Chapter 9 - The Siege in the Woods
The silence of the mountain morning was shattered by the distinct, heavy crunch of tactical tires on the gravel road leading to the cabin.
I was standing by the window, a high-powered sniper rifle resting against my shoulder. I had seen the dust trail a mile out. Vincenzo hadn't sent a few thugs; he had sent a private army. Four black SUVs rolled into the clearing, disgorging two dozen heavily armed mercenaries.
"Get in the vault, Harper. Now," I ordered, not taking my eyes off the scope.
Harper didn't argue. She grabbed Luca, holding him tightly to her chest, and ran toward the master bedroom, where a reinforced steel panic vault was built into the floorboards. She climbed down into the dark space, pulling the heavy steel trapdoor shut behind her.
The moment the trapdoor clicked locked, I opened fire.
My first shot shattered the windshield of the lead SUV, passing cleanly through the driver’s skull. The vehicle swerved violently, crashing into the treeline. The mercenaries scrambled for cover, shouting orders and returning fire.
Bullets chewed through the wooden walls of the cabin, shattering the windows and shredding the furniture. I dropped to the floor, crawling toward the kitchen counter where I had staged a row of assault rifles and extra magazines.
"Matteo!" a voice echoed through a megaphone from outside. It was Vincenzo. "It’s over, brother! Send the girl and the baby out, and I promise you a quick death!"
"You're going to die screaming, Vincenzo!" I roared back, popping up to fire a relentless burst of automatic fire, dropping two mercenaries who tried to rush the front porch.
But there were too many of them. The sheer volume of incoming fire was tearing the cabin to pieces. They began advancing under the covering fire, moving closer to the walls.
Then, the front door was kicked open.
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I spun around, raising my weapon, but hesitated. It wasn't a mercenary. It was Marcus. Vincenzo’s men had shoved him through the door as a human shield, forcing him into the line of fire. Marcus stood there, weeping, holding a pistol in his shaking, bloody hand.
"Where is she?!" Marcus screamed, looking around the bullet-riddled room. "Vincenzo said he'd clear my debt if I kill her!"
