Chapter 3 - The Ambush
Elena did not sleep at all that night.
She kept the bloody note hidden inside her shoe, her mind racing with terrifying possibilities.
The next morning, Adrian informed her that she needed to take the younger children to the park.
He insisted they needed fresh air, and she needed to establish authority.
Two heavily armed guards drove them in a bulletproof SUV to a private, gated playground.
Noah sat quietly on a swing while Lily dug in the sandbox.
Elena watched them closely, wondering how these innocent-looking children could be dangerous.
Suddenly, a deafening crack shattered the peaceful morning air.
One of their bodyguards dropped to the grass, a sniper bullet lodged in his chest.
The second guard drew his weapon, screaming for Elena to get the children down.
Another shot rang out, and the second guard collapsed against the playground fence.
Elena did not hesitate or freeze in fear.
Her father had raised her around violence, and her survival instincts immediately took over.
She sprinted across the woodchips and tackled Noah and Lily to the ground.
She dragged them behind a thick concrete retaining wall just as the sandbox exploded with gunfire.
A man dressed in dark tactical gear vaulted over the fence and marched toward them.
He held an assault rifle, his eyes locked entirely on Elena.
He wasn't aiming at the children at all.
Elena pulled a small, silver pistol from the fallen guard's holster.
She stepped out from behind the wall and fired three times, hitting the assassin squarely in the chest.
The man collapsed backward into the dirt, dead before he hit the ground.
Noah and Lily were crying hysterically, clinging to Elena's coat.
Elena walked over to the dead assassin with shaking hands.
She pulled the black mask off the man's face to identify him.
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She gasped out loud as she recognized the distinctive snake tattoo on his neck.
It was the exact same tattoo her father forced all of his loyal enforcers to wear.
