Chapter 6 - The Siege of Greystone
The iron gates of the Greystone estate were thrown wide open when Adrien’s three-car convoy roared up the winding driveway.
Two security guards lay unconscious near the guardhouse. Smoke rose from the eastern wing of the mansion where a flash-bang grenade had been detonated to scramble the electronic security grid.
Adrien didn't wait for his car to come to a full stop. He kicked his door open, pulled his black custom Sig Sauer 9mm from his holster, and sprinted toward the main entrance of the house.
Inside, the grand foyer was in chaos. Four masked Moretti mercenaries had breached the ground floor, holding two terrified maids at gunpoint near the foot of the grand staircase.
"Where is the woman?" one of the masked gunmen shouted, grabbing a maid by her collar. "Where is the housekeeper and the kid?"
Before the gunman could finish his sentence, a single gunshot echoed through the high ceilings. The mercenary dropped instantly.
Adrien stepped into the foyer like an angel of death. His weapon fired three more times with terrifying precision, taking down the remaining three intruders before they could even turn their barrels toward him.
"Clear the ground floor!" Adrien shouted to his assault squad as they poured in behind him. "Arthur, lock down the basement shelters!"
Adrien didn't check on the fallen men. He took the grand staircase three steps at a time, his heart hammering against his ribs in a wild, desperate panic he had never experienced in his life.
Grace. Zoe.
He sprinted down the long, carpeted corridor toward the east wing guest suites. The double doors to Grace’s room had been kicked off their hinges.
Adrien burst into the room, his weapon raised.
The suite was overturned. Lamps were shattered, curtains torn down. In the corner of the room, behind a heavy overturned oak desk, Grace stood holding an iron fire poker in both hands, her hair wild, her clothes torn at the shoulder, her body standing as a human shield over Zoe, who was huddled beneath a pile of blankets clutching Bear.
On the floor near Grace’s feet lay a heavy mercenary, unconscious, his nose broken from a direct hit from Grace’s fire poker.
"Grace!" Adrien dropped his weapon into its holster and rushed across the room, wrapping his massive arms around her trembling body.
The iron poker fell from Grace’s hands, clattering against the floor. She collapsed against Adrien’s chest, sobbing hysterically as she buried her face into his wet coat.
"They... they came for Zoe!" Grace wept, her fingers digging into his back with desperate strength. "A man with a gun came into the room... he said he was taking Zoe to make you pay... I hit him! I hit him with the iron!"
Adrien held her tight, his hand cupping the back of her head, his heart pounding against hers. "You protected her, Grace. You were incredible. You're safe now. I’ve got you."
Zoe peeked out from beneath the blankets, seeing Adrien holding her mother. She scrambled out on her hands and knees, wrapping her tiny arms around Adrien’s leg.
"Mr. Adrien!" Zoe cried. "The loud men broke my nightlight!"
Adrien dropped to one knee, keeping one arm firmly around Grace’s waist while pulling Zoe into his chest with the other. He kissed the top of Zoe’s head, his eyes closing as deep relief washed over his soul.
"I’ll buy you ten new nightlights, sweetheart," Adrien whispered, his voice trembling with emotion. "I’ll buy you a hundred nightlights."
Ten minutes later, the estate was fully secured. Eighteen Moretti soldiers had been captured or neutralized by Adrien’s guards.
Arthur entered the ruined suite, looking at Adrien, who was sitting on the sofa with Zoe fast asleep in his lap, while Grace sat right beside him, her hand securely held in his.
"Salvatore Moretti was caught trying to cross the Indiana border twenty minutes ago," Arthur reported softly. "He will be handed over to federal authorities for federal kidnapping and domestic terrorism charges. The Moretti family is finished, Adrien. Completely finished."
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Adrien looked down at Grace’s exhausted, bruised face, then at the little girl sleeping peacefully in his arms despite the horror that had just unfolded.
"It’s over, Arthur," Adrien said softly. "The war is over."
