Chapter 17 - The Lion Returns
Upstairs in the grand hall, the situation had grown utterly desperate. Lorenzo was pinned behind a shattered marble pillar, his ammunition running dangerously low. Marco was bleeding heavily from a graze wound on his shoulder. Giorgio stood at the top of the grand staircase, flanked by a dozen heavily armed mercenaries. Giorgio laughed, a cruel, echoing sound, mocking his brother’s imminent demise. He commanded his men to finish Lorenzo off and tear the house apart until they found the woman and the child.
Suddenly, the encrypted burner phones strapped to the chests of every single mercenary chimed simultaneously. The lead commander paused, pulling his device from his tactical vest. The screen flashed a bright, undeniable notification from their offshore bank. Their escrow accounts had been completely drained. The balance was zero. The commander’s eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in furious realization.
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Giorgio screamed at them to shoot, promising he would pay them double, triple, whatever they wanted. But the commander raised his hand, signaling his men to stand down. He looked at Giorgio with absolute disgust, stating that they were assassins, not volunteers. Without their guaranteed payment, the contract was null and void. In perfect unison, the mercenaries lowered their weapons. They turned their backs on a panicking Giorgio and began walking out the front doors, disappearing into the rainy night.
Giorgio was left standing alone on the staircase, his private army vanishing like smoke. He frantically pulled out his own tablet, watching in horror as his life savings were routed into an untraceable charitable trust in Geneva. He was completely broke. Before he could even process the magnitude of his ruin, Lorenzo stepped out from behind the marble pillar. He racked the slide of his pistol, his dark eyes burning with the fury of a lion defending his pride. Giorgio slowly raised his hands, the arrogant smirk finally wiped from his face permanently.
