Chapter 9 - The Blood Tie
The mercenaries raised their assault rifles in perfect, terrifying synchronization.
Luca moved faster than I could have ever imagined.
He dove fiercely across the concrete floor, tackling Evelyn violently to the ground.
The silenced pistol discharged wildly, the bullet ricocheting off the ceiling sparks.
"Run!" Luca roared at me, pinning his struggling wife to the garage floor.
Marcus grabbed his dropped gun and fired blindly into the crowd of mercenaries.
I scooped up Mia in my arms and grabbed Leo’s hand.
We sprinted frantically toward the dark stairwell at the far end of the garage.
Gunfire erupted fiercely, echoing like brutal thunder in the enclosed concrete space.
I did not look back to see if Marcus had survived the initial volley.
I pushed the heavy stairwell door open and practically threw the twins inside.
We scrambled up the dark stairs, my lungs burning with pure terror.
We burst into the main kitchen of the massive estate.
The usually bustling room was completely deserted and eerily silent.
I locked the heavy wooden doors behind us, dragging a massive island cart to barricade it.
"Hide inside the pantry, right now," I ordered the twins, my voice shaking uncontrollably.
They ran into the dark walk-in pantry, completely terrified but incredibly brave.
I grabbed the largest chef’s knife I could find from the magnetic wall strip.
Heavy boots pounded aggressively against the barricaded kitchen doors.
They began kicking violently at the thick wood, splintering the frame with every blow.
I stood perfectly still in the center of the kitchen, gripping the knife tightly with both hands.
The doors finally gave way, crashing heavily into the marble countertops.
Two massive mercenaries stepped into the kitchen, their rifles raised to their shoulders.
Before they could pull the trigger, a series of rapid gunshots tore through the doorway from behind them.
Both men dropped heavily to the expensive tile floor.
Luca stepped over their bodies, his tailored suit completely ruined and covered in blood.
He was bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound in his left shoulder.
He dropped his empty weapon and fell to his knees in the middle of the kitchen.
I dropped the knife and rushed to his side, pressing a clean dish towel against his bleeding wound.
"Are the kids safe?" Luca choked out, wincing in absolute agony.
"They are in the pantry," I cried, applying brutal pressure to his shoulder.
He reached up with his good hand and gently touched my tear-stained face.
"I am going to fix this, Nia, I swear it."
Sirens suddenly wailed loudly in the distance, growing rapidly closer.
"Marcus triggered the silent alarm before they shot him," Luca gasped.
"Is he dead?" I asked, horrified.
"He took two bullets, but he will live," Luca promised.
Dozens of heavily armed police officers flooded into the mansion, securing the entire perimeter.
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They arrested Evelyn on the garage floor, dragging her away in silver handcuffs.
The brutal nightmare was finally over.
