Chapter 4 - The Midnight Flight
The terrifying sight of a strange man holding my tiny son stopped my heart entirely. Ash was completely silent, his little amber eyes wide with a deeply terrified caution. Lena was hiding bravely behind the sofa, crying softly into her small trembling hands. The armed man smiled wickedly and pressed the cold barrel of his gun against my son's temple. Before the man could demand a surrender, Luca stepped up swiftly right behind me. Two silenced shots rang out with deadly precision, hitting the intruder squarely in the chest. The man collapsed backward, dropping Ash completely safely onto the soft carpet. I rushed forward and scooped both of my precious children tightly into my shaking arms. Luca grabbed my hand and led us through the violently burning kitchen toward the emergency exit. We burst out into the dark alley, coughing violently from the thick and toxic black smoke. A sleek, heavily armored black SUV was parked at the edge of the street with its engine already running. Luca opened the heavy rear door and practically shoved us inside to absolute safety. He climbed into the driver's seat and slammed on the gas pedal, tearing away from my burning life. I held the twins tightly in the backseat, watching my bakery turn to ashes through the dark tinted window. The tense drive lasted for hours through winding, treacherous mountain roads in complete silence. The children eventually fell asleep, entirely exhausted by the sheer terror of the night. I finally gathered my courage and asked Luca where he was taking us. He did not look away from the dark road when he answered my question. He said we were going to the only place in the entire world Vanessa did not know about. The vehicle turned down a hidden dirt path and stopped in front of a familiar wooden structure. I gasped as I recognized the secluded mountain cabin where we had spent our magical honeymoon.
