Chapter 13 - The Siege
Gunfire tore through the darkness of the study, shredding the leather-bound books and shattering the picture frame on the desk. Clara slipped through the narrow servant passageway, her heart pounding in her throat as she heard Christian returning fire with brutal, rhythmic precision.
She didn't look back. She sprinted down the narrow, dimly lit staircase that led directly to the library on the ground floor.
When she burst into the corridor, Julian was already there, cradling Lily tightly in a tactical sling against his chest, a submachine gun resting ready in his hands. Lily was crying, terrified by the sudden noise and darkness.
""Miss Clara, over here!"" Julian hissed, motioning toward the false bookcase that opened into the reinforced steel vault.
Clara rushed forward, scooping Lily into her arms and burying her face in the child’s warm neck, whispering frantic soothings. ""I'm here, baby, Mama's here, you're okay...""
""Get inside,"" Julian urged, his eyes scanning the shadowed hallway. ""The door is four-inch hardened titanium. Once sealed, neither fire nor gas can penetrate.""
""Where is Christian?"" Clara pleaded, refusing to step across the threshold. ""We can't lock the door without him!""
""Mr. Vance gave an order, ma'am,"" Julian said grimly. ""My duty is to ensure your survival.""
Before Julian could hit the pneumatic lock switch, a heavy body crashed through the stained-glass window at the end of the hall. Glass rained down like diamond shards. A figure stepped through the frame, clad in black tactical gear, wielding a suppressed rifle.
Julian raised his weapon, but a second figure appeared from the shadow of the staircase, firing twice. Julian grunted in pain, stumbling back as a round caught him in the shoulder, blood instantly blooming across his crisp white shirt.
Clara screamed, clutching Lily tightly and backing into the vault.
May you like
The first intruder raised his rifle, aiming directly at Clara’s chest. ""End of the line, Mrs. Vance.""
Before he could pull the trigger, a hand reached from the shadows behind him, wrapping a wire around his throat and violently snapping him backward into the stone wall with sickening force.
