Chapter 36 You Take Orders From Me Now

The night over Caldermo was torn apart by sirens and distant blasts. The Corsini family struck back faster than anyone expected. What had started as friction at the docks turned into armed fighting across the city after Lorenzo's public provocation that night. Two underground casinos under the Rossi family's control were hit. In return, Alessandro's men blew up one of the Corsinis' armories. Inside the villa, the air felt crushed under its own weight. In the walk-in closet of the main bedroom, Alessandro changed with quick, efficient movements. He loaded magazines full, the hard click of metal in the dead-quiet room sharp enough to grate on the nerves. Lucia sat on the edge of the bed and watched the man who was about to walk into a war. Her fingers twisted the bedsheet without her noticing. "Come here," he said. Lucia rose and went to him. Alessandro turned, reached into the cabinet behind him, and took out a black velvet case. When he opened it, a delicate silver pistol lay