Chapter 5 - Ambush at the River Front
The lights in the penthouse flickered once, then plunged into complete darkness.
“Maya, get under the counter! Now!” Roman commanded instantly, pulling a sleek black custom pistol from his shoulder holster.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the sound of heavy tactical boots echoed from the hallway.
THUD!
The heavy steel front door was blown off its hinges by a breaching charge. Smoke and red laser sights flooded into the living room.
“Clear the room! Target the girl and the woman!” a harsh voice barked in the dark.
Roman didn't wait. Moving with lethal grace, he fired three precise shots through the smoke, dropping the first two mercenaries before they could cross the threshold.
Maya crawled frantically into the bedroom, pulling Sofie off the bed and shoving her into a reinforced steel gun-safe closet in the back of the master bedroom.
“Stay inside, Sofie! Don't open this door for anyone except me or Mr. Roman!” Maya pleaded, her voice shaking with fear.
“Mommy, no!” Sofie cried out from the dark closet.
Maya locked the heavy door from the outside, turned around, and picked up a heavy brass floor lamp from the corner of the room.
In the hallway, Roman was fighting like a man possessed. Despite his injuries, his sheer strength and combat experience overwhelmed the attackers. He used a fallen mercenary as a human shield while returning fire down the narrow corridor.
However, two more attackers slipped through the balcony window, flanking Roman from behind.
One of them lunged at Roman with a combat knife, pinning his arm against the wall.
Just as the second mercenary raised his rifle toward Roman’s head, Maya rushed out of the bedroom and swung the brass floor lamp with all her strength, smashing it directly across the attacker’s neck.
The man collapsed to the carpet, unconscious.
Roman took advantage of the distraction, twisting the knife out of the first attacker’s grip and knocking him out with a brutal elbow to the jaw.
The penthouse fell silent again, save for the heavy breathing of Roman and Maya standing among the fallen mercenaries.
Vince and a squad of ten loyal DeLuca soldiers burst out of the elevator seconds later, weapons drawn, their faces pale when they saw the carnage.
“Boss! Are you alright?!” Vince gasped.
Roman checked Maya for injuries, making sure she wasn't bleeding, before turning his thunderous gaze onto his security chief.
“They tracked us because Falcone has a tracker on my secondary vehicle,” Roman realized, his eyes narrowing in cold fury. “Falcone isn't just trying to kill me... he’s desperate. He knows I have the evidence that could put him in federal prison for life.”
Maya unlocked the safe closet, pulling out a weeping Sofie, who immediately wrapped her tiny arms around Roman’s neck the moment she saw him.
May you like
Roman held the toddler tight against his chest, kissing her forehead gently.
“Vince,” Roman commanded, his voice cold enough to freeze water. “Prepare the heavy team. We are going to Falcone’s dockyard tonight. It ends now.”
