Chapter 5 - Shadows of the Estate
Instead of the deafening roar of assault rifles filling the boathouse, a sudden, blinding flashbang grenade exploded near the entrance.
The high-pitched ring deafened me instantly. Shadows swarmed into the boathouse from the water and the docks. These weren't Victor's men. They were wearing the tactical gear of my elite personal guard—the inner circle led by my most loyal captain, Marco.
"Boss! Get down!" Marco’s voice boomed through the ringing in my ears.
The boathouse erupted into gunfire. I grabbed Hunter by the waist, throwing both of us behind a thick concrete barrier as bullets chipped away at the wood above us. Hunter screamed, tucking Leo tightly against her neck. I pulled my Beretta and returned fire, taking down two of the rogue guards who had betrayed me for Victor's gold.
The firefight was short, brutal, and decisive. My loyal men had been tipped off by the sudden blackout at the main mansion and had tracked us to the boathouse.
When the smoke cleared, the four traitors lay dead on the blood-spattered wood.
But Victor was gone.
"Boss, are you hurt?" Marco ran over, his face covered in soot, his rifle lowered.
"I'm fine," I grunted, standing up and helping Hunter to her feet. She was pale, her clothes stained with dust and seawater, but her eyes were sharp, and Leo was still safe in her arms. "Where is Victor?"
"He got to his car," Marco said, his jaw tight. "He has a convoy heading toward the city. We can't catch him before he reaches his safe zone in Brooklyn. He has half the city's corrupt cops on his payroll."
"Then we don't go to the city," I said, looking at Hunter. "We go to the safehouse in the Catskills. It’s isolated, and no one knows about it except you, Marco."
"Understood," Marco nodded. "I have an SUV ready at the perimeter gate. We bypassed their road blockers. We need to move now."
As we walked out of the boathouse into the cool night air, the rain began to fall, washing the blood off the dock. I looked at Hunter, who was shivering violently in the damp air. I took off my heavy cashmere coat and wrapped it around her shoulders.
She looked up at me, surprised.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"No," I said, looking down at my sleeping son. "Thank you. You saved his life. I will protect yours with mine. That is a promise."
May you like
We piled into the armored SUV, the engine roaring to life as we sped away from the burning wreckage of my life on Long Island. As the mansion faded into the distance, I knew that the man who had left that house was not the same man who had entered it. I was no longer just a monster seeking vengeance.
I was a father. And I had something to live for again.
