Chapter 12 - The Rival's End
Matteo kicked open the shattered front doors of the slaughterhouse, stepping over the debris and neutralized guards. His suit was dusted with plaster, but his eyes were locked on the makeshift office at the end of the hall.
Don Alberto Moretti was desperately stuffing stacks of cash and ledgers into a duffel bag, his hands shaking. He looked up just as Matteo blew the door off its hinges with a twelve-gauge shotgun.
Moretti scrambled for a pistol on his desk, but Matteo fired a warning shot that obliterated the computer monitor next to his head. Moretti froze, raising his hands.
"Matteo! We can make a deal!" the older mobster pleaded, sweating profusely. "Territory! The docks! It’s all yours!"
Matteo racked the shotgun, the sound echoing loudly in the cramped office. "You dragged an innocent college kid into a war he had no part of. You forced the woman I love to betray me. There is no deal, Alberto. There is only the consequence."
"She's a rat, Rossi!" Moretti spat, trying to salvage his pride. "She bugged your office! She would have sold you out!"
"She did what she had to do for family," Matteo said coldly. "Something a snake like you wouldn't understand."
May you like
Matteo didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger.
The reign of the Moretti family ended in that rusted slaughterhouse. Matteo lowered his weapon, pulled a cigar from his breast pocket, and lit it. He looked around the ruined office, feeling the heavy weight of the last few weeks finally lift from his shoulders.
