Chapter 4 - The Battle for the Estate
The sound of distant gunfire echoed through the heavy concrete walls of the West Wing.
I slammed the steel safety shutters into place, locking the master suite into an impenetrable fortress. Inside, Lily sat on the oversized king bed, holding Poppy tight, watching me with wide, curious eyes.
"Mommy," Lily asked softly, her little voice breaking the heavy atmosphere. "Is Mr. Alessandro fighting the bad guys?"
I walked over to the bed and sat beside her, pulling her small body into my lap.
"Yes, sweetheart," I whispered, brushing a stray curl from her forehead. "He's making sure we stay safe."
"Does he still want us to go away?" she asked, her blue eyes shining with heartbreaking innocence.
Tears welled in my eyes as I squeezed her tight. "No, baby. He never wanted you to go away. He was just confused, and now he knows how special you are."
Outside the room, the sounds of conflict intensified. The heavy thud of tactical gear, shouting, and automatic gunfire echoed from the main gallery below. The Moretti syndicate knew that if Victor Vance talked to the federal prosecutors, their entire forty-year empire would be liquidated by sunset. They were fighting like cornered wolves.
Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the lower level of the West Wing, shaking the chandelier above our heads.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Minutes felt like grueling hours as I held Lily in the dark room, listening to the desperate struggle for survival happening throughout the estate.
Then, after thirty agonizing minutes, the gunfire slowly tapered off, replaced by the wail of approaching federal law enforcement sirens in the distance.
Footsteps approached the master suite door.
Three heavy knocks. A pause. Two quick knocks.
It was Alessandro’s private security code.
I rushed to the door, threw the heavy deadbolts open, and pulled the oak door wide.
Alessandro stood in the hallway. His jacket was gone, his white shirt was stained with soot and blood, and his left arm was hastily bandaged with a strip of black cloth. But his eyes were clear, bright, and focused entirely on us.
Behind him, dozens of federal agents were securing the hallway, taking surviving Moretti mercenaries into custody.
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Alessandro dropped his weapon into Dominic’s waiting hands, stepped across the threshold, and collapsed onto his knees in front of us, wrapping his arms around both me and Lily.
"It's over," Alessandro breathed heavily, his body trembling with sheer relief as he buried his face in my hair. "They're gone. The Morettis, Victor... all of them. It's finally over."
