Chapter 14 - Fire in the Sanctuary
The heavy iron-reinforced doors leading from the grand salon onto the terrace burst inward with a deafening roar as a breaching charge blew the deadbolts clean through the masonry.
Shrapnel sprayed across the white stucco walls, shattering antique vases and raining debris over the terracotta tiles. Dominic reacted instantly, shoving me behind a heavy marble pillar while simultaneously unleashing a volley of gunfire through the smoke-filled doorway.
Two men in advanced tactical gear, their faces obscured by black gas masks and night-vision rigs, tumbled backward across the threshold, neutralized before they could level their assault rifles.
"Stay down!" Dominic ordered, his voice cutting through the ringing in my ears.
More shadows poured through the breach. The villa—our sanctuary, our cliffside fortress—instantly transformed into a brutal close-quarters kill zone. Enzo held the western corridor with ruthless efficiency, his suppressed weapon spitting flame in the dim light of the hallway, while Dominic covered the terrace entrance.
I pressed my back against the cold marble pillar, my lungs burning as the acrid smell of cordite and smoke filled the air. My mind raced through the revelation Marcus had dropped over the phone. Genetic encryption. It sounded like something out of a science fiction novel, yet the bullets chewing through the mahogany furniture around me were painfully, terrifyingly real.
"Clara! Move!"
Dominic’s shout ripped me from my thoughts. A massive operative had lunged around the pillar, a heavy combat knife gleaming in his hand, ignoring the gunfire to reach me directly.
Before I could even scream, Dominic intercepted him mid-air. The two men crashed into the glass coffee table, shattering it into a million glittering shards. The operative was large, fueled by synthetic stimulants, and for a terrifying second, he pinned Dominic to the floor, his hands closing around Dominic’s throat.
Without thinking, I scrambled forward. My hand brushed against the Glock Dominic had dropped during the scuffle. I didn't hesitate. I grabbed the grip, pointed the barrel with both shaking hands, and pulled the trigger.
The deafening report echoed inside the enclosed room. The bullet caught the operative squarely in the side of his tactical vest, the kinetic force throwing him off Dominic.
Dominic rolled, straddled the fallen man, and ended the threat with two cold, precise shots. He scrambled back to his feet, chest heaving, his dark eyes wide as he looked down at me.
"Are you hit?" he demanded, dropping to one knee to inspect me.
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"No," I gasped, dropping the gun as my hands began to violently shake. "I'm okay. I'm okay."
Dominic grabbed my face in his hands, pressing a hard, desperate kiss against my forehead before pulling me up. "We have to go. The safe room in the basement has an uplink to Interpol's high-threat extraction unit. Marcus wants your DNA? We'll give him an international manhunt instead."
