Chapter 5 - The Midnight Breach
Dominic’s face hardened like granite. He checked his watch—it was 11:15 PM.
"They know something went wrong," Dominic said, his voice dropping into a dangerous register. "Vance isn't waiting for morning. He’s sending his mercenary team to wipe out the estate and clear the evidence."
"What about us?" I asked, panic surging through my veins as I reached over to pull Marcus closer to my side. "What about my son?"
Dominic walked over to me, kneeling down in front of the sofa. He reached out, his hand gently resting over mine. The warmth of his touch sent a sudden spark through my chest despite the overwhelming fear.
"I swear on my life, Elena, no harm will come to you or Marcus," Dominic said, his eyes locking onto mine with absolute sincerity. "Gabe and three of my best men will escort you down to the underground safe room beneath the wine cellar. It’s fortified with concrete and steel. You’ll be completely safe there."
"Are you coming with us?" I asked, hating how fragile my voice sounded.
"No," Dominic replied, standing up and pulling a custom sidearm from his shoulder holster, checking the chamber with a lethal metallic click. "I've spent three years in silence while these vipers took over my territory. Tonight, I'm taking it back."
Ten minutes later, Gabe escorted Marcus and me down a hidden elevator shaft that descended deep beneath the mansion’s foundation. The underground panic room was spacious, equipped with emergency monitors, food supplies, and reinforced steel blast doors.
Marcus held his stuffed bear tightly, looking up at the glowing monitor screens on the wall. "Is Mr. Dominic going to fight the bad guys, Mommy?"
"He's going to protect us, sweetie," I whispered, holding him close on the leather bench.
On the security monitors, I watched the outer perimeter feeds.
At precisely 11:45 PM, three black armored SUVs smashed through the estate's heavy front iron gates. Dozens of heavily armed men in dark tactical gear poured into the courtyard, opening fire on the mansion's outer security posts.
My heart stopped as I watched the violent chaos unfold on the silent screens. Explosions lit up the rain-slicked driveway as Dominic’s loyal guards returned fire from the upper balconies.
Suddenly, the screen showing the east corridor flickered and died.
Then another monitor went black.
Gabe rushed to the control panel, his hand on his sidearm. "They've breached the lower level! They brought signal jammers!"
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Before Gabe could seal the outer vault door manually, a heavy explosion rocked the hallway outside our room. The impact threw us against the wall as smoke filled the corridor.
Through the haze of dust and sparks, three armed mercenaries pushed through the shattered doorway, their rifles pointed directly at us.
