Chapter 19 - The Queen’s Gambit
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The gunshot shattered the silence, echoing violently in the ballroom.
But Dante had anticipated the shot. He dropped seamlessly behind the heavy, reinforced oak of the head table. The bullet embedded itself harmlessly into the wood.
The room exploded into absolute chaos.
Leone snipers neutralized half of Rizzo’s men in the first three seconds. The rest scrambled for cover, returning fire wildly.
Nadia didn't scream. She crouched beside Dante, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm, but her mind remarkably clear. She grabbed a sleek, silver pistol Dante had taped under the table specifically for her.
“Stay down!” Dante roared, returning fire over the top of the table.
Rizzo was retreating, using his surviving men as human shields as he backed toward the service exit, firing blindly at the head table.
Nadia saw his path. She knew the layout of the hotel better than anyone; she had booked the venue.
She crawled rapidly along the floor, bypassing the crossfire, moving toward the flanking corridor.
“Nadia, no!” Dante shouted, realizing she was moving.
She ignored him. She popped up from behind a marble pillar just as Don Rizzo backed into the hallway, his gun raised to execute a wounded Leone guard on the floor.
“Rizzo!” Nadia shouted, her voice ringing with the authority of the matriarch whose dress she wore.
The old Don spun around in shock, realizing he had been flanked by the bride.
He raised his gun, but Nadia was faster. She didn't flinch. She squeezed the trigger twice.
The shots hit Rizzo squarely in the chest. He collapsed backward against the wallpaper, sliding down to the floor, his reign of terror officially ended by the woman he had called a peasant.
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The remaining Rizzo men dropped their weapons instantly, surrendering to the overwhelming Leone force.
Dante sprinted around the corner, grabbing Nadia fiercely by the shoulders, checking her frantically for injuries before pulling her into a crushing, desperate hug.
