Chapter 8 - The Shadow's Last Stand
Don Cassaro retreated in utter humiliation, unable to counter the legal and financial trap Tami had laid out. But while the summit was a massive victory, the sting of defeat drove Matteo Cassaro to commit an act of desperate madness.
That evening, as the Bellaforte family returned to their estate, a coordinated ambush was launched.
As the convoy turned into the estate’s long, wooded driveway, explosive devices detonated along the perimeter tree line, blowing out the tires of the lead security vehicle. Automatic gunfire rained down on Mars’s car from the surrounding dark woods.
"Get down!" Mars roared, shoving Tami onto the floorboards of the armored SUV and throwing his own body over hers as bullets slammed against the reinforced glass.
Damian and Nico, riding in the trailing vehicle, immediately returned fire, tactical training taking over as syndicate guards engaged the Cassaro hit squad in the darkness.
"Mars! The boys!" Tami gasped beneath him, her hands clutching his coat tightly.
"They can handle themselves! Stay down, Tami!" Mars yelled over the deafening noise of gunfire.
A heavy truck rammed into the side of Mars’s vehicle, flipping the SUV onto its side with a terrifying crunch of metal.
Everything went black for a moment.
When Tami opened her eyes, the air was thick with smoke and the smell of gasoline. She was bruised, but Mars had absorbed the worst of the impact, his body pinned against the crushed door above her. Blood trickled down the side of his face, but he was conscious, groaning as he tried to free himself.
Through the shattered front windshield, Tami saw Matteo Cassaro approaching the vehicle, holding an assault rifle and a canister of gasoline, a crazed, vengeful grin on his face.
"If I can't have the territory, Bellaforte, I'll burn you and your fake wife inside that steel coffin!" Matteo screamed over the wind.
Inside the crushed car, Mars gritted his teeth, frantically trying to dislodge his trapped leg from under the dashboard. "Tami... get out through the back door... run!"
"I'm not leaving you!" Tami shouted.
Looking around frantically in the dim light of the burning wreck, Tami’s hands found the heavy steel fire extinguisher mounted beneath the seat.
With a surge of desperation, Tami kicked out the already cracked rear window of the SUV, crawling through the jagged glass despite the painful cuts on her hands. She burst out of the smoke just as Matteo was unscrewing the fuel cap.
"Hey!" Tami screamed at the top of her lungs.
Matteo spun around in surprise, raising his rifle toward her. "You fat little bitch—"
Tami didn't give him the chance. She sprayed the heavy chemical foam directly into Matteo’s face at point-blank range.
Matteo dropped his weapon, screaming in agony as the chemical agent blinded his eyes and burned his throat. Tami swung the heavy metal extinguisher with all the strength in her body, slamming it squarely into Matteo’s chest. He crashed hard onto the dirt road, gasping for air.
Damian burst out of the treeline a second later, surrounded by Bellaforte soldiers who had cleared the rest of the attackers.
"Tami!" Damian screamed, rushing forward and kicking Matteo’s fallen rifle away before pinning the screaming Cassaro heir to the ground. "Are you okay?!"
"Get your father!" Tami cried out, pointing back to the overturned, smoking SUV. "He’s trapped inside!"
Damian and four guards rushed to the wreck, using heavy crowbars to pry open the crushed frame. They pulled Mars out of the smoking car just as flames caught the engine bay.
Mars collapsed onto the grass, coughing heavily, his eyes frantically searching the chaos until they found Tami.
Tami dropped to her knees beside him, wrapping her arms around his neck, sobbing with relief as she pressed her face into his chest. "You're safe... you're safe..."
Mars wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her so fiercely it took her breath away. He kissed her hair, her forehead, and her lips, his hands trembling as he checked her for injuries.
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"You crazy, magnificent woman," Mars rasped, his voice thick with raw emotion as he held her against his heart. "You fought off another hitman for me."
"I told you," Tami sobbed, smiling through her tears. "Nobody touches my family."
