Chapter 5 - The Siege of Moretti Manor
Chaos erupted instantly.
"Breach on the East Perimeter!" Marco’s voice screamed through the internal intercom system. "Mercenaries heavily armed! Heavy automatic fire!"
TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK!
The deafening sound of automatic rifle fire shattered the peaceful night outside. The heavy bulletproof glass windows of the living room vibrated violently as bullets sprayed against the exterior stone walls.
Dominic reacted with terrifying, military-grade instinct.
In a single movement, he pulled a heavy tactical handgun from a hidden compartment beneath the side table, racking the slide with a crisp, lethal click. He grabbed my arm, shoving me behind him as two bodyguards burst into the room with assault rifles raised.
"Get Emily to the safe room!" Dominic roared above the din of gunfire. "Now!"
"Ava!" I screamed, pulling against his grip. "Dominic, Ava is upstairs!"
Dominic’s eyes widened with terror. "Go with Marco to the panic room! I'm getting Ava!"
"No! She'll panic if she sees men with guns!" I yelled back, my fear for the child overriding every instinct of self-preservation. "She trusts me! I'm coming with you!"
Dominic looked at my fierce, unwavering face for a fraction of a second, then nodded. "Stay behind me! Cover our flank!"
We sprinted up the grand staircase as the lights throughout the mansion suddenly flickered and died. Emergency red backup lighting kicked in, bathing the marble corridors in an eerie, bloody glow.
Downstairs, heavy wooden doors were kicked open, followed by the sounds of close-quarters combat, shouting in Russian, and intense gunfire.
Dominic fired three precise shots down the hallway, dropping two masked attackers wearing black tactical gear who had just reached the top of the stairs.
We reached Ava’s bedroom. The door was blown off its hinges.
Inside, Mrs. Russo lay unconscious on the floor, bleeding from a bump on her head. Ava was huddled inside the small wooden dollhouse in the corner, her hands covering her ears, screaming in pure terror.
"Ava!" I slid across the painted floorboards, pulling her out of the dollhouse and wrapping my arms around her tightly. "I'm here! I'm here, baby! I've got you!"
Ava clung to my jacket, her entire body shaking like a leaf. "Emily! The bad men! The bad men are back!"
Dominic stood at the doorway, reloading his pistol with practiced speed. "The main exit is blocked! Dimitri’s men have compromised the central security hub! We need to move through the subterranean tunnel under the wine cellar!"
"Lead the way!" I said, picking Ava up in my arms and holding her tight against my chest.
We rushed down the service stairs near the kitchen. Smoke filled the air, stinging my eyes and throat. Dominic moved like a phantom ahead of us, clearing every corner, taking down three more mercenaries before they could even sight their weapons.
We reached the heavy steel door of the wine cellar. Dominic punched a six-digit code into the digital keypad.
The heavy door unlocked with a pneumatic hiss.
Inside, a hidden stone staircase descended deep beneath the mansion into an underground concrete tunnel lit by low yellow bulbs.
"Go down! Follow the tunnel to the boathouse at the edge of the lake!" Dominic commanded, shoving us into the doorway. "Marco is waiting there with the speedboat!"
"What about you?!" I asked, staring at him in horror.
Dominic looked down the hall as heavy footsteps approached the cellar entrance.
"Dimitri Romanov is here," Dominic said, his gray eyes burning with a dark, terrifying resolve. "If I don't finish this tonight, he will hunt us forever. I am ending this now."
"Dominic, no!" I cried out, reaching for his hand.
Dominic leaned down, pressing a hard, passionate kiss directly onto my lips—a kiss filled with desperation, fire, and a promise of survival.
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"Take care of my daughter, Emily," Dominic whispered against my lips. "I will come back for you. I promise."
He slammed the steel door shut, locking it from the outside.
