Chapter 4 - Under Siege
Smoke billowed into the hallway outside the study.
Mr. Moreto pulled Anna and Lily to the floor.
Gunfire erupted from the floor below them.
This was no longer a simple assassination attempt.
This was a full-scale military assault.
"We need to get to the panic room," Mr. Moreto shouted over the noise.
He grabbed his son Ethan, who had been hiding under the desk.
"Follow me and keep your heads down," he ordered Anna.
They crawled out into the smoky corridor.
Two of Mr. Moreto's bodyguards took the lead.
They moved tactically down the grand staircase.
Suddenly, a flashbang grenade bounced onto the landing.
The blinding white light and deafening boom disoriented everyone.
Anna felt a pair of strong hands grab her arms.
An attacker dressed in black tactical gear tried to drag her away.
Instinct took over her body.
She twisted violently and delivered a brutal elbow strike to his throat.
The attacker collapsed to the ground instantly.
She grabbed his dropped rifle and checked the safety.
Mr. Moreto stared at her in absolute shock.
"Where did a maid learn to do that?" he asked breathlessly.
"I will explain if we survive this," Anna snapped back.
She chambered a round with practiced efficiency.
They rushed toward the hidden library door.
More heavily armed mercenaries flooded into the main foyer.
They were shooting at anything that moved.
"They aren't here to kidnap anyone," Mr. Moreto realized with horror.
"They are here to wipe out my entire bloodline."
He punched a hidden code into a bookshelf.
A heavy steel door slid open silently.
They all rushed inside the reinforced panic room.
Mr. Moreto hit the lock button.
The massive door sealed shut with a loud hydraulic hiss.
They were finally safe.
The room was stocked with weapons, food, and communication gear.
Anna dropped the heavy rifle and hugged Lily tightly.
She checked her daughter for any injuries.
"We are completely secure in here," Mr. Moreto assured them.
He walked over to the security console to check the cameras.
He pressed the power button on the main monitor.
The screen flickered to life.
Instead of showing the hallway outside, the screen displayed a live video call.
A masked man was sitting in Mr. Moreto's private office.
The man pulled off his black mask slowly.
May you like
Mr. Moreto stopped breathing.
"Hello, brother," the man on the screen smiled wickedly.
