Chapter 6 - THE SIEGE OF GREENWICH
While Vincent was taking control of the Long Island estate, a dark shadow moved across Greenwich Village.
Despite Vincent's security protocols, Carmine had prepared a backup plan. He had hired thirty mercenaries from an international syndicate—men who cared nothing for mafia codes or Commission rules.
Outside Vincent's secure penthouse, six black vans pulled up to the alleyway.
Inside the penthouse, Elena was sitting on the couch with Lily, reading a bedtime story.
Suddenly, the red emergency lights on the ceiling began to flash silently!
The internal alarm system pinged softly on Elena's phone: PERIMETER BREACH — LEVEL 1 GARAGE.
Elena’s blood turned to ice. She closed the book instantly. "Lily, come with me right now."
"Mama, what's happening?" the little girl asked, her eyes filled with fear.
"We're playing a game, sweetheart," Elena said, forcing a brave smile onto her face while her heart hammered in her chest. "Remember the hide-and-seek game we practiced with Uncle Vincent?"
Lily nodded quickly.
Elena led Lily into the master bedroom closet. She pulled back a rack of heavy suits, revealing a concealed electronic keypad built into the reinforced steel wall behind it.
She keyed in the six-digit code Vincent had forced her to memorize that morning: 0-7-1-2-1-4—the date Julian had died.
The secret panic room door slid open with a soft hiss. Inside was a small room equipped with emergency water, a satellite communications console, and two tactical vests.
"Get inside, Lily. Do not open this door for anyone except Vincent or me. Do you understand?"
"Mama, aren't you coming inside?" Lily cried, grabbing Elena's sleeve.
Elena grabbed a heavy 9mm handgun from the armory shelf inside the panic room and racked the slide.
"I have to lock the main entrance from the outside so they don't look for this room," Elena lied gently, kissing Lily’s cheek. "I'll be right outside."
Elena shut the heavy steel door, watching her daughter disappear behind six inches of reinforced titanium.
BOOM!
The penthouse front doors were blown inward by a heavy breaching charge!
Heavy tactical boots thundered across the marble floors!
Elena ducked behind the kitchen island, gripping the heavy pistol with both hands, her breath ragged.
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"Find the girl!" a gruff mercenary voice barked from the foyer. "Carmine paid five million for the child's head! Search every room!"
Elena took a deep, steadying breath, remembering the tactical training Julian had taught her years ago. She leaned out from behind the counter, raised her weapon, and pulled the trigger!
