Chapter 6 - The Betrayal at the Docks
Two weeks after the gala, the peace was shattered.
At 2:00 AM, a thunderstorm raged over Lake Michigan. Rain slammed against the windows of the main mansion.
Bella was awakened by the sound of glass breaking in the lower gallery, followed by the loud, rhythmic crack of suppressed gunshots!
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!
Bella sat up in bed, her heart hammering wildly.
Her bedroom door flew open. Matteo rushed in, holding an automatic rifle, his tactical vest dark with rain.
"Bella! Get up! Now!" Matteo shouted.
"What’s happening?!" Bella cried, pulling on a robe.
"Moretti launched a breach," Matteo reported fast, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the hidden service hallway behind the mahogany walls. "One of our junior guards was paid off—he disabled the North Gate security cameras!"
Down in the main courtyard, heavy gunfire echoed through the storm.
Bella was hurried into the reinforced security bunker beneath the estate, where Rosa sat on a leather sofa, wrapped in a blanket, looking calm despite the chaos.
"Bella, dear, sit down," Rosa said gently, holding out her arms.
"Where is Marco?!" Bella demanded, her hands shaking. "Matteo, where is Marco?!"
"The Boss is at Dock 14," Matteo said grimly, checking his encrypted radio. "Moretti lured half our security team to the harbor with a fake shipment report. The breach here was a distraction—Moretti’s main hit team is surrounding Marco at the docks right now!"
"No!" Bella screamed.
On the security monitor mounted on the wall, the live feed from Dock 14 showed Marco’s black sedan flipped on its side, surrounded by three burning vehicles. Marco was pinned behind a concrete shipping barrier, firing his weapon against eight heavily armed attackers.
He was outnumbered. His backup was stuck in traffic miles away due to sabotaged bridges.
Bella looked at the monitor, then at Matteo’s radio, then at the blueprints of the harbor she had studied for her landscape project just last week.
"Matteo," Bella said, her voice suddenly dropping into a tone of absolute, tactical clarity. "Dock 14 has an underground flood drainage canal connected to the old brewery. It exits right behind the north crane."
Matteo blinked. "The old storm drain?"
"The gate isn't locked—I took measurements there three days ago!" Bella grabbed Matteo’s arm. "You can take four guards through the canal and flank Moretti’s men from behind!"
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Matteo stared at Bella in pure shock, then a ferocious smile spread across his face.
"Get the assault gear," Matteo barked to his men. "Signorina Marino just gave us the high ground!"
