Chapter 19 - The Secret of the Swallow
Vincent’s breath froze in his chest. "You lie."
"Look at your daughter, Vincent!" Angelo pointed his cane at Ruby. "Why do you think Caterina hid her away during her first year? Caterina knew what you would turn Ruby into—a weapon, an empress of a criminal empire. She gave me the codes. She asked me to stage the car crash so she could vanish and eventually come back for her daughter."
Angelo smiled, a cold, triumphant grin. "Caterina has been waiting in Switzerland for seven years, Vincent. Waiting for me to liquidate the Falcone reserves, secure the child, and eliminate you. Tonight, I deliver both: the Falcone treasury, and Caterina's daughter. And the syndicate will be reorganized under my leadership."
"Papa..." Ruby whimpered, tears finally welling in her eyes as the mercenary pressed the cold metal barrel tighter against her hair. "The shiny bird... Mommy said the shiny bird is for killing monsters."
Vincent's eyes flicked to Ruby’s small hand.
Hidden beneath the velvet paw of her teddy bear was the silver swallow comb that Vincent had left on his desk. She had taken it.
"Ruby," Vincent said softly, his voice cutting through the silence with absolute authority. "What did Papa teach you about our blood?"
Ruby looked at her father. Her small chin trembled, but then she lifted her head, her gaze hardening into the cold, ancient steel of the Falcone dynasty.
"Falcones do not beg," Ruby recited, her voice clear and strong. "And Falcones never close their eyes."
"Drop!" Vincent roared.
In a fraction of a second, Ruby dropped straight down to the concrete floor, pulling the plush bear over her head. In the same motion, she jammed the needle-sharp silver prongs of the swallow comb straight into the mercenary's kneecap.
The guard shrieked in sudden agony, his aim shifting upward.
*BANG!*
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Vincent brought his rifle up with superhuman speed. A single round blew the mercenary’s head back into the steel lockers.
***
