Chapter 6 - The Siege at Dawn
By midnight, the fallout from Julian’s arrest had sent shockwaves through the criminal underworld. Marcus Vance, realizing his internal mole had been exposed and his financial pipelines choked off, launched a desperate, retaliatory strike.
The estate in the hills was supposed to be impenetrable. But Vance’s mercenaries didn't come through the front gates; they came through the dense, ravine-covered perimeter behind the greenhouses, using thermal-imaging drones and heavy-duty wire-cutters.
I woke to the dull, concussive thud of a flashbang detonating near the west wing.
“Clara, stay down!” Dominic’s voice barked instantly from the doorway of the guest suite. He was already dressed in dark tactical gear, a submachine gun slung across his chest, his face hardened into the mask of a seasoned warlord.
Marcus whimpered, burying his face into my pajamas as I scooped him into my arms, sliding onto the floor behind a heavy oak wardrobe. “What’s happening?” I gasped, my heart hammering against my ribs.
“Vance’s cleanup crew,” Dominic said, chambering a round with a sharp, metallic click. “They know they’re losing the war, so they’re trying to take the house by force. Mateo has the perimeter locked, but they’ve breached the outer courtyard.”
He knelt beside us, his eyes locking onto mine with fierce, unshakeable intensity. He reached out, gently touching my cheek. “Listen to me carefully. Two of my most trusted guards, Brody and Jax, are waiting in the panic room beneath the master closet. They will keep you and Marcus safe no matter what happens upstairs. Do not open that door for anyone except me.”
“Dominic, no,” I grabbed his sleeve, panic choking my throat. “Don’t go out there alone—there are too many—”
“I’m not alone,” Dominic whispered, a grim, dangerous smile touching his lips. “I have a house to protect. And a family I intend to keep.”
Before I could answer, he spun around and sprinted out into the hallway, the heavy oak door clicking shut behind him.
For the next twenty minutes, the mansion turned into a war zone. The sharp, deafening cracks of gunfire echoed through the high ceilings, mixed with the shattering of stained glass and the muffled shouts of men fighting room by room. Every burst of gunfire felt like a physical blow to my chest. I huddled in the dark corner of the suite with Marcus wrapped tightly in my arms, singing a soft, shaky lullaby to drown out the violence raging just beyond our door.
Suddenly, heavy boots thudded down the hallway.
A brutal kick slammed against the suite door, splintering the frame. Through the cracked wood, a heavily armed mercenary clad in black tactical gear burst into the room, his assault rifle raised, scanning the shadows.
My breath caught. I threw myself over Marcus, shielding him with my own body, closing my eyes as I waited for the inevitable flash of gunfire.
A deafening roar ripped through the room.
The mercenary never even had time to pull his trigger. A heavy round struck him square in the chest, hurling him backward through the shattered doorway.
Dominic stepped into the room through the smoke, his weapon smoking, his breathing heavy, blood dripping from a shallow graze along his temple. He scanned the room instantly, his eyes locking onto us.
“Are you hurt?” he demanded, dropping to his knees beside us, his hands trembling slightly as he pulled Marcus and me into a desperate, protective embrace.
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“We’re okay,” I sobbed into his shoulder, clinging to him as the adrenaline finally crashed. “We’re safe.”
Dominic pulled back, pressing a fierce, lingering kiss to my forehead before standing up and motioning toward the hidden floor hatch in the closet. “Get to the panic room. The courtyard is clear, but Vance’s main assault team is retreating. This war ends tonight.”
