Chapter 5 - Midnight Siege
The storm reached its peak at 2:00 AM. A violent bolt of lightning illuminated the northern woods, followed instantly by a deafening clap of thunder.
Down at the old drainage outlet beneath the perimeter wall, heavy iron bars were cut away with an acetylene torch. Mason Bennett, wearing a dark rain jacket, stepped through the mud, accompanied by eight heavily armed mercenaries belonging to the Falcone family.
"The tunnel leads directly up to the wine cellar under the east wing," Mason hissed, wiping rain from his eyes. "Where's my money?"
The Falcone lieutenant, a scar-faced mercenary named Hector, sneered. "You get paid when Adrian Moretti’s head is in a bag. Move!"
Inside the mansion, the silent security sensors triggered instantly in Adrian’s master control room. A quiet red light began pulsing on the desk.
Adrian was instantly awake. He threw on a dark tactical jacket, checking the magazine of his customized weapon. Within seconds, Marcus appeared at his door, his assault rifle slung over his shoulder.
"They breached the lower east tunnel," Marcus reported, his voice ice-cold. "Looks like eight or nine men."
"Isolate the east wing," Adrian ordered sharply. "Move Claire and Lily into the panic room in the core vault immediately. You stay with them, Marcus."
"Adrian, you can't fight them alone—"
"I am not alone in my house, Marcus," Adrian said, a grim, deadly smile touching his lips. "Activate the lockdown protocols. Hunt them."
Inside the nursery, Claire was awakened by Marcus knocking urgently on the door. "Claire, we need to move now."
Claire gasped, grabbing a sleeping Lily and wrapping her in a thick blanket. She hurried into the hallway, her heart pounding against her ribs. As they hurried toward the central safe room, Claire saw Adrian standing at the end of the grand corridor, holding a weapon, his figure dark and imposing against the shadow of the estate.
"Adrian!" Claire cried out.
Adrian turned. His expression was fierce, but as his eyes landed on Claire and Lily, it softened instantly. He rushed over, taking Claire’s face in his hands, kissing her hard on the lips.
"Get inside the safe room. No matter what you hear outside, do not come out until I open the door," he commanded.
"Please... come back to us," Claire begged, clutching his arm.
"Always," Adrian promised. He patted Lily’s soft head through the blanket. "Keep the watch safe for me, little bird."
Lily nodded bravely from inside the blanket, clutching the silver watch tight in her small fist.
Marcus locked the heavy steel blast door of the safe room, securing Claire and Lily inside.
Seconds later, the power to the mansion was cut from the outside. The grand corridors plummeted into pitch blackness, save for the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the tall gothic windows.
The heavy wooden doors of the east wing dining room were kicked open. Hector and his team of mercenaries stepped into the shadow-drenched hall, their night-vision goggles glowing faint green, their weapons raised.
"Spread out," Hector ordered in a whisper. "Find the Don. Kill anyone else you see."
From the darkness above, on the grand mezzanine balcony, a voice echoed down through the shadows—cold, calm, and terrifyingly close.
May you like
"You came into my house," Adrian’s voice drifted through the darkness like a ghost. "You should have checked if you were allowed to leave."
Before the mercenaries could raise their weapons, the estate's automated security spotlights flared to life, blinding the men with bright white light. Gunfire erupted, shattering glass and tearing through the wooden paneling as Adrian executed his defense with lethal precision.
