Chapter 16 - The Siege Begins
The deafening blast echoed through the estate, immediately followed by the frantic shouting of my father's security detail.
Arthur instantly kicked into survival mode, grabbing a tactical shotgun from a hidden compartment under his desk.
"Get to the panic room right now and lock down the internal blast doors!" he screamed over the blaring security alarms.
I didn't hesitate, sprinting out of the office and down the long, luxurious hallway toward Emma's playroom.
Thick black smoke was already billowing through the foyer as heavily armed mercenaries breached the shattered front entrance.
These were not street-level cartel thugs; they moved with cold, synchronized military precision.
Victoria had used her newly acquired freedom to hire elite private military contractors, funding them with hidden offshore accounts.
I burst into the playroom, snatching a terrified Emma into my arms and practically flying down the stairs toward the basement.
Gunfire erupted above us, the terrifying sound of automatic weapons tearing my beautiful home to absolute shreds.
I reached the heavy steel door of the panic room, punching in the emergency code with desperate, bloodied fingers.
The hydraulic doors hissed open, and I shoved Emma inside just as a mercenary rounded the corner at the top of the stairs.
He raised his rifle, the red laser sight tracking directly across my chest.
Before he could pull the trigger, my father stepped into the hallway and fired his shotgun, sending the mercenary crashing backward.
"Get inside, Sarah!" Arthur roared, laying down suppressing fire to keep the stairwell clear.
I leaped into the panic room, slamming my hand against the emergency lockdown button on the wall.
The massive steel doors began to close, sliding together with a heavy, terrifying finality.
Through the narrowing gap, I saw my father drop his empty shotgun and draw his sidearm, holding the line alone.
He looked at me one last time, offering a small, heartbreaking smile of genuine apology.
"I love you, Sarah, protect her," Arthur yelled just before the doors slammed shut, sealing us in total darkness.
The heavy thud of the magnetic locks engaging echoed in the small, concrete bunker.
Emma clung to my neck, sobbing uncontrollably as the muffled sounds of a brutal firefight raged directly above our heads.
We were safe behind two feet of reinforced steel, but I knew the air supply would only last for twenty-four hours.
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If my father's men failed to repel the assault, Victoria would simply wait us out.
I pulled out my encrypted phone, praying for a signal through the heavy bunker walls, and dialed Thomas’s number.
