Chapter 11 - The Last Stand in Queens
The peaceful reunion was shattered a fraction of a second later by the ear-piercing shriek of an automated security alarm echoing through the subterranean tunnels. The red warning lights mounted along the ceiling began flashing frantically, casting a bloody hue across the concrete walls. Marco burst through the office door without knocking, his pistol drawn, his face stained with fresh cordite smoke. "Boss! We've been compromised!" Marco shouted over the sirens. "Vance’s old rival, Viktor Petrov, just breached the perimeter with thirty heavy hitters from the Russian Bratva. They tracked the burner signal here. They want the boy, and they want the territory!" Luca’s gentle, emotional expression vanished instantly, replaced in a heartbeat by the cold, ruthless mask of the underworld warlord. He handed Leo gently back to Nina, his eyes locking onto hers with absolute finality. "Take him through the service tunnel behind the filing cabinet. It leads straight to the extraction van."
"No," Nina said calmly, stepping away from the desk and reaching into the bottom drawer to pull out a sleek, suppressed SIG Sauer P226. She checked the magazine with expert familiarity, her thumb sliding the safety off with a sharp click. "I'm not running anymore, Luca. Petrov thinks he can walk into my arena and take what's mine? Let's show him what happens when a Trevisi and his queen fight back together." Luca stared at her for a fraction of a second, a fierce, wicked grin spreading across his face—the look of two partners in crime ready to burn down the world side by side. "Marco," Luca barked, drawing his own weapon. "Secure the tunnel exit for the boy. Then bring me every spare clip in the armory. We're going to clean house."
