Chapter 7 - The Final Siege
Roman acted instantly. He pulled a heavy black pistol from his waist holster, racking the slide with a sharp metallic clatter.
"Silas! Lock down the children!" Roman roared, throwing the library door open. "Elias, with me!"
Claire didn't hesitate. She ran right behind Roman down the grand hallway toward the children's quarters. "Lily!" she cried out.
When they rounded the corner into the grand foyer, the scene was nightmare made reality.
Four heavily armed masked men had breached the grand foyer. Standing near the center of the room, holding a crying Lily in one arm with a gun pressed against her head, was Vincent Caruso.
Beside him stood Victor Dane, holding a bloody knife, having already cut down two of Roman’s house guards.
In the corner of the landing above, Leo was shielding Julian and Maya behind his back, holding a heavy iron fireplace poker, his face pale with terror.
"Drop your weapons, Cade!" Vincent screamed, his eyes wild, bloodshot, and insane with desperation. "Drop them or I blow this little brat's brains all over your mahogany floor!"
Roman froze at the top of the stairs, his gun raised, his knuckles white. "Caruso," Roman growled, his voice deep, vibrating with lethal promise. "Put the child down."
"You ruined me!" Vincent shrieked, his arm trembling around Lily's small frame. "You and that barren whore! You froze my accounts! The cartels are coming for my head! If I'm dying tonight, Cade, I'm taking your family with me!"
Claire stepped out from behind Roman, stepping down two stairs so Vincent could see her clearly.
"Vincent," Claire called out, her voice dangerously calm, drawing his attention away from Lily.
Vincent’s wild eyes snapped to her. "Claire! You ruined everything! You were supposed to be useless! You were supposed to be nothing!"
"Look at me, Vincent," Claire commanded, taking another step down. "I am the one who froze your accounts. I am the one who knew your codes. Roman didn't do that. I did."
Vincent’s grip on the gun loosened slightly in his rage, his focus shifting completely to Claire. "You bitch!"
In that split second of distraction, Leo—standing on the balcony above Vincent—acted with incredible bravery. He lifted a heavy, antique bronze bust of a Roman soldier from a marble pedestal and dropped it straight over the banister.
The heavy bronze bust crashed down directly onto Victor Dane’s shoulder with a sickening crunch. Victor let out a horrific scream, dropping his knife and collapsing to the floor.
"Now!" Roman roared.
Roman fired two precise shots. The first bullet struck Vincent’s right wrist, forcing him to drop the gun. The second bullet tore through Vincent’s knee.
Vincent shrieked in agony, falling backward, releasing Lily.
"Claire!" Lily screamed, running with all her small strength away from the fallen men.
Claire sprinted down the remaining stairs, sliding onto her knees on the marble floor, catching Lily in her arms, wrapping her entire body around the weeping child to shield her.
Elias and Silas swarmed the floor, securing Victor Dane and pinning the wounded Vincent Caruso to the ground.
Roman rushed down the stairs, his boots thundering against the marble. He dropped to his knees beside Claire and Lily, pulling them both into his massive, powerful embrace.
"Are you hit? Are you hurt?" Roman gasped, his hands flying over Claire’s face, her shoulders, checking every inch of her.
"I'm fine," Claire sobbed, hugging Lily tightly against her neck. "I'm fine. Lily is safe."
Lily buried her small face in Claire’s sweater, her little arms wrapping around Claire’s neck like a vice. "Claire... Claire... I was scared," she whimpered.
"I'm here, baby," Claire whispered, kissing Lily’s soft curls. "I've got you. You're safe."
Up on the staircase landing, Leo, Julian, and Maya came running down. Leo dropped the fireplace poker and threw his arms around Claire and Lily, followed by Julian and Maya.
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For the first time, all four motherless children gathered around Claire, clinging to her, seeking comfort in her arms.
Roman sat on the floor beside them, looking at his whole family surrounding the woman he had brought home three months ago. A tear escaped his dark eyes—a tear of profound gratitude, relief, and deep, eternal love.
