Chapter 4 - The Siege of Blackwood
Julian didn't panic. He didn't even flinch. His entire posture shifted from concerned father to lethal commander in less than a heartbeat.
"Lock down the lower levels," Julian ordered calmly, drawing a sleek black sidearm from beneath his coat with a practiced ease that sent a chill down my spine. "Activate the perimeter defense. Nobody gets past the court yard."
"Sir, they brought heavy ordinance," Viktor warned. "They aren't here to negotiate. Marco Moretti wants blood for his brother's arrest last month."
Julian turned to me, his gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that made my heart hammer against my ribs. "Lena. Listen to me very carefully. Take Chloe to the panic room behind the library bookshelf. Code is 0412. Lock it from the inside and do not open it for anyone except me."
"What about you?" I asked, my voice trembling now. The faint sound of gunfire echoed from the distant iron gates—a popping noise that sounded terrifyingly real.
"I am going to end this," Julian said simply. He reached out, his thumb lightly brushing across my cheek, a gesture so fleeting and tender it caught me entirely off guard. "Keep her safe."
Without waiting for a response, he stroed out of the room, racking the slide of his weapon as he went. Viktor followed, shutting the heavy oak doors behind them.
I didn't waste time. I scooped Chloe up into my arms, blankets and all. She stirred, let out a small whimper, but I held her tight against my chest. "I've got you, baby," I whispered. "I've got you."
I ran through the sprawling corridors, guided only by the emergency floor lights that had flickered on as the main power grid failed. The house echoed with the thunder of high-caliber rifles and the shattering of glass down below. The war had reached the fortress.
I burst into the library, a massive two-story room filled with thousands of leather-bound books. I scrambled toward the far wall, pushing past heavy velvet curtains until I found the keypad hidden behind a false stack of encyclopedia volumes.
My fingers flew across the numbers: 0-4-1-2.
With a heavy hydraulic hiss, a portion of the bookshelf swung inward, revealing a reinforced steel room outfitted with monitors and medical supplies. I carried Chloe inside and slammed the manual seal lever down.
The heavy steel door locked with a definitive thunk.
Inside, the monitors showed live feeds from the perimeter cameras. I watched in horror as masked men in tactical gear pushed through the front courtyard. But Julian’s men were ruthless. And Julian himself was a phantom on the screens—moving with terrifying precision, cutting down invaders before they even knew where the shots were coming from.
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He was a monster to his enemies. But standing in that safe room, watching him fight through hell just to protect the floor where his daughter slept, I saw something else entirely.
I saw a man who would burn the world down before letting anyone harm the people he cared about.
