Chapter 5 - Fire on the Perimeter
Back at the Westchester estate, the rain had turned into a heavy, blinding downpour. Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by low, rolling thunder that shook the stained-glass windows of the grand foyer.
In Suite 304, Anna was sitting at a small writing desk, trying to organize her thoughts. Lily was on the floor, happily drawing pictures with colorful crayons on a pad of paper Ethan had brought her.
"Mommy, look!" Lily held up a page.
It was a drawing of a big house, a sun, and three people holding hands. One had long hair (Anna), one had a yellow crown (Lily), and next to them was a tall figure dressed all in black with a red necktie.
"Who is that, sweetheart?" Anna asked, pointing to the tall figure.
"That's Mr. Dominic," Lily said proudly. "He said he’s gonna buy me a pony if I eat my broccoli."
Anna couldn't help but smile faintly. "He said that, did he?"
"Yep. A pink pony."
The sweet moment was shattered by a loud, dull EXPLOSION that echoed from the western side of the grounds.
The floor shook. The crystal wall sconces rattled against the plaster.
Lily screamed, dropping her crayons and diving into Anna’s lap. "Mommy!"
"It's okay! It's just thunder—" Anna started, but then the emergency sirens inside the house began to blare—a harsh, rhythmic pulsing light accompanied by a loud electronic horn.
The connecting door slammed open. Ethan ran in, looking terrified, followed by Frank, his assigned guard, who had his Glock drawn.
"Ms. Carter! Stay down!" Frank ordered, taking a defensive position by the main door. He tapped his radio headset. "Control, this is Team Three! What was that blast?"
Static screamed through the radio, followed by panic-laced shouts.
“—Breach on the west gate! A delivery truck rammed the transformer! Power is out on the outer fence! We’ve got multiple armed hostiles crossing the lawn—!”
BOOM!
Another explosion rocked the estate—this one closer, near the glass conservatory.
The room’s main overhead lights flickered and died. Instantly, the red emergency backup lights kicked on, bathing the luxury bedroom in a eerie, blood-colored glow.
"They cut the main line!" Frank yelled into his radio. "Team Three falling back to the third-floor landing! Secure the heirs!"
Anna grabbed Lily, holding her tight against her chest, and pulled Ethan toward the bathroom—the only room in the suite without external windows.
"Ethan, get inside!" Anna commanded.
"Where is my dad?!" Ethan cried, tears finally breaking through his brave facade. "Is he back from the city?!"
"He's coming, Ethan! He’s on his way!" Anna shouted over the sound of gunfire echoing from the floor below.
Automatic weapons fire broke out in the grand foyer downstairs—sharp, rapid pop-pop-pop sounds followed by the heavy response of shotguns. The Valenti enforcers had breached the house.
Frank stood by the bathroom door, his weapon raised toward the suite’s entrance. "Ms. Carter, lock this bathroom door from the inside! Don't open it for anyone unless you hear my voice or Mr. Moretti’s!"
"Frank, you can't fight them alone!" Anna said, looking out at the hallway where shouting could now be heard.
"I have my orders, ma'am!" Frank said grimly. "Lock it!"
Anna shoved Ethan and Lily into the large marble bathroom, stepped inside, and slammed the heavy oak door shut, turning the brass deadbolt.
Inside the dark, windowless bathroom, illuminated only by the red glow of a nightlight, the sound of the battle outside was muffled but terrifyingly real.
Lily was sobbing into Anna’s neck. "Mommy, I'm scared! I don't want the dark!"
"Shh, baby, I'm here. Mommy's got you," Anna whispered, sitting against the tub and pulling both children into her lap. She wrapped her arms around Lily and Ethan, shielding them with her own body.
Outside the bathroom, heavy gunshots rang out in the bedroom.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A loud thud echoed as a heavy body hit the floor right outside the door.
Then... silence.
The gunfire downstairs seemed to fade, replaced by the crackle of burning wood and the distant sound of blaring security alarms.
Inside the bathroom, the three of them held their breath.
A slow, heavy footstep sounded in the bedroom. It approached the bathroom door.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Anna felt her blood run cold. She looked around frantically for a weapon, but there was nothing—only towels, soap bottles, and a brass soap dish.
The door handle rattled.
Click.
It was locked.
Then, a harsh, unfamiliar voice called out from the other side.
"Little girl..." the voice rasped, heavy with an accent. "I know you're in there with the Moretti boy. Open the door, and maybe I’ll let your mommy live."
Lily buried her face deeper into Anna’s chest, shivering violently.
Anna squeezed her eyes shut, holding the children tighter. "Go away! The police are coming!"
The man laughed—a dry, horrible sound. "Police don't come here, lady. Now open the door, or I shoot through the wood."
Anna looked at the flimsy wooden panels of the door. Hollow core. Bulletproof armor wasn't built into bathroom doors.
The man stepped closer. "I'm gonna count to three."
"One..."
Ethan squeezed Anna’s hand tightly. "Ms. Anna..."
"Two..."
Anna pulled the children behind her back, placing herself directly between them and the door, preparing to take whatever came through it.
"Three—"
Before the man could finish, a deafening sound shattered the bedroom outside.
BOOM!
It wasn't a gunshot. It was the sound of the bedroom’s main steel door being violently kicked off its hinges.
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A split second later, a cold, familiar voice thundered through the room—a voice full of such raw, monstrous fury that even the air inside the bathroom seemed to vibrate.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY FAMILY!"
