Chapter 12 - THE FINAL ULTIMATUM
When Matteo arrived at The Last Light Diner, the front glass windows were shattered, and two unfamiliar black SUVs were parked haphazardly across the gravel parking lot. Jimmy the grill cook was tied to a chair near the counter, conscious but bleeding from a cut above his eye, while three of Rossi’s top hitmen held Lena in the center of the dining room.
Lena’s hands were bound behind her back with zip-ties, but her chin was held high, displaying the same fearless defiance that had captured Matteo’s heart years ago.
Matteo stepped through the shattered front door, his hands raised slightly away from his holster, projecting an aura of lethal calm. “Let her go, Salvatore,” Matteo called out, addressing an elderly, sharp-suited man stepping out from the kitchen area.
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Salvatore Rossi smiled triumphantly, holding a small detonator switch in his wrinkled hand. “Ah, the Black Lion returns to his den,” Salvatore mocked. “You thought you could slip away, Matteo? Drop your weapon, or I push this button and the entire block goes up in flames.”
Lena shook her head frantically, locking eyes with Matteo. “Don't do it, Matteo! It’s a bluff!”
