Page 66

Turning on my heel, I strode from the office without a backward glance, the taste of liberation mingling with the bitter tang of regret on my tongue. There was no going back now - I had crossed the Rubicon and burned the bridges that had once bound me to this life of violence and depravity.

As I emerged into the hallway, I caught sight of Marco waiting for me, my oldest friend, and my brother in all but blood.

“Dante,” Marco’s voice rumbled. “You alright, bro? You look like you’ve just come face-to-face with a ghost. So much for your plan of playing his good son to find proof, huh?”

A laugh escaped me, raw and humorless. “New plan,” I said, my voice a taut wire ready to snap. “That bastard just confirmed my worst fears – he threw me to the wolves in that warehouse sting. He made me a sitting duck for the DEA. And that’s not even the worst of it. He ordered that DEA agent’s death.”

Marco’s face hardened, a shadow passing over his features. “Motherfucker,” he hissed under his breath, his disgust palpable. “But what’s his game? Why gamble with your neck and risk drawing the heat from the DEA?”

I scrubbed a hand over my face. “My father’s got a rat in the DEA’s ranks, someone who’s been keeping him in the loop, helping him dodge the feds for decades. He wanted to keep his precious mole around, so when Natalia’s partner got close to the mole, Ricardo ordered him killed.”

“You’re fucking kidding me,” Marco blurted, his disbelief etched across his face.

“There’s no going back now. I’m taking down my father. Are you with me?”

Marco’s resolve solidified, his eyes blazing with the unwavering loyalty born from a lifetime of shared battles. “Whatever it takes, I’m with you. To the bitter end.”

I clasped his shoulder, gratitude surging through me. “Thanks, Marco,” I said, my eyes sweeping over the gilded cage of my father’s mansion. “Let’s bounce from this shithole.”

With a nod, Marco’s grin returned, slow and full of promise. “No need to say it twice, hermano,” he said, gesturing toward the exit. “I’ve got the perfect thing to take your mind off this and rethink our new plan.”

Half an hour later, the familiar scent of gunpowder and oiled metal filled my nostrils as Marco and I stepped into the private shooting range. The rhythmic pop of gunfire echoed through the cavernous space, a sound that once filled me with a sense of purpose and belonging. Now, it just reminded me of the life I was trying to leave behind.

Marco clapped me on the shoulder, his voice cutting through the noise. “Alright, hermano. Time to blow off some steam and clear that head of yours.”

He handed me a sleek Beretta 92, its weight a comforting presence in my hand. We took our positions on the firing line, and I slammed the magazine home, racked the slide, and chambered a round with practiced ease.

“Fire at will,” Marco barked, and I squeezed the trigger.

With each successive shot, I felt the tension ebb from my body, anger and frustration bleeding away with every spent casing that hit the concrete floor. It was cathartic, a release valve for the maelstrom of emotions threatening to consume me.

As we paused to reload, Marco turned to me, his eyes narrowed in concentration. “So, what’s the new plan, Dante? We can’t just sit around waiting for your old man to make his move.”

I exhaled slowly, considering our options. “We need proof, Marco. Hard evidence of my father’s illegal dealings that we can hand over to the feds.”

Marco nodded, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. “You know, I’ve been thinking. Your father’s been spending a lot of time at that new office building downtown lately. Something’s going on there, I can feel it.”

My interest piqued. “What kind of something?”

“Not sure,” Marco admitted. “But he’s been real secretive about it. Extra security, restricted access. It’s not like him to be so paranoid.”

A plan began to form in my mind, the pieces falling into place. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

A slow grin spread across Marco’s face. “Break-in?”

I nodded, feeling a surge of adrenaline at the prospect. “If there’s anything incriminating, it’ll be there. We get in, find the evidence, and get out.”

“It’s risky,” Marco warned, but I could see the excitement in his eyes. “Your old man’s security is no joke.”

“That’s why I’ve got you, brother,” I said, clapping him on the shoulder. “There’s no one I’d rather have watching my back.”

Marco’s grin widened. “Alright, let’s do this. But we’ll need to plan carefully. Surveillance, security systems, entry points – we need to cover all our bases.”

I nodded, feeling a renewed sense of purpose. “We’ll start tonight. Scope out the building, figure out the weak points.”

As we turned back to the targets, squeezing off another round of shots, I felt a glimmer of hope. This was it – our chance to bring down my father’s empire and maybe, just maybe, find a way out of this mess.

With each bullet that found its mark, I imagined I was chipping away at the walls of lies and deceit that had surrounded me for so long. And for the first time in days, I allowed myself to believe that there might be a light at the end of this dark tunnel – a future where Natalia and I could be together, free from the shadows of my past.