Chapter 7 - THE MIDNIGHT RAID
Defeated and disgraced, Ernesto was arrested at the corporate tower that afternoon, but his network of desperate criminals was not fully dismantled yet.
Late that night, a heavy thunderstorm rolled over Las Lomas. Lightning lit up the sky in jagged bursts, and thunder rattled the mansion's iron window frames.
At 2:00 AM, the mansion’s main power grid went dead. The estate plunged into total darkness.
In the master guest suite, Mariana woke up instantly, her maternal instincts screaming. She sat up in bed, listening past the sound of pouring rain.
Downstairs, a heavy glass window shattered.
"Alejandro!" Mariana whispered, throwing off the duvet and pulling Lucía into her arms.
Suddenly, the door to her bedroom flew open. Alejandro stepped inside, holding a tactical flashlight and a heavy iron fire poker.
"Stay behind me," Alejandro ordered quietly. "Ernesto’s hired thugs bypassed the perimeter gate when the power cut out. They're looking for Mateo's original trust box."
"Where is Detective Vance?" Mariana asked, her heart pounding in her chest.
"They cut the main comms lines, but my backup satellite signal triggered an automatic police dispatch," Alejandro said, taking Mariana’s hand. "We need to get to the panic room in the basement."
As they stepped out onto the grand marble landing, three men in black ski masks rushed up the main staircase.
"There he is!" one of the men yelled, pulling a iron crowbar. "Get the box!"
Alejandro didn't hesitate. He pushed Mariana and Lucía behind a heavy oak pillar, stepped forward, and swung the iron poker with lethal precision, catching the first intruder across the chest and sending him tumbling down the stairs.
The second thug lunged at Alejandro, tackling him against the marble balustrade. They crashed to the floor, struggling violently in the dark.
"Alejandro!" Mariana screamed.
Seeing the man pressing a knee into Alejandro’s neck, Mariana picked up a heavy bronze decorative vase from a pedestal near the wall and slammed it with all her strength against the intruder's head.
The thug groaned and collapsed unconscious onto the marble.
Alejandro gasped for air, scrambling to his feet, pulling Mariana into a fierce, brief embrace. "Nice hit," he panted.
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Before the third intruder could reach them, heavy police sirens blared outside. Red and blue lights flashed through the high windows as Detective Vance and a dozen tactical officers kicked down the front entrance, rounding up the remaining criminals within seconds.
The raid was over. The final threat to Lucía’s life had been crushed.
