Chapter 5 - The Inside Job
The armed intruders raised their assault rifles directly at my family.
My mind raced, trying to comprehend how a heavily armed strike team had bypassed my biometric security vault.
Marco did not hesitate to protect the children.
He raised his sidearm and fired rapidly into the enclosed space, striking the closest intruder in the chest.
The narrow hallway erupted into a chaotic, deafening crossfire.
I grabbed Elena by the shoulder and shoved her and Sophie to the floor behind a heavy oak credenza.
I returned fire, aiming for the gaps in the intruders' heavy Kevlar armor.
The marble walls chipped and exploded around us as enemy bullets rained down the corridor.
One of the masked men stepped forward, laying down heavy suppressive fire that forced Marco into cover.
I realized we could not win a prolonged firefight in this exposed hallway while protecting three infants.
"Push the cribs toward the west wing!" I yelled to the terrified nannies over the deafening gunfire.
The nannies crawled on their knees, frantically pushing the wooden cribs away from the line of fire.
I rolled across the floor, firing three precise shots that dropped another attacker.
The remaining three intruders advanced slowly, moving with the trained coordination of military professionals.
I shot out the overhead red emergency light, plunging our section of the corridor into complete darkness.
Using the momentary confusion, I flanked the attackers and tackled their squad leader to the ground.
We wrestled violently in the dark, his hands reaching for a combat knife strapped to his thigh.
I managed to disarm him and struck him across the temple with the heavy grip of my pistol.
The man went limp, and I quickly dragged him into the shadows.
I ripped the black ski mask off his face to see which of Rossi's hitmen had breached my home.
I clicked on my small tactical flashlight and aimed the beam at his unconscious face.
My breath caught in my throat, and a cold shockwave hit my chest.
May you like
The man leading the attack was not a Rossi soldier.
It was my most trusted underboss, Carlo, a man I had treated like a brother for ten years.
