Chapter 4 - The Midnight Siege
The moon was completely hidden behind thick storm clouds when Rossi’s tactical team breached the outer perimeter.
They moved silently through the manicured hedges, dressed in absolute black.
Inside the estate, Luca was sweating through another grueling round of nerve stimulation.
Dr. Thorne was adjusting the voltage when the estate's silent alarm system flashed red across the control panels.
Luca’s head snapped up.
"Kill the lights," Luca ordered instantly.
The doctor hit the switch, plunging the medical suite into total darkness.
Luca reached under his wheelchair cushion and pulled out a suppressed customized Glock 19.
"Get to the panic room, Doctor," Luca commanded, his voice devoid of fear.
"What about you?" Dr. Thorne whispered.
"I have a family to protect," Luca growled.
Across the compound, Elena was asleep in the guest cottage, Maya curled up safely against her side.
Tommy Reyes was sleeping on the living room sofa, having refused to go back to his group home.
The sound of shattering glass shattered the peaceful silence.
Tommy bolted upright, instantly recognizing the sound of violence.
He grabbed a heavy brass lamp from the end table and crept toward the hallway.
Two masked men kicked open the front door of the cottage, sweeping the room with silenced submachine guns.
Before they could advance, a deafening gunshot echoed from the darkness outside.
One of the masked men dropped to the floor, grasping his shattered knee.
Luca sat on the paved walkway in his wheelchair, his pistol raised and perfectly steady.
He had wheeled himself out of the main house the moment the alarms tripped.
"Drop the weapons!" Luca roared into the night.
The second assassin panicked, raising his gun toward Luca.
Before he could pull the trigger, Tommy swung the heavy brass lamp with all his might, striking the assassin in the back of the knees.
The man stumbled, and Luca fired a second, precision shot, disarming him instantly.
Elena rushed out of the bedroom, clutching Maya tightly to her chest.
Luca lowered his weapon, his chest heaving as his security team finally flooded the courtyard, securing the area.
He looked at Elena, his eyes full of dangerous fury and desperate relief.
May you like
"Pack your things," Luca ordered, his voice echoing with absolute authority.
"You are moving into the main house tonight, and you are never leaving my sight again."
