Chapter 6 - AMBUSH AT THE BRIDGEPORT DOCKS
The conflict between Coleman and Moretti reached its boiling point over the next two weeks.
Nathan was away from the estate frequently, managing his legitimate shipping operations and orchestrating legal and financial maneuvers to freeze Moretti’s assets. With the evidence provided by Dr. Reeves’s financial trail, federal authorities were dismantling Moretti’s crime family piece by piece.
However, a wounded predator is always the most dangerous.
It was a rainy Thursday evening. I was reading a storybook to Jacob and Jonah in the library when the mansion’s heavy emergency sirens suddenly began to blare. Red strobe lights illuminated the hallways.
Frank burst into the library, an automatic rifle slung over his shoulder. "Emily! Get the boys to the panic room now!"
My heart plunged into my throat. "What’s happening?"
"Moretti’s men breached the outer gate with a garbage truck!" Frank yelled over the sirens. "They know Nathan isn't here! They’re trying to take the boys as leverage!"
I didn't panic. Years of handling emergency medical crises kicked in. I grabbed Jacob with my left arm and Jonah with my right. "Where is the panic room?"
"Behind the wine cellar," Frank said, leading us rapidly down the back service stairs.
Gunfire echoed from the front courtyard—the sharp, terrifying pops of high-caliber rifles echoing through the marble halls. Nathan’s security team was returning fire, but the attackers had numerical superiority and heavy weaponry.
As we reached the basement, a heavy oak door shattered at the top of the stairs. Two armed men in tactical gear descended the steps, their weapons raised.
"Drop your weapon!" one of the gunmen shouted at Frank.
Frank fired two shots, dropping the first attacker, but the second gunman returned fire, hitting Frank in the shoulder. Frank collapsed against the wall, dropping his rifle.
The remaining gunman sneered, pointing his weapon directly at me and the boys. "Hand over the kids, lady, and you might live."
I pulled Jacob and Jonah behind my back, stepping in front of them as a human shield. "You'll have to shoot through me first."
"Gladly," the man spat, raising his rifle.
BANG!
A deafening shot rang out, but it didn't come from the gunman's weapon. A red stain bloomed across his chest, and he fell backward onto the concrete floor.
Standing at the end of the basement corridor was Nathan, holding a smoking pistol, his face etched in pure, lethal fury. Behind him were ten heavily armed men who quickly secured the basement.
"Emily!" Nathan dropped his gun and sprinted toward us, wrapping his arms around me and the boys in a fierce, protective embrace. "Are you hurt? Did he touch you?"
"We're okay," I gasped, trembling now that the adrenaline was fading. "Frank is hit, but we're okay."
Nathan checked the boys, then pulled me up, his hands holding my face with intense, raw emotion. "I saw them on the security feed coming down here... I thought I was too late."
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"You came back," I whispered, leaning into his hands.
"I will always come back for you," Nathan said passionately, before pulling me into a deep, desperate kiss that shattered every remaining barrier between us.
