Chapter 4 - The Viper in the Manor
The air in the subterranean wine cellar was damp and smelled of aged oak and cool stone. Marcus led us through a hidden door concealed behind a wall of vintage wine racks, stepping into a high-tech panic vault equipped with steel walls, surveillance monitors, and emergency medical supplies.
Two armed guards took positions inside the vault with us, locking the foot-thick steel blast door from the inside.
On the surveillance monitors mounted on the wall, we could see the nightmare unfolding above.
Damen’s loyal guards were locked in a fierce gunbattle in the grand foyer against dozens of heavily armed mercenaries dressed in tactical gear—the Moretti syndicate. Damen himself was moving through the shadows of the mezzanine like an unstoppable force of nature, taking down enemy gunmen with terrifying precision.
Ellie sat on a small leather bench in the corner, clutching a stuffed bear I had brought from our room. Atlas lay at her feet, his big ears twitching at every muffled explosion that shook the foundation of the house.
Suddenly, the lights inside the vault flickered and died. Red backup emergency lights hummed to life.
On the surveillance screen, the camera feed in the hallway directly outside our vault went black.
“What happened to camera four?” one of the guards asked, stepping toward the control panel.
Before he could answer, a loud CLANG echoed through the heavy steel door. Someone was trying to override the electronic lock from the outside.
“Get behind me!” the guard barked, raising his submachine gun toward the door.
The heavy steel door groaned as an override code was entered into the exterior keypad. The green light flashed, the heavy locking pins retracted, and the door swung open.
Standing in the doorway was Julian Romano, covered in soot and holding a silenced pistol. Behind him stood three mercenaries wearing Moretti insignias.
“Well, well,” Julian sneered, stepping into the vault. “Look at the little family hiding in the dark.”
The two guards raised their weapons, but Julian’s mercenaries fired first. Suppressed gunfire clicked through the small room, and both of Damen’s guards collapsed to the floor.
I screamed, pulling Ellie behind me into the back corner of the vault.
Atlas let out a fierce, blood-curdling roar. The 130-pound mastiff launched himself forward like a freight train, slamming directly into the chest of the lead mercenary. The man went flying back into the hallway, his weapon clattering across the floor as Atlas pinned him, biting viciously into his tactical vest.
“Kill that fucking dog!” Julian shrieked, raising his pistol toward Atlas.
“No!” Ellie cried out.
Before Julian could pull the trigger, I grabbed a heavy brass fire extinguisher from the wall and swung it with everything I had, slamming it directly into Julian’s arm.
His gun fired wildly into the ceiling, the bullet ricocheting off the steel plating. He stumbled back with a curse, dropping his weapon.
“You crazy bitch!” Julian snarled, grabbing me by my hair and throwing me violently against the wall. My head slammed against the concrete, and spots of light danced before my eyes as I slid to the floor.
“Mommy!” Ellie screamed.
Julian wiped blood from his mouth, reaching into his coat pocket to pull out a silver hunting knife. “I should have killed you and your little brat in the study,” he hissed, stepping toward me. “You ruined everything. My brother was supposed to die quietly! The estate was supposed to be mine!”
“You won't get away with this, Julian,” I gasped, clutching my injured head.
“I already have,” Julian laughed maniacally. “The Morettis are sweeping the upper levels. Damen will be dead within five minutes. And you... you’ll just be collateral damage.”
He raised the blade. Ellie squeezed her eyes shut and screamed with all her heart:
“ATLAS! HELP!”
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At the sound of Ellie’s voice, Atlas let go of the mercenary in the hall. The dog spun around, his golden eyes glowing with primal fury under the red emergency lights. He lunged into the vault, closing the distance in a fraction of a second.
Atlas slammed his massive body into Julian’s waist, tackling the mafia lieutenant to the floor. The knife skittered across the concrete as Julian screamed in terror under the crushing weight of the 130-pound beast.
