Chapter 4 - The Siege
"Get down!" Gideon roared, instantly transforming from a broken father back into a lethal predator.
He crawled across the floor covered in broken glass and dragged Leo beneath the heavy oak dining table.
Maya scrambled toward them, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs.
Gideon wrapped his massive body entirely around the small boy, shielding Leo with his own flesh and bone.
Another bullet ripped through the drywall, showering them in white dust.
"I thought you said Victor Crowe was dead!" Maya screamed at Elias over the gunfire.
"He is," Elias shouted back, pulling a tactical rifle from his long coat.
"This isn't Victor's syndicate, it's someone from inside our own organization."
Gideon's eyes darkened with a murderous rage as he looked at Elias.
"Someone followed you here?" Gideon demanded.
"I covered my tracks, Boss, they must have placed a tracker on your jet," Elias replied defensively.
Outside, the sound of heavy boots crunching on gravel signaled that the sniper was not alone.
They were being surrounded by an assault team.
Gideon looked down at Leo, who was crying silently, his small hands gripping Gideon's shirt.
"I will not let them touch you, do you hear me?" Gideon promised the son he had just met.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a heavy handgun, checking the magazine with terrifying efficiency.
"Maya, take the boy and get into the basement," Gideon ordered.
"I am not leaving you to die!" Maya yelled, her veterinary bag slung over her shoulder.
"You left me to die five years ago when you faked your death," Gideon snapped back, the hurt finally bleeding through his anger.
"Go down the stairs, now!"
Maya grabbed Leo and ran toward the basement door as Gideon and Elias opened fire on the intruders.
She locked the heavy wooden door behind her and huddled in the dark with her son.
For ten agonizing minutes, the house above them sounded like a war zone.
Then, absolute silence fell over the property.
The basement door was suddenly kicked open, and heavy footsteps started walking down the wooden stairs.
Maya aimed her pistol at the dark figure descending into the shadows.
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"Drop the gun, Maya," a familiar, chilling voice echoed in the basement.
It was Silas, Gideon's oldest mentor and the man who had treated Gideon like a son.
