Chapter 25 - The Raid
The storm rolling off the Atlantic Ocean provided the perfect cover for the violent chaos about to unfold.
Hannah stood in the master bedroom, frantically packing three small duffel bags with warm clothes and emergency cash.
The hospital had discharged the triplets under a highly confidential alias, and they were currently sleeping deeply on the massive king-sized bed.
Dominic walked into the room wearing full tactical gear, his chest covered by heavy kevlar plates and his hands gripping an assault rifle.
He told Hannah that Clara’s handler had taken the bait, and a convoy of unmarked federal vehicles was currently breaching the outer gates.
The corrupt agents were coming under the guise of an emergency child welfare extraction, but they were armed with lethal intent.
Dominic handed Hannah a small, encrypted radio and a specialized keycard that granted access to the estate's deepest sub-level.
He explained that there was a reinforced panic tunnel leading directly from the wine cellar to a private dock on the bay.
A heavily fueled speedboat was waiting there, completely untraceable and ready to disappear into the stormy night.
Hannah grabbed his tactical vest, her knuckles turning white as she desperately begged him to come with them.
Dominic gently cupped her face, pressing a hard, desperate kiss to her forehead amidst the wailing of the estate's proximity alarms.
He told her that he had to stay behind to hold the primary chokepoint; otherwise, the agents would easily pursue them to the water.
He promised he would find them at the secondary safe house in the city once the assault team was entirely neutralized.
Tears blurred Hannah’s vision, but she forced them back, nodding sharply as maternal survival instinct completely took over.
She strapped Emma to her chest in a heavy baby carrier and grabbed Lily and Grace by their tiny hands.
As she sprinted down the grand staircase toward the wine cellar, the heavy front doors of the estate were violently blown open.
Deafening gunfire instantly erupted in the foyer, the sound of Dominic’s automatic rifle echoing like thunder through the massive house.
Hannah did not look back; she dragged the terrified girls into the dark, damp tunnel, locking the heavy steel vault door behind them.
They ran through the cold darkness for what felt like an eternity, the faint sounds of battle above them slowly fading into silence.
When they finally reached the wooden docks, the freezing rain completely soaked through their clothes in seconds.
Hannah loaded the crying children into the enclosed cabin of the sleek speedboat and practically smashed her hand onto the ignition button.
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The engine roared to life, cutting violently through the black, churning waves of the bay.
She steered the boat toward the neon glow of the city skyline, entirely alone and terrified that Dominic was already dead.
