Chapter 8 - The Siege Before DawnThe storm broke just as the clock struck 4:00 AM.
Lightning slashed across the darkened New York sky, followed immediately by a deafening crash of thunder that rattled the reinforced glass windows of the Moretti estate.
I sat in the corner of the fortified panic room in the basement, holding Benjamin tightly against my chest while the little boy drifted into an exhausted sleep.
Around us, the heavy steel walls hummed with the sound of emergency generators.
Through the closed security monitor screen on the wall, we could watch the live camera feeds of the estate's front gates.
Three black SUVs had pulled up across the cobblestone driveway.
Men in tactical black gear, their faces hidden behind dark balaclavas, poured out of the vehicles, automatic weapons raised in their hands.
"They're breaching the perimeter," Mrs. Gable muttered, her hands steady as she reloaded a heavy revolver at the oak table in the center of the room.
Across the room stood Luca.
He had donned his black suit jacket once more, fastening the buttons across his chest with cold, methodical precision.
In his right hand, he held a suppressed tactical rifle, checking the chamber with a sharp, metallic click.
"They think because the wedding was called off, the house is vulnerable," Luca said without turning around.
"How many of them are there?" I asked, my voice barely audible over the hum of the electronics.
"At least twelve," Luca replied coldly. "Sent by Vanessa's uncles to retrieve the documents you photographed, Claire—and to ensure there are no witnesses left behind."
Fear gripped my chest so tightly I could barely draw breath.
"This is my fault," I whispered. "If I hadn't gone into that safe—"
Luca suddenly turned away from the monitor, walking across the concrete floor until he stood directly in front of me.
He knelt down, bringing his face level with mine.
"Look at me, Claire," he commanded softly.
I raised my eyes, meeting his intense, unyielding gaze.
"You didn't start this war," Luca said, his voice dropping into a low, steady rumble that seemed to quiet the storm raging outside. "They did the moment they laid hands on my son. You simply had the courage to finish it."
Before I could reply, the security monitor flashed red.
BOOM.
The sound of an explosive charge blowing off the mansion’s front iron doors echoed through the intercom system.
Shoutings, gunshots, and the shatter of expensive crystal chandeliers filtered down through the air vents.
Luca stood up, locking the reinforced steel door of the panic room from the inside.
"Stay here," he ordered, his eyes sweeping over Benjamin and me one last time. "No matter what you hear. Do not open this door for anyone except me."
"Luca—"
May you like
He didn't look back.
The heavy steel door slid shut, locking with a definitive, chilling click, leaving us in the glow of the emergency red lights while the war for the Moretti estate began above our heads.
Related Stories
