Chapter 4 - The Siege of St. Brigid’s
midnight, a heavy fog rolled in off Lake Michigan, wrapping the iron gates of St. Brigid’s Home for Children in a thick, gray shroud.
The orphanage was an imposing four-story Gothic stone structure surrounded by a twelve-foot stone wall topped with razor wire. Security cameras covered every corner of the grounds.
Inside his opulent office on the third floor, Father Lucius—a greasy, heavy-set man in a clerical collar—sat behind a dark oak desk counting stacks of hundred-dollar bills. Beside him stood two armed guards in dark tactical gear.
"The transport van arrives at 2:00 AM," Lucius instructed, slapping a leather ledger shut. "Ensure the Marlowe girl is sedated. The buyers from Europe are paying five hundred thousand for her. No mistakes."
Suddenly, the security monitors on his desk flickered with static and went completely black!
"What the hell?" Lucius barked, standing up. "Check the generator!"
Before the guards could move, a deafening explosion shattered the quiet night!
The massive iron gates at the front of the property were blown off their hinges by a military-grade breach charge, collapsing inward with a thunderous crash of twisting metal!
A fleet of five black armored SUVs roared through the shattered gates, their high beams cutting through the fog like tactical searchlights! Over twenty heavily armed Vance soldiers poured out, securing the courtyard with terrifying, military precision.
Inside the lead vehicle, Leo adjusted the leather gloves on his hands. He looked back at the rear seat, where Cora sat flanked by Silas and Orso.
"Stay behind Silas," Leo instructed her. "Once the building is secure, you bring us to Nina."
"Be careful, Papa," Cora whispered.
Leo froze for a split second, the word Papa echoing through his heart like a warm light. He nodded silently, stepped out of the vehicle, and raised his weapon.
"Clear the building," Leo commanded. "Leave Lucius alive. The rest can surrender or join the dirt."
The Vance family swept through the lower floors of St. Brigid's like an unstoppable force. Marcone’s guards, caught completely off guard, threw down their weapons or were swiftly neutralized.
Within ten minutes, Leo smashed through the reinforced double doors of Lucius’s third-floor office!
Lucius stumbled backward against his desk, clutching a small revolver with trembling hands. "Vance! This is holy ground! You can't do this!"
Leo walked forward calmly, ignoring the gun pointed at his chest. He grabbed the barrel of Lucius’s revolver with his bare gloved hand, twisted it violently out of the man's grip, and drove his fist directly into Lucius’s face!
Lucius collapsed onto the hardwood floor, groaning, blood leaking from his broken nose.
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Leo pulled a heavy steel chair out and sat down, leaning over the trembling man. "Where is my daughter, Lucius?"
Lucius wiped the blood from his mouth, sneering through his pain. "You're too late, Vance! Marcone knows you're here! His men are already moving the girl through the underground tunnels beneath the chapel!"
