Chapter 9 - The Escape
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The estate was overrun. Despite Marco and the guards fighting fiercely, the Romano family had brought an army. Damian knew they couldn't hold the house.
"Change of plans," Damian yelled over the gunfire. "The panic room is a dead end. We're going to the garage."
He grabbed Norah’s hand, pulling her through the servant corridors. The air was thick with smoke and the metallic smell of blood. They reached the underground garage, where a fleet of armored SUVs was parked.
Damian shoved her into the passenger seat of a black, reinforced Mercedes SUV and jumped behind the wheel. The engine roared to life.
"Hold on!" Damian shouted.
He slammed his foot on the gas. The heavy vehicle launched forward, smashing through the reinforced garage doors just as three Romano men ran down the ramp. They dove out of the way as the SUV tore into the rainy night.
Gunshots pinged against the bulletproof glass, leaving white, spider-web cracks, but the armor held. Damian killed the headlights, navigating the winding cliffside roads in near-total darkness by memory alone.
Norah gripped the dashboard, her breathing erratic. "Where are we going?"
"Upstate," Damian said, his eyes glued to the dark road. "I have a hunting cabin in the Adirondacks. Only I know it exists. We need to disappear until I can gather my loyal capos and launch a counter-attack."
Norah looked at the gun in her lap, then at her trembling hands. The reality of what had just happened crashed down on her. She had shot a man. She was fleeing a mafia war.
"Hey," Damian's voice was softer now, cutting through her panic. He reached over, briefly covering her shaking hand with his own. "You did what you had to do. You survived. That makes you a Beluchcci."
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"I don't want to be a Beluchcci," a tear slipped down her cheek. "I just wanted to do my job."
Damian’s grip tightened on her hand for a fraction of a second before returning to the wheel. "I know. But fate doesn't care what we want."
