BURIED WITH A HEARTBEAT

The mercenaries exchanged uneasy glances. They were hardened killers, but they were not fools. They knew Gabriel’s reputation, and more importantly, they saw the terrifying resolve in his eyes.

One by one, the five remaining mercenaries lowered their rifles, set them on the concrete floor, and backed out through the shattered entrance into the pouring rain.

Marco stood alone, his rifle trembling in his sweaty palms. “You think you’re a saint now, Gabriel? You think running away with your kid erases what you are?”

“I know what I am,” Gabriel replied, stepping closer, Bruno flanking his left side with bared teeth. “I’m a father who was blind. But today, I can see clearly.”

“Salvatore promised me your seat!” Marco spat, desperation cracking his voice. “You had everything! You sat at the top while the rest of us took the scraps! You got soft the day your wife died, and you made this organization weak!”

“I built this organization so men like you could eat,” Gabriel said softly. “And you repaid that by putting my seven-year-old child in a coffin.”

Marco raised his rifle in a blind panic, attempting to pull the trigger.

Gabriel closed the distance in a heartbeat, striking Marco’s wrist to deflect the barrel upward as a burst of rounds shattered the ceiling tiles. With a sharp twist, Gabriel disarmed him, sweeping his legs out from under him and driving him face-first onto the hard stone floor.

Bruno placed a massive paw directly on Marco’s back, letting out a low growl that vibrated through Marco’s ribs.