Chapter 9 - The Siege of the DocksThe night sky over the northern docks turned bright orange as flames leaped into the air. Explosion after explosion rocked the harbor as Matteo Rossi’s mercenaries set fire to the Moretti shipping containers.
Inside the command center of the Moretti estate, tactical screens flickered with real-time satellite feeds.
Luca stood at the central table, putting on a tactical vest and loading a heavy sidearm. Fifty elite Moretti soldiers stood ready in the courtyard below, mounting armored vehicles.
"Matteo is desperate," Luca said coldly, looking at the tactical map. "He knows I’m going to wipe him out, so he’s trying to destroy my logistics network first."
Naomi walked into the command room, wearing dark trousers and a leather jacket. She didn't look like a scared maid anymore; she looked like a queen preparing for war.
"Luca," Naomi said, stepping up to the map. "Look at the container placement on Dock 4. That’s where the medical supplies for the city’s free clinics are stored—the ones your mother personally sponsors."
Luca frowned, looking at the camera feed. "He’s trying to burn her legacy."
"Don't let him," Naomi said, placing her hand over his tactical vest. "Take me with you."
Luca froze, turning to stare at her. "Absolutely not. It’s a war zone."
"I know the layout of Dock 4," Naomi argued fiercely. "I worked as an inventory manager for those exact medical shipments before I became a caregiver! I know where the fire suppression overrides are located! If you just shoot your way in, the whole dock will blow up!"
Luca stared at her, seeing the same fierce, unyielding bravery that had broken down the music room door. He realized then that Naomi wasn't a woman to be hidden away in a golden cage; she was a partner who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him.
"Marco!" Luca barked. "Equip Miss Carter with a vest and a sidearm! She stays in the secondary armored vehicle right behind me!"
Twenty minutes later, a fleet of armored Moretti SUVs tore through the gates of the burning docks.
Gunfire echoed across the water as Rossi’s mercenaries traded shots with Moretti forces. Luca stepped out into the chaotic firefight, his weapon barking with lethal precision, pushing the enemy back line by line.
Naomi sprinted through the smoke alongside Marco, reaching the primary control building of Dock 4.
Inside, two Rossi mercenaries were preparing to ignite a fuel line.
"Hey!" Naomi shouted from the doorway.
The mercenaries turned, but before they could raise their rifles, Naomi raised her sidearm—trained personally by Marco over the last three days—and fired twice. The shots hit true, dropping both men instantly.
Naomi rushed to the control panel, smashed the glass safety casing, and pulled the emergency halon override switch.
Huge white clouds of fire suppressant burst across Dock 4, smothering the flames instantly and saving millions of dollars in medical supplies.
Out on the main pier, Matteo Rossi was trying to flee toward a speedboat.
Luca emerged from the smoke like an unstoppable force of nature, shooting Matteo’s shoulder and kicking him face-down onto the wet wooden planks.
Luca stood over the bleeding rival don, raising his gun.
"Wait!" Matteo screamed, terrified. "Luca! Please! We can make a deal!"
Luca looked back through the clearing smoke and saw Naomi walking out of Dock 4, safe, unharmed, and victorious.
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Luca looked down at Matteo one last time. "My wife just saved this dock, Matteo. And she doesn't like garbage on her property."
BANG.
