Chapter 24
The Marconi estate was transformed into an impenetrable fortress within twelve hours. The cinematic, bright lighting of the grounds was replaced by the harsh, sweeping beams of tactical searchlights. Over a hundred heavily armed capos patrolled the perimeter, their rifles loaded with armor-piercing rounds.
Raffaele stood in the nursery wing, watching Noah sleep peacefully in his plush, oversized bed. Margaret stood quietly by the door, her hands clasped tightly together.
"Will they come tonight, Mr. Marconi?" Margaret asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"They will come," Raffaele promised, his dark eyes never leaving his son. "Salvatore cannot let my insult stand. He will send a massive strike force to try and break our walls. But they will not succeed."
"I will keep him safe, sir," Margaret vowed fiercely.
"I know you will," Raffaele murmured. He leaned down, gently kissing Noah’s forehead, before turning back to the hallway. He stripped off his tailored suit jacket, strapping a heavy Kevlar vest over his crisp dress shirt. He armed himself with a compact submachine gun and extra magazines.
As he walked into the grand foyer, the blaring, high-pitched wail of the perimeter alarms suddenly shattered the silence. The heavy steel blast shutters slammed down over the windows. The war had arrived.
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"Hostiles breaching the west gate!" Vincent roared over the comms. "It's a full-scale tactical assault!"
Raffaele racked the slide of his weapon. "Hold the line."
