Chapter 7 - The Siege of the North Side
"Down! Get down!"
Lorenzo moved with terrifying speed, grabbing Elra by the arm and shoving her behind a reinforced steel pillar just as a volley of automatic gunfire chewed through the study’s French windows, sending wood splinters and glass shards flying like shrapnel.
"Secure the children!" Lorenzo roared into his comm-link, drawing a sleek Sig Sauer pistol from his shoulder holster with one fluid motion.
Sirens wailed across the estate grounds. Red security lights flashed against the vaulted ceilings as the mansion’s automated defense systems engaged. Senator Vance hadn't sent a diplomatic party; he had sent a hit squad of East Coast professional mercenaries to wipe out the Moretti leadership in one fell swoop and recover the embarrassing trail of evidence.
"Elra, listen to me," Lorenzo said, his face inches from hers amidst the concussive boom of a flashbang grenade echoing from the hallway. "The panic room is behind the bookshelf in the corner. Take Leo and Mia there. Do not come out for anything."
"And you?" Elra asked, her heart hammering against her ribs, refusing to show the terror threatening to paralyze her.
"I have to clean house," Lorenzo said grimly, a dangerous, cold smile touching the corner of his lips.
Before Elra could answer, the study door was kicked off its hinges. Two masked gunmen in tactical gear stepped through the threshold, weapons raised.
In a blur of motion, Lorenzo pivoted, firing twice through the smoke. Both mercenaries dropped instantly. But the sound of boots running down the corridor signaled a dozen more closing in.
May you like
Elra didn't hesitate. She scrambled across the floor, sprinting toward the nursery to grab Leo and Mia before the hallway was completely cut off.
The estate was burning, the war for Chicago had officially begun, and Elra Vance was no longer just an invisible maid watching from the sidelines. She was in the crossfire.
