Chapter 8 - The Price of Blood
Bang!
A gunshot echoed through the storm, but it didn't come from Santino’s gun.
Santino stiffened, his eyes widening in shock as a clean, small hole appeared in the center of his forehead. He dropped his pistol, his grip loosening on Bella as his body slumped backward over the balcony railing, disappearing into the dark, churning ocean below.
Bella fell to her knees on the wet stone, gasping for air. Through the smoke and rain, a figure emerged like a vengeful demon.
It was Leo. He had returned early, realizing the trap had been compromised. His clothes were covered in mud and blood, his gray eyes burning with an unholy, terrifying fury. Behind him, dozens of Moretti soldiers flooded the mansion, systematically neutralizing the remaining invaders.
Leo dropped his weapon and threw himself onto the floor beside Bella, pulling her violently into his arms. He held her so tightly she could barely breathe, his body trembling with raw, unfiltered terror.
"I've got you. I've got you, Bella," he choked out, his voice cracking as he buried his face in her wet hair. "I’m so sorry. I was almost too late."
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Bella wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing against his chest as the rain poured down upon them. "You came back. I knew you would come back."
Downstairs, the battle ended quickly. The Leone family’s assault force was completely wiped out. When word reached Don Leone that his son was dead and his elite soldiers destroyed, his heart gave out, and the remaining factions of the Leone syndicate surrendered unconditionally by dawn. The war was over. The Morettis had won completely.
