Chapter 13 - Siege at Midnight
Elena slammed the journal into her jacket and gripped Marian’s arm, leading her swiftly toward the reinforced panic room at the end of the corridor. Gunfire echoed from the floors above—heavy, automatic weapons tearing through wood, glass, and priceless art.
""Hurry, grandmother!"" Elena urged, punching the keypad beside the blast door.
Marian stepped inside the steel-reinforced chamber. ""Elena, come inside! Close the door!""
""Julian is up there alone with four guards,"" Elena said, stepping back into the stone hallway. ""I won't let him die for my mother’s legacy.""
""Elena, no!"" Marian cried, but Elena hit the interior lock switch. The heavy steel door slid shut, sealing Marian safely inside.
Elena grabbed a heavy tactical shotgun mounted in the armory rack beside the panic room. She loaded the shells with practiced precision, racking the slide with a clean, metallic clatter. Growing up in a dangerous city had taught her one vital lesson: running only prolongs the fight.
She crept up the servants’ staircase, bypassing the main marble steps where bullets were shredding the walls. Through the landing window, she saw three black armored tactical vans parked on the front lawn. Men in unmarked combat gear were advancing behind ballistic shields.
In the grand foyer, Julian was pinned behind an overturned marble statue, returning fire with his sidearm, empty brass casings scattering across the floor. A mercenary tossed a flashbang grenade toward Julian’s position.
Elena kicked open the second-floor mezzanine door, leaned over the carved oak railing, and fired downward with lethal accuracy.
The blast shattered the mercenary's shield, knocking two attackers to the ground. Julian seized the opening, lunging forward to neutralize the remaining shooter.
Julian glanced up, smoke curling from Elena’s shotgun barrel. ""I told you to stay in the vault!"" he shouted over the ringing silence.
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""You're welcome!"" Elena called back.
Before they could regroup, the main double doors were blown off their hinges by an explosive charge, blowing a cloud of smoke and fire across the grand entrance.
