Location: Montauk – Ricci's Private Estate – Midnight
Three black vehicles parked half a mile out.
The plan was precision. Silent breach. Clean extraction.
But from the moment they crossed the wire, something felt off.
Too easy.
No guards.
No alarms.
Just the sound of the wind and the weight of betrayal thick in the air.
---
Underground Holding Cells
Matteo sat in his cell, eyes heavy with shadows. In his lap, a worn rosary—wooden beads soaked in memory.
Then: footsteps.
Not guards. Not Costanzo.
Lighter.
Faster.
He stood slowly, heart pounding.
And then—
"Papà."
The voice shattered him.
He turned, slowly.
There she was.
Isabella. Flesh and blood.
A woman now. Hardened. Still… his.
But all he saw were the lies Costanzo fed him.
"You shouldn't have come," he said, voice low. "You shouldn't be here."
Isabella stepped closer, tears in her eyes.
"You're safe now."
"No." His voice was steel. "I don't know you."
---
Above Ground – Meanwhile
Nico and Allegra swept the east wing—empty.
Then movement.
A shadow slipped between hallways.
Nico turned, gun raised.
"Gianna?!"
She was pale, trembling.
"It's a trap," she breathed. "They let you come."
Then: gunfire erupted behind them.
Explosions shook the ground.
---
Below – Holding Cells Implode
Isabella turned as the door behind her burst open—guards stormed in, armed to the teeth.
She reached for her pistol. Fired once—twice.
Nico's voice crackled in her ear.
"We're blown. Get out now!"
Matteo grabbed her wrist. His grip iron.
"You're one of them," he said, fury breaking through. "You wear my name—but you stand with the enemy!"
She stared at him, heart ripping.
"I became what I had to," she whispered. "To survive. To fight. For you."
And then: a grenade landed behind them.
Isabella tackled him just as the blast tore through the wall.
---
Escape
Smoke. Rubble. Shouts.
Allegra dragged a wounded Gianna toward the exit.
Nico covered them, blood streaked across his forehead.
And Isabella emerged from the flames, dragging Matteo—half-conscious, coughing, barely alive.
They didn't look back.
They couldn't.
---
Final Scene – Ricci's Observation Room
Costanzo stood at the screen, watching the bloodied team retreat.
"You let her take him?" Ricci asked coldly.
Costanzo smiled.
"I let her take what's left of him."
Ricci raised a brow.
"He won't be her weapon," Costanzo said. "He'll be her undoing."