Chapter 15 - The Siege of Hale Manor
"Get Chloe and Amara into the panic room, now!" I roared, shoving Raymond backward onto the flagstone terrace where he lay groaning in pain.
"Marcus, secure the eastern corridor! Don't let anyone past the grand staircase!"
"Already on it, Boss!" Marcus yelled back, firing a burst of suppressive fire toward the driveway as armored vehicles began rolling past the burning wreckage of the front gates.
They weren't local thugs or rival street gangs. These men wore black tactical gear, carried military-grade suppressors, and moved with the synchronized precision of an elite mercenary unit.
The Morosco syndicate.
I sprinted back inside the manor, the heavy double doors of the foyer vibrating from the concussive thump of a flashbang detonating outside. Glass shattered in the sitting room as automatic rifle fire shredded the antique bay windows.
Grace was already rushing down the grand staircase, her face pale with terror, clutching Amara tightly to her chest while holding Chloe’s small hand in hers.
"Julian!" Grace cried out over the deafening din of gunfire. "The back hallway is cut off!"
"Take them down to the sub-vault!" I ordered, grabbing two submachine guns from the tactical chest by the coat rack and thrusting one into Grace's trembling hands—she knew how to handle a piece; I had made sure every staff member in this house could defend themselves. "Lock the steel door from the inside and do not open it for anyone—do you hear me? Anyone—unless you hear my voice giving the passcode."
Chloe looked up at me, her big amber eyes wide with fright, but she didn't cry. She just squeezed my hand tightly. 🇦🇬
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"Daddy... are we playing hide and seek again?" she whispered.
"Yes, sweetheart," I said, forcing a calm, reassuring smile through the adrenaline pounding in my veins. "And Daddy is going to win."
