Chapter 6 - The Breach
The calm authority that surrounded Luca shifted instantly into lethal kinetic energy. He drew a suppressed pistol from beneath his vest with terrifying grace, checking the chamber in a fraction of a second.
""Dr. Aris, assess the child immediately,"" Luca ordered without glancing back. ""Prepare the subterranean bunker. We have less than four minutes.""
""Wait!"" Elena cried out, struggling to sit up as the doctor approached with a stethoscope. The sudden movement sent sharp, tearing pain through her lower abdomen. ""Who is outside? Mateo?""
""Mateo is a cowardly dog,"" Luca said coldly, walking toward the terrace and peering through the reinforced blinds into the rainy darkness. ""He doesn't have the stomach for this kind of assault. It’s his father, Don Hector. He wants his investment back, Elena. Dead or alive.""
A thunderous explosion shook the foundations of the compound, the concussive force rattling the crystal chandeliers and sending a cascade of plaster dust drifting from the high ceiling. The lights flickered once, twice, before plunging the room into total darkness, leaving only the red emergency floor-strips glowing faintly.
The baby jolted awake, letting out a sharp, piercing wail.
Elena scooped him into her arms, ignoring the blinding agony in her body. Dr. Aris grabbed her arm with a vice-like grip. ""Up! Now! You cannot afford to bleed out here, girl!""
Luca kicked open the terrace doors. The smell of burning cordite and damp pine flooded the room, along with the deafening roar of automatic rifle fire echoing from the lower terraces.
""They bypassed the outer gate,"" Luca said into a radio on his shoulder. ""Full defensive protocol. Shoot to kill.""
A sniper round tore through the heavy glass panel above them with a deafening crack, raining crystalline shards across the bed. Luca grabbed Elena by the waist, dragging her down beneath the marble balustrade.
His face was inches from hers in the dark. For the first time, she saw a vein pulsing violently at his temple.
""Listen to me carefully,"" Luca whispered, his slate eyes burning into hers. ""You don't trust me. You think I am a monster. And you're right. But Hector will harvest that child's marrow for testing before the night is over.""
He reached into his pocket and pressed something cold and heavy into her palm. It wasn't a gun. It was a brass key with an ornate raven insignia.
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""If I fall,"" Luca commanded, ""you run toward the basement wine cellar. Don't look back.""
Suddenly, the bedroom door was blown off its hinges in a blinding flash of white light.
