Chapter 8 - THE MONSTER UNLEASHED
Inside the study of the Costa Estate, Gael sat at his desk, reviewing shipping manifests.
Suddenly, Marco burst through the doors without knocking, his face as white as a sheet, holding an iPad.
"Boss! Ms. Reed's tracking signal just dropped off near Central Park!" Marco shouted, his voice trembling. "Her car's automated crash sensor alerted our grid!"
Gael stood up so fast his heavy leather chair crashed backward onto the floor.
"Where is she?" Gael’s voice was no longer human. It was a dark, guttural roar of pure demoniac rage.
Marco tapped the screen, pulling up traffic camera footage. "A black SUV rammed her car three minutes ago. Four men snatched her. The vehicle is registered to a front company owned by Donati Moretti!"
Gael’s gray eyes turned pitch black.
The fragile, gentle man who had sat quietly reading books with Tessa vanished in a fraction of a second. In his place stood the deadliest predator the city had ever known—a man whose single tether to humanity had just been severed.
Gael walked over to the antique gun cabinet built into the oak wall. He unlocked it, pulling out two sleek silver semi-automatic pistols and strapping a heavy tactical harness over his chest.
"Boss," Marco gasped, drawing his own weapon. "I'll call all four tactical strike units—"
"Call everyone," Gael commanded, his voice horrifyingly calm, devoid of all emotion. "Tell them we are going to Pier 42. And tell them that tonight, the Moretti family ceases to exist."
Ten minutes later, a fleet of ten black armored vehicles tore through the rain-slicked streets of Manhattan, sirens blaring, breaking every traffic law in existence as they surged toward the docks.
Inside the lead vehicle, Gael sat in absolute silence, loading high-caliber magazines into his weapons.
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His skin was burning. The violent, terrifying fire in his nerves—the tripwire that Tessa had quieted—was now raging like a nuclear furnace. But he didn't care. He welcomed the pain. He let the agony feed his rage, turning his body into a machine built for absolute destruction.
"Hold on, Tessa," Gael whispered into the dark interior of the car, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his gun. "I'm coming."
