Page 77 of Vengeance

Vengeance stepped forward. "Dante."

The laughter stopped. "So.” His voice became ice. "My son finally found his mother," Dante said the words that chilled every person in the bunker. "I've already told Senator Whitmore where you are." The call disconnected, and above them, the first explosion shook the foundation of the church. The war had finally come to them, and Vengeance was ready for it.

Chloe

The second explosion threw Chloe off her feet. Dust and chunks of concrete rained from the ceiling as the bunker lights flickered. Someone upstairs screamed, and then the automatic gunfire started.

"They're inside!" Gabriel shouted.

Elena was already moving. "Everyone to the tunnel!" she shouted. She grabbed a rifle from a hidden cabinet and shoved another into Chloe's hands. "You know how to use it?"

Chloe nodded. "My dads made sure of that."

"Good." Vengeance caught Chloe's hand as Gabriel threw open a concealed steel door leading deeper beneath the church, and she saw a narrow escape tunnel that disappeared into darkness.

"We're not all making it through," Elena said quietly.

"No." Vengeance shook his head. "We're leaving together."

She smiled sadly. "You sound just like Savage." The walls trembled again, and this time, the explosion was much closer. A section of ceiling collapsed behind them.

"They're breaching the bunker!" Gabriel yelled.

“Run,” Elena shouted. The tunnel stretched beneath several city blocks. Old brick, ancient sewer lines, and emergencylighting barely illuminated the narrow passage. They had almost reached the exit when Gabriel stopped so suddenly that Vengeance nearly ran into him.

"They beat us out,” he breathed. At the end of the tunnel stood men in black tactical gear. There had to be over a dozen of them.

"Drop your weapons,” one of them shouted.

Elena slowly exhaled. "We're trapped." Chloe looked behind them, hearing more footsteps and voices. They were surrounded. Vengeance slowly lowered his rifle, and Chloe did too. The men surrounded them, and within moments, their wrists were zip-tied behind their backs.

The commander smiled at them as though they were his prizes, and Vengeance looked about ready to commit murder. “The Senator will be pleased."

“I’m going to fucking kill you,” Vengeance spat. The man just laughed in his face, and rightly so, because all he could do was make empty threats. Chloe looked back at him as they loaded her and his mother into one of the waiting SUV’s. She wasn’t sure how they were going to get out of the latest mess they were in, but from the look in Vengeance’s eyes, he already had a plan.

Chloe found herself kneeling on the concrete floor of an abandoned shipping warehouse overlooking Lake Michigan. Rain hammered the broken skylights overhead, and floodlights illuminated the center of the room. Elena knelt beside her, and across from them was Vengeance. He was bruised, bleeding, and still glaring at every man in the building.

The massive warehouse doors rolled open, and a convoy entered of black SUVs and luxury sedans. Dante stepped outwearing a perfect suit and a smile as though none of this bothered him. He looked directly at Elena. "You broke my heart."

She laughed. "You don't have one."

He sighed dramatically. "Twenty-six years of devotion to a dead woman, and that’s how you talk to me? I almost admired your dedication, though.”

"You murdered children,” she spat.

"I built an empire,” he said.

"You built hell,” she said.

His smile disappeared. "I gave you everything."

"No, you took everything from me.”

He walked closer. "You even turned my son against me."

"No.” Elena looked proudly at Vengeance. "You accomplished that yourself." The crack of Dante's hand echoed through the warehouse as he struck her across the face.

Chloe lunged at him, and two guards slammed her back to her knees. "Don't touch her!" Vengeance roared.