Chapter 5 - The Counter-Strike
Hannah sat in the dark gatehouse, staring at her daughter’s name written in Aleandro Vitali’s handwriting.
Lily.
How did he know? How long had the most dangerous man in Chicago been watching her?
"He didn't trust Gabriel," Hannah realized out loud, her voice a tiny whisper against the patter of rain on the roof. "He trusted me because I wasn't part of his world."
She looked down at Maximus. The dog’s breathing had stabilized, the tight bandage holding the wound closed. His dark eyes were open, bright and alert, watching her every move.
"He’s in trouble, Max," Hannah said softly, touching the dog's nose. "Interstate 94. Gabriel said it was an ambush."
She looked around the dim gatehouse. In the corner sat an old riding lawnmower, stacks of salt bags for the driveway, and a heavy wooden workbench littered with old tools. On the wall hung an old emergency landline phone box—the kind installed decades ago before mobile networks existed.
Hannah scrambled over to the box, pulling the metal door open. A thick dust layer covered the receiver, but when she lifted it to her ear—
Tone.
A steady dial tone sounded in her ear. The old copper landline was still connected to the city grid.
She quickly dialed the only number she knew by heart—the private emergency line Aleandro had forced all staff to memorize on their first day of work.
The phone rang once. Twice. Three times.
Click.
"Speak," a deep, rough voice growled through the static.
"Aleandro!" Hannah cried out, clutching the receiver with both hands.
A brief silence hung on the line. "Hannah? Where are you? Why are you calling from a gatehouse line?"
"Don't go to Milwaukee!" she shouted into the receiver. "It's a trap! Gabriel set up an ambush on Interstate 94! He’s taken over the estate!"
"I am aware of the ambush," Aleandro replied, his voice chillingly calm over the crackling line. "We took out his primary intercept team ten minutes ago near Exit 12. Gabriel was sloppy."
Hannah let out a massive sigh of relief, tears stinging her eyes. "He shot Maximus—"
The line went dead quiet. The calm tone in Aleandro’s voice instantly vanished, replaced by a dark, terrifying fury that vibrated through the speaker.
"Is the dog alive?" Aleandro demanded.
"Yes! I bandaged him. We're hiding in the old gatehouse near the west wall. But Gabriel's men are hunting us. They have guns, Aleandro."
"Where is Gabriel right now?"
"He's heading back to the kitchen," Hannah said, remembering the notebook. "He wants what’s under the floor. Aleandro... your notebook. It says the password is Lily."
"Listen to me carefully, Hannah," Aleandro said, his voice lowering into a sharp, commanding instruction. "Inside that gatehouse, behind the workbench, there is a gray steel breaker panel. Open it. Flip the third red breaker down."
"What does it do?"
"It cuts the main power grid to the entire estate," Aleandro said. "The security lights, the gate locks, the surveillance feeds—everything goes dark. My assault team will be at the gates in four minutes."
"Okay... okay, I can do that," Hannah panted.
"And Hannah?" Aleandro added softly.
"Yes?"
"Keep my dog safe for four more minutes. I am coming back for both of you."
The line disconnected.
May you like
Hannah dropped the receiver, turned to the workbench, and pushed the heavy wooden table aside with all her strength. Behind it sat the gray breaker box. She yanked the door open, found the red switch marked AUX PUMP, and slammed it downward.
Instantly, every light across the three-acre estate went completely black.
