Chapter 17 - Siege of the Falcone Fortress
By the time Vincent’s SUV smashed through the shattered wrought-iron gates of the Falcone estate, the grounds looked like a war zone. Smoke billowed from the guardhouse, and the manicured lawn was littered with shell casings and disabled vehicles.
A squad of rogue private military contractors, dressed in sterile black fatigues with no insignia, had surrounded the mansion’s lower terrace. They were setting thermal breach charges on the heavy oak doors.
Vincent didn’t slow down. He aimed the SUV directly at the mercenaries on the terrace.
The heavy truck barreled up the marble steps, smashing through the terrace balustrade, crushing two contractors instantly against the stone wall. Vincent kicked his door open while the vehicle was still moving, rolling onto the marble floor with his assault rifle raised.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Three controlled bursts dropped the remaining two contractors before their rifles could track him. Vincent sprinted through the blown-out grand entrance, his boots sliding slightly on broken crystal chandeliers and spilled champagne from the party just hours ago.
The grand atrium, once echoing with cheers for his daughter, was now dark, filled with the pungent reek of cordite and tear gas.
"Falcone Black Guard, report!" Vincent shouted into the interior comms.
Two surviving loyalists stepped out from behind the marble pillars, their vests riddled with shrapnel. "Don Vincent! Angelo took Donna Ruby down to the sub-level three vault. He brought four heavily armed mercenaries with him. They're preparing to breach the escape tunnel leading to the private airstrip!"
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Vincent didn't wait for another word. He discarded his empty magazine, slammed a fresh one home with the heel of his palm, and descended into the subterranean depths of his ancestral home.
***
