Chapter 7 - The Trap at the Gate
Tuesday morning arrived with a clear, crisp blue sky over Lake Forest.
Inside the Romano mansion, Fiona was in high spirits. Leo was three months old today, hitting all his pediatric developmental milestones with ease. He was currently giggling in his highchair as Fiona fed him a small spoonful of organic cereal.
Alessio walked into the kitchen, dressed in a crisp dark blue suit, looking refreshed and remarkably relaxed. He walked up behind Fiona, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning down to press a soft kiss against her cheek.
"Good morning," he murmured, his hands resting gently over her apron.
"Good morning," Fiona smiled, leaning back against his chest. "You're up early."
"I have a meeting at the port at ten," Alessio said, glancing down at Leo, who let out a happy squeal. "The medical delivery truck from the medical supply company should be here in twenty minutes. I told security to escort them straight to the garage."
"Thank you," Fiona said, turning in his arms to fix his silk tie. "I ordered a fresh supply of pediatric suction catheters and emergency IV fluids for the crash cart."
Alessio smiled, kissing her lips softly. "Always thinking ahead, Nurse Bennett."
His cell phone vibrated in his jacket pocket. He pulled it out, answering quickly. "Alessio."
It was Dominic, calling from the front security gate.
"Boss," Dominic's voice came through the speaker, tight and suspicious. "The medical delivery van just pulled up to the gate. But the driver isn't the usual guy, Frank. It's a new driver. He claims Frank is out with the flu."
Alessio’s eyes narrowed instantly, his relaxed posture evaporating into pure, predatory tension. "Did you check his ID?"
"Yeah, credentials match the manifest, but something feels off, boss," Dominic growled over the static. "The suspension on the back of the van is sitting awfully low for a load of light medical boxes."
Alessio’s heart plummeted. "Do not open the gate, Dominic! Lock down the—"
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the front perimeter of the estate, shaking the kitchen windows so violently that several glass cups shattered on the counter.
Through the security monitors mounted on the kitchen wall, Fiona watched in horror as the medical delivery van exploded into a massive fireball, blowing the heavy iron security gates off their hinges.
Before the smoke could even clear, three black armored vans sped through the ruined entrance, tearing up the winding driveway toward the main house. Heavily armed men clad in dark tactical gear burst out of the vehicles, opening fire with automatic rifles on the estate's security guards.
"In the panic room! NOW!" Alessio roared, drawing his Glock from his holster.
He grabbed Fiona by the arm, dragging her and scooping Leo out of his highchair in one swift motion. He sprinted down the hallway toward his private office, where a heavy steel reinforced door was concealed behind a bookshelf.
Automatic gunfire was already echoing through the grand foyer downstairs, the terrifying sound of wood shattering and men screaming filling the mansion.
"Alessio, no! Don't leave us!" Fiona cried out as he shoved her and the baby into the dark, reinforced steel room.
"Stay inside! Do not open this door for anyone except me or Dominic!" Alessio commanded, his eyes burning with a terrifying, lethal fury. "I am going to end this."
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He slammed the heavy steel panic room door shut, the electronic locks engaging with a heavy pneumatic hiss.
Fiona stood in the dim, emergency-lit panic room, holding the crying baby to her chest, listening to the horrifying war raging on the other side of the concrete walls.
