Chapter 6 - Breach at the Gates
Panic didn't register on Dominic Marchetti’s face; instead, his features hardened into something terrifyingly lethal.
In a fraction of a second, the protective, hesitant man vanished, replaced entirely by the syndicate boss. He shoved his hand inside his jacket, pulling out his suppressed Sig Sauer pistol, racking the slide with practiced, brutal efficiency.
"Stay here," Dominic commanded, his voice dropping into a low, absolute snarl. "Lock these doors from the inside. Do not open them for anyone except me or Vince."
"Dominic—" Tessa started, her green eyes wide with alarm.
"Do it!" he roared, turning on his heel and sprinting out of the chapel toward the main house.
Tessa slammed the heavy oak chapel doors shut, throwing the massive iron deadbolt into place. Her hands trembled slightly as she leaned back against the wood, listening to the distant pops of gunfire echoing across the sprawling lawns.
Up at the main gates, chaos had erupted.
A black SUV had rammed straight through the wrought-iron security barrier, its front end crumpled and smoking. Three armed men clad in tactical vests and ski masks poured out of the wreckage, firing automatic rifles toward the security booth and pinning the estate guards behind stone pillars.
Vance was already on the ground, returning fire with his submachine gun while barking orders into a radio.
"Flank them from the terrace! Don't let them reach the house!" Vince shouted over the din of gunfire.
From the second-floor window of the main mansion, ten-year-old Lucy watched the chaos unfold, her hands pressed over her mouth, tears streaming down her face as she whispered her mother's name.
Dominic burst out of the side doors of the mansion, moving with cold, calculated fury. He didn't yell; he didn't panic. He raised his pistol and fired three rapid shots, dropping the lead infiltrator instantly before the man could even swing his rifle toward the terrace.
The remaining two mercenaries realized they had walked into a slaughterhouse. This wasn't a soft target; this was Dominic Marchetti’s fortress, and the boss was personally hunting them.
"Fall back! Fall back!" one of them screamed, scrambling back toward the ruined SUV.
Dominic didn't let them escape. With terrifying precision, he clipped the second man’s shoulder, dropping him to the gravel, while Vince rushed forward and subdued the third, slamming him face-first into the hood of the wrecked vehicle.
Within three minutes, the gunfire ceased. The smoke cleared, leaving the front entrance looking like a war zone.
Dominic stood in the center of the driveway, his chest heaving slightly, his suit jacket stained with dust and oil. He walked over to the surviving mercenary pinned by Vince, grabbed him by the tactical vest, and hoisted him off the ground with one hand.
"Who sent you?" Dominic whispered, his voice dangerously quiet.
The man gasped, coughing up blood. "Marcone... he wants the girl... he knows she's your weakness..."
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Dominic’s eyes flared with a lethal, blinding rage. Without another word, he struck the man across the temple with the butt of his gun, sending him crashing back into unconsciousness.
"Vance," Dominic ordered, handing the man over to two arriving guards. "Clean this up. Find out where Marcone is hiding. I'm going to end this tonight."
