CHAPTER 3: The Ambush at the Apartment
The rain began to pour just after midnight, slicking the asphalt of the crumbling apartment complex where Lily lived. Frankie and two Enforcers, Leo and Sal, sat in the shadows of an unmarked SUV across the street.
At exactly 12:15 AM, the headlights of a white van cut through the darkness. It had no back windows. It rolled slowly, like a predator stalking its prey, before parking directly in front of Lily's building.
Two men stepped out. One was tall, his neck covered by a thick, dark snake tattoo that disappeared into his collar. The other was shorter, thick-set, flashing a grin that caught the streetlights—gold teeth.
"Target identified," Leo muttered, his hand resting on his holster.
"Wait until they reach the door," Frankie commanded. "We catch them in the choke point."
The two thugs walked up the concrete steps, laughing carelessly. Snake-neck produced a crowbar, jamming it into the flimsy lock of the apartment door. With a loud crack, the frame splintered, and they stepped inside the dark apartment.
"Go, go, go," Frankie hissed.
The mobsters moved with lethal efficiency. They breached the apartment door before the two thugs even realized they weren't alone. Snake-neck turned around, raising the crowbar, but Leo slammed the butt of his shotgun into the man's jaw. The thug collapsed, spitting blood.
Gold-teeth reached for a pistol in his waistband, but Frankie was faster. He grabbed the man's wrist, twisting it until the bone popped, sending the firearm clattering to the floor. Frankie pinned him against the wall, his knife pressed firmly against the man's throat.
"Who do you work for?" Frankie growled.
Gold-teeth grimaced, trying to look tough. "You don't know who you're messing with, wise guy. The Boss will skin you alive."
Frankie pressed the blade a fraction of an inch deeper, drawing a bead of crimson. "We work for Vincent Torino. And right now, you are standing in his house. Where is the mother?"
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The mention of Vincent’s name stripped the arrogance right off the thug's face. His eyes widened in sheer terror. "The docks! Warehouse 4! She's being shipped out on a freighter at dawn! Please, don't kill me!"
Frankie pulled out his radio. "Boss. We got the location. Warehouse 4 at the pier. But we have a problem. They’re moving the cargo tonight."
