Chapter 5 - Fire in the Night
Alessandro’s face hardened into stone in less than a second. The gentle warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by an inferno of pure, lethal fury.
"Where are they?" Alessandro demanded into the phone, his voice steady and cold.
"They bypassed the main gate security by using a commercial delivery van, Boss," Marco reported, heavy gunfire suddenly erupting in the background of the call. "They're inside the outer perimeter! We're engaging them near the west gardens!"
Elena gasped, covering her mouth as she heard the distant popping of automatic weapon fire echoing across the estate grounds. Panic flooded her veins like poison. "Alessandro... Mia!"
"Get inside!" Alessandro barked, grabbing her arm and pulling her swiftly through the balcony doors into the library.
He locked the heavy glass doors, drew a black semi-automatic pistol from a hidden holster beneath his jacket, and turned to Elena.
"Listen to me carefully," Alessandro commanded, taking her by the shoulders and staring directly into her wide, panicked eyes. "You go to the nursery right now. Barricade the panic room behind the main wardrobe. Take Mia and Sophia inside. Do not open that door for anyone except me or Marco. Do you understand?"
"Alessandro, please don't go out there!" Elena begged, tears streaming down her face as she gripped his lapels. "They will kill you!"
"They can try," Alessandro snarled, a terrifying smile touching his lips. He cupped her cheek fiercely. "No one touches my family. Go!"
Elena sprinted down the hallway toward the nursery, driven by pure maternal instinct.
Alessandro racked the slide of his pistol and stepped out into the main corridor. Five of his elite guards were already falling back toward the central staircase, exchange heavy fire with a dozen masked mercenaries wearing black tactical gear—Dante Valenti's primary hit squad.
"Protect the third floor!" Alessandro bellowed, joining the line.
He moved with lethal, terrifying efficiency. Alessandro was not a man who commanded from behind a desk; he was a warrior born in the blood-soaked streets of Chicago. Every shot he fired was precise, dropping two attackers as they attempted to breach the grand foyer stairs.
Plaster exploded from the walls. Glass shattered. The luxury of the estate was ripped apart by bullet spray and smoke.
Down in the west wing of the nursery corridor, two mercenary breaches managed to slip past the main stairwell defense. Heavy boots thudded against the polished hardwood floor outside Sophia and Mia’s room.
Inside the nursery, Elena had pulled the massive oak wardrobe aside, revealing the hidden steel panic room door. She had already placed a sleeping Sophia and a trembling Mia inside the reinforced vault.
Just as Elena was about to step inside herself, the wooden door of the nursery was blown inward by a breacher charge.
Wood splinters rained down as a tall, scarred man in black body armor stepped into the room, holding a suppressed assault rifle. He spotted Elena immediately.
"Elena Russo," the man grunted, a cruel grin spreading across his face. "Dante sends his regards."
Elena didn't scream. She didn't freeze.
She grabbed a heavy brass floor lamp off the nightstand and swung it with all her strength, striking the gunman across his helmet. The strike rattled him, causing his rifle shot to hit the ceiling instead of her chest.
The man cursed, grabbing Elena by her hair and throwing her hard against the wall. She hit the floor, her vision swimming with black spots.
"Stupid bitch," the killer growled, raising his weapon to finish her.
BOOM.
The mercenary's head snapped back as a high-caliber round tore through his throat. He crumpled to the carpet like a sack of bricks.
Standing in the shattered doorway, framed by gunsmoke and fire, was Alessandro. His suit was torn, his knuckles bloody, and his eyes held the wrath of a demon.
He stepped over the corpse, dropped his empty weapon, and fell to his knees beside Elena, pulling her gently into his arms.
"Are you hit?" he demanded frantically, checking her face and body with trembling hands. "Elena! Look at me!"
"I'm... I'm okay," she sobbed, holding onto his blood-stained shirt. "The girls... they're safe in the vault..."
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Alessandro closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against hers as a massive wave of relief washed over him. He pulled her tight against his heart, feeling her heartbeat sync with his own.
"It's over," Alessandro whispered savagely against her neck. "It's over. I am going to end Dante Valenti tonight once and for all."
