Chapter 6 - Ambush on the Fourth Floor
"Get down!" Matteo screamed, throwing his body over Liana and dragging her behind the heavy mahogany desk as a hail of gunfire tore through the office.
Dr. Vance screamed as several rounds struck the wall above him, before he scrambled under his desk, hyperventilating in sheer terror.
Outside the shattered window, a black helicopter hovered in the gray rain, a masked shooter leaning out of the side door with an automatic rifle.
At the same time, the main office doors swung open, and four armed men in tactical gear burst into the room.
"Clear the room!" a voice yelled from the hallway.
Matteo pulled two flashbang grenades from his coat, pulled the pins with his teeth, and tossed them through the shattered doorway into the corridor.
A blinding flash and a deafening deafening bang echoed through the fourth floor, followed by the agonized groans of the advancing gunmen.
Matteo leaned out from behind the desk, firing four precise shots that dropped the disoriented attackers instantly.
"Frank!" Matteo yelled into his shoulder radio. "The west wing is compromised! Bring the armored vehicle to the lower ambulance bay right now!"
"On our way, boss!" Frank’s voice crackled through the static.
Matteo grabbed Dr. Vance by the neck, dragging him out from under the desk. "You're coming with us. You're going to testify against Julian, or I'll throw you out this window myself."
"Okay! Okay! Just don't let them kill me!" Vance sobbed.
Matteo grabbed Liana’s hand, pulling her firmly against his side. "Stay low and stay behind me. We are getting out of here."
They rushed through the smoke-filled hallway toward the emergency stairwell. Bullets struck the concrete walls around them, sending plaster dust raining down over their hair.
Liana’s heart was hammering in her chest, but as she looked at Matteo—his body positioned entirely as a shield between her and the gunfire—she felt a strange, absolute trust in the man who was fighting to restore both of their broken lives.
They reached the lower ambulance bay just as Frank pulled the heavy armored SUV into the loading zone, the rear doors swinging wide open.
Matteo shoved Vance inside, then helped Liana into the leather seat before diving in himself.
"Go!" Matteo roared.
The SUV accelerated out of the bay, crashing through the security gates into the rainy city streets just as two pursuit vehicles pulled out behind them.
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Liana looked at Matteo, her hands trembling. "Where are we going?"
"To my private airfield," Matteo said, his eyes burning with an intense, unwavering resolve. "We're taking my jet to Geneva. We are bringing my son home, Liana. Together."
