The vault door had almost closed when Alessandro howled behind me.
He lunged at the nearest guard and pulled the backup sidearm from his holster.
“Stand down.”
The guards held their positions.
Alessandro stumbled backward with the gun. His hand shook as he pressed the muzzle to his temple.
“Too late,” he whispered, still looking at me. “You can’t punish a dead man.”
His finger tightened on the trigger.
“Stop.”
He laughed. “Why? So you can torture me more? I’m ending it on my terms.”
I took one step toward him. “You gave up the right to choose an easy ending.”
He stopped smiling. The barrel dropped an inch. I closed the distance and held out my hand.
“Give it to me,” I said.
He stared at my palm, sank to his knees, and shoved the gun into my hand while gripping my fingers.
“The
