Chapter 18 - The Ransom

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The abandoned shipyard at Pier 7 was a massive, rusted structure looming over the freezing waters of Lake Michigan.
Lorenzo parked his SUV a block away. He didn't walk in through the front doors with his hands up. He was a Moretti. He didn't surrender to terrorists.
He moved like a shadow through the side alleys, bypassing the two Thorne guards stationed at the loading dock. He didn't shoot them; gunfire would alert the inside. He snapped their necks with terrifying, silent efficiency, dragging their bodies behind a dumpster.
Inside the warehouse, Isabella was pacing impatiently. Her father, Victor Thorne, stood nearby, surrounded by a dozen heavily armed men.
Elvira sat tied to the chair, her lip bleeding, her head pounding. She watched the heavy metal doors, praying Lorenzo wouldn't walk blindly into the execution squad waiting for him.
“He’s late,” Victor Thorne grunted, checking his gold watch. “Maybe the great Lorenzo Moretti doesn't care about the girl as much as you thought, Isabella.”
“He cares,” Isabella sneered, glaring at Elvira. “He’s a weak, sentimental fool.”
Suddenly, the massive overhead lights of the warehouse shattered simultaneously in a shower of sparks and glass, plunging the cavernous room into near-total darkness.
“What the hell was that?!” Victor shouted, drawing his weapon. “Guards, light it up!”
Flashlights clicked on, slicing through the dusty air.
A heavy, metallic thud echoed from the catwalks above them.
“He didn't come alone!” a Thorne guard yelled, aiming his rifle toward the ceiling.
Before anyone could pull a trigger, the shadows descended.
Lorenzo dropped from the second-story catwalk like an avenging demon. He landed squarely on the closest guard, driving a combat knife deep into his neck. Before the body even hit the ground, Lorenzo raised his automatic weapon and fired a devastating burst into the darkness.
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Three Thorne men dropped instantly.
The warehouse erupted into absolute chaos.