Chapter 7 - The Final Standoff
"Nobody moves!" Victor spat, his breath wheezing through his blood-soaked lips.
The rain had begun to fall over Lake Michigan, slicking the rooftop surface. The wind roared around us, whipping my emerald dress around my legs as Dante instantly positioned himself between Victor and my family.
"Put the detonator down, Victor," Dante said, his voice icy and steady despite the chaos. "It's over. The commission knows you robbed them. Federal agents are already surrounding the hotel grounds below."
"If I'm going to prison or the grave, Moretti, I'm taking your whole damn fortune with me," Victor snarled, his thumb hovering over the red button on the device. "I rigged the lower support columns of this hotel three hours ago. One click, and this entire roof collapses into the bay."
Natalie pulled me behind her, her body shaking with exhaustion. "He's insane, Soph. He built that charge system as a backup when he realized I stole the ledger."
Dante didn't step back. He took one slow, deliberate step forward toward Victor.
"You're bluffing," Dante said calmly. "You love your own life too much to die on a roof in the rain."
"Test me!" Victor screamed, his hand trembling violently on the switch. "Test me, boy!"
"I don't need to test you," Dante whispered.
In a split second of superhuman speed, Dante didn't shoot Victor. He lunged forward, grabbing Victor’s wrist, twisting it sharply upward.
A sickening snap echoed across the roof as Victor screamed in pain, dropping the detonator onto the wet concrete.
Dante kicked the device off the edge of the building, watching it vanish into the dark waters of Lake Michigan hundreds of feet below.
Victor fell to his knees, clutching his broken wrist, sobbing in defeated agony.
Within seconds, the heavy roof door burst open again. This time, it wasn't mobsters. It was a tactical team of legitimate Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, led by a stern woman in an official jacket.
"FBI! Hands where we can see them!" the agent shouted.
Dante stepped back smoothly, raising his hands slightly, his face completely calm.
The agents rushed forward, pinning Victor Belandi to the wet concrete and snapping heavy steel handcuffs over his wrists.
The lead agent walked up to Dante, looking at him, then at Natalie and me.
"Mr. Moretti," the agent said, lowering her weapon. "Miss Bennett. The federal prosecutor has reviewed the encrypted files transmitted from the ballroom. The charges against Victor Belandi for wire fraud, attempted murder, and racketeering are absolute."
She turned to Natalie. "Miss Bennett, your testimony will be granted full federal immunity under the whistleblower protection act."
Natalie sank against my shoulder, sobbing tears of pure relief.
I looked over at Dante. He stood under the dim rooftop lights, rain glistening on his dark hair and tuxedo shoulders. He looked back at me, his grey eyes softening into a warmth I had never seen before.
He walked over to us, offering his hand to help me up from the cold concrete.
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"Is it really over?" I asked, looking into his eyes as I took his hand.
"It's over, Sophia," Dante whispered gently, pulling me close against his chest. "You're safe now. Both of you."
