Chapter 5 - Breach
The hallway door groaned as a heavy boot slammed against the wood, splintering the lock.
Adrian didn’t wait. He fired three rapid, muffled shots through the drywall. A muffled groan echoed from the corridor, followed by the heavy thud of a body hitting the floorboards.
“Sophia! Take the children through the fire escape in the bedroom,” Adrian ordered, keeping his eyes fixed on the splintered doorway. “Take the alleyway down to the SUV. Luca’s backup driver should still be in the vehicle. Get in and don't look back.”
“I’m not leaving you here,” I said, raising my own weapon toward the doorway.
“If you stay, you die, and so do they,” Adrian snarled, his voice cracking with a desperation he couldn't hide. “I let you walk away once, Sophia. I am not losing you and my daughter a second time. Go!”
Another volley of gunfire chewed through the door frame, spraying splintered wood across the living room.
I grabbed Emma’s hand, scooping sleeping Oliver into my free arm, his little body heavy and warm. “Hold onto my jacket, Emma. Don’t let go, no matter what you hear.”
“Daddy!” Emma cried out, looking back toward the kitchen.
“Go, Emma!” Adrian shouted, firing another disciplined burst down the hallway.
May you like
We scrambled into the back bedroom, throwing open the rusted window that led to the metal fire escape. The cold Queens wind hit us like a slap. As I hoisted Oliver over the railing, I glanced back one last time.
Adrian stood in the center of the kitchen, bathed in the amber glow of the streetlights outside, a solitary king guarding a board he was determined not to lose.
