzo was on Marcus in an instant, tackling him to the floor and snapping his neck with a swift, sickening twist.
Marcus fell limp. It was over.
I lay on the floor, breathing heavily, clutching the safe detonator to my chest.
Lorenzo rushed to my side, lifting me gently into his arms. "Clara! Are you hurt?"
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"I'm okay," I sobbed, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I caught it. Leo is safe."
Lorenzo pulled me tight against his chest, burying his face in my hair. "You brave, foolish, brilliant woman..."
