Chapter 9 - Into the Fire
Santiago didn't burn. As Carlo’s men set the fire, Lorenzo and the loyal enforcers arrived, wiping out the rear guard and pulling Santiago and Sophia from the flames.
But Ruby was gone.
Santiago was a demon unleashed. He didn't sleep. He didn't eat. He strapped on body armor, loaded every weapon he could carry, and mobilized an army.
"He took her to the old shipyard," Lorenzo reported.
"Kill everyone wearing Carlo’s colors," Santiago ordered his men. "Leave Carlo to me."
The assault on the shipyard was apocalyptic. Santiago moved like a reaper through the shipping containers, a relentless force of violence. Rain poured down, mixing with the blood on the asphalt.
He kicked open the doors of the main warehouse. Carlo stood on a catwalk high above, holding Ruby by the hair, a gun pressed to her temple. Ruby was bruised, bleeding, but her eyes found Santiago's, fierce and unbroken.
"It ends here, boy!" Carlo shouted over the gunfire outside. "I built this family! Your father was weak! You are weak!"
Santiago aimed his weapon, but Carlo had Ruby fully shielded. He had no shot.
Then, something impossible happened.
From the shadows behind Santiago, a small, trembling figure stepped into the light. Sophia. She had stowed away in Lorenzo’s vehicle.
She looked up at the catwalk. She took a deep breath, her chest expanding, breaking through seven years of iron chains.
"DROP HER!"
The voice was hoarse, raw, and deafeningly loud in the cavernous warehouse.
Carlo flinched in sheer shock at the sound of the ghost speaking. His grip on Ruby loosened for a fraction of a second.
It was all Ruby needed. She slammed her elbow backward into Carlo’s ribs, twisting out of his grip and dropping flat onto the metal grate.
Santiago fired. Three rapid shots.
Carlo staggered backward, dropping his weapon, and plummeted over the railing, crashing onto the concrete floor below. Dead.
Silence rushed back into the warehouse, save for the patter of rain.
May you like
Santiago dropped his gun and sprinted up the stairs. He fell to his knees on the catwalk, pulling Ruby into his arms. She buried her face in his chest, her hands clutching his tactical vest.
"I've got you," he whispered into her hair, burying his face in her neck. "I've got you."
