Chapter 3 - The Blood-Stained Sanctuary
The conservatory turned into a death trap within seconds. Shards of glass rained down like a crystalline storm, slashing the leaves of the exotic plants and clattering against the marble floor. Mara pressed her back against the concrete planter, her hands covering her head as the deafening roar of automatic gunfire erupted from the front lawn of the estate.
"Stay low, Mara!" Valeria shouted over the din, leaning around the edge of the planter to fire three precise shots toward the shattered glass entryway. A man in black tactical gear fell backward through the door, his weapon clattering across the floor.
Mara’s mind raced. Her medical training took over, suppression of fear being the first rule of trauma triage. "Where is Elena?" she yelled to Valeria. "Her room is on the north wing—that’s where the breach is!"
Valeria’s face went pale. She grabbed her radio again. "Bravo team! Secure the child! Bravo team, do you copy?" Only static answered her.
"Damn it," Valeria cursed, looking at the main hallway which was now a corridor of smoke and flashing muzzle bursts. "Dominic’s main force is at the outer gates. They bypassed the perimeter defenses from the lake side."
"I’m going," Mara said, pushing herself up despite the tearing pain in her side.
"Are you insane? You're unarmed and barely healed!"
"I know the layout of the medical wing, and I know how to move without being seen," Mara said, her eyes burning with the same irrational determination that had driven her into the rain three weeks ago. "I didn't take six bullets just to let her die in her bed."
Before Valeria could stop her, Mara slipped into the service corridor behind the conservatory. The hallway was narrow and dim, used by the cleaning staff, but it led directly to the elevator that serviced Elena’s specialized medical suite. The air was thick with the smell of cordite and burning insulation.
She reached the north wing, the sounds of combat growing louder. As she rounded the corner near the nurse’s station Dominic had set up, she saw two men in grey tactical uniforms kicking down the door to Elena’s room.
"Check the closet! The boss wants the kid dead and the nurse's head on a platter!" one of the men shouted.
Mara didn't hesitate. She grabbed a heavy, stainless-steel oxygen tank from a nearby crash cart. Using every ounce of strength in her recovering body, she slammed the heavy cylinder into the back of the nearest man's knee. The bone broke with a loud, sickening snap, and the man screamed, collapsing to the floor.
The second man turned, his rifle coming up, but Mara was already lashing out, spraying the contents of a medical grade chemical fire extinguisher directly into his face. The white, blinding foam filled his eyes and throat, sending him stumbling backward into the hallway wall, coughing and gasping for air.
Mara rushed past them into the room. Elena was cowering beneath her bed, her small body trembling violently, her oxygen tubing wrapped around the frame of the nightstand.
"Elena, it’s me," Mara whispered, sliding under the bed and pulling the terrified girl into her arms. "I’ve got you. We have to go. Now."
She untangled the oxygen line, lifting the frail girl into her arms. The weight was nothing compared to the adrenaline coursing through her veins. As she emerged from the room, the blinded guard was blindly firing his pistol into the corridor. Mara ducked into the service elevator, hitting the button for the underground wine cellar just as a volley of bullets splintered the wooden door frame behind them.
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The elevator descended into darkness. In the quiet of the shaft, Elena looked up at Mara, her small hands clutching Mara's silk robe. "Are they going to hurt us, Mara?"
Mara squeezed her tightly, her eyes fixed on the descending floor numbers. "Not while I’m breathing, Elena. Not while I’m breathing."
