Chapter 10 - The Ambush
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The drive back to the estate was tense. The storm outside matched the churning anxiety in my stomach. Damian had publicly confronted Selene and implicitly accused her father of treason. In the syndicate world, that meant war.
When the driver pulled through the massive iron gates of the Bellucci estate, the grounds felt eerily quiet. The usual perimeter guards were missing from the front steps.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
“Where are the guards?” I asked the driver, a young man named Leo.
Leo frowned, tapping his earpiece. “Control, this is Alpha Two. Perimeter check. Do you copy?”
Static hissed through the cabin. No response.
“Miss,” Leo said, drawing a heavy pistol from his shoulder holster, his voice tight with panic. “Stay in the car. Lock the doors.”
He opened the driver’s side door and stepped out into the rain.
He didn't take three steps before a suppressed gunshot thwipped through the darkness. Leo collapsed backward onto the wet asphalt, a dark pool spreading beneath him.
I screamed, scrambling backward against the leather seats.
Four men dressed in black tactical gear emerged from the shadows of the manicured hedges. They weren't Bellucci men. They wore the insignias of the Vale family. Selene’s father hadn't waited for Damian’s retaliation at the gala. He had struck first, sending a hit squad to the undefended estate.
One of the men approached the car, raising the butt of his assault rifle to smash the window.
I didn't freeze. I climbed over the center console into the driver’s seat. I didn't care about the blood. I threw the heavy, armored car into drive and slammed my foot onto the gas pedal.
The massive SUV surged forward with a roar, slamming directly into the mercenary who was about to smash the glass. He was thrown violently over the hood, tumbling onto the driveway.
I didn't stop. I steered the heavy vehicle erratically across the lawn, tearing up the expensive landscaping, desperately heading toward the rear staff entrance.
Lily.
May you like
My daughter was inside the staff quarters with the elderly night nanny. I had to get to her before the hit squad breached the house.
I slammed the SUV into a stone retaining wall near the back door, killing the engine. I kicked the door open and sprinted through the rain, abandoning the safety of the armor to run into the belly of the beast.
