Chapter 8 - The Infiltration
Dominic Rossi had clearly brought his absolute best heavy artillery to the party.
The massive iron gates of my mother's estate were entirely blown off their reinforced hinges.
Alarms blared into the night sky as dozens of Rossi's men engaged Evelyn's private security force.
Tracer rounds lit up the darkness, creating a chaotic and deadly distraction at the front of the property.
I abandoned my car a mile away and approached the estate from the treacherous eastern cliffs.
I scaled the jagged rocks, bypassing the perimeter sensors I had personally installed ten years ago.
I slipped over the stone wall and dropped silently into the manicured gardens.
The massive mansion was in full lockdown mode, heavy steel shutters covering all the ground-floor windows.
I moved like a ghost through the shadows, taking out two patrolling guards with swift, silent strikes.
I reached the hidden service entrance and used a biometric bypass device to unlock the heavy metal door.
The interior of the mansion was eerily quiet compared to the war zone outside.
I crept up the grand marble staircase, my gun raised, checking every corner for hidden sentries.
I reached the third floor and kicked open the heavy oak doors to my mother's master suite.
The room was empty, the bed perfectly made, completely undisturbed by the chaos outside.
I walked over to the massive oil painting of my late father hanging above the fireplace.
I reached behind the heavy frame and found the hidden digital keypad.
I typed in the master override code, and the entire fireplace swung open to reveal a hidden steel vault.
I pulled the small brass key from my pocket and inserted it into the manual override slot.
The lock clicked heavily, and I pulled the heavy metal door open.
Inside, resting on a velvet pillow, was a thick leather-bound folder.
I grabbed it and flipped open the heavy cover, expecting to find financial ledgers or hit lists.
Instead, the very first document was a certified birth certificate bearing the state seal.
I read the names on the faded paper, my mind completely struggling to comprehend the words.
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Mother: Evelyn Waverly.
Father: Dominic Rossi.
