Chapter 8 - The Siege
A week later, the brewing war with Dominic Vance erupted into chaos.
It happened on a rainy Thursday afternoon. Roman was away in the city attending an emergency meeting with his lieutenants. Harper and Beatrice were in the estate’s sunroom, drinking tea and working through a complex book of French poetry that Beatrice was translating into sign language.
Suddenly, the house’s heavy emergency sirens began to blare!
The sunroom doors burst open. Carter ran in, his weapon drawn, his face grim. “Miss Hayes! Mrs. Moretti! We have a perimeter breach! Vance’s men have cut the power lines and rammed the outer gate!”
Beatrice looked confused, looking at the flashing red lights on the wall. Harper grabbed Beatrice’s hand, signing quickly: Danger. We must move.
Beatrice’s face hardened instantly. She nodded, standing up with remarkable grace for her age.
“To the safe room!” Carter ordered, guiding them down the hallway as heavy gunfire echoed from the front gardens.
They rushed down the grand staircase toward the basement level. Outside, the sound of automatic weapons rattled the heavy stone walls. Roman’s guards fought fiercely, but Vance had sent a massive strike team to wipe out the estate while Roman was absent.
Just as they reached the entrance to the reinforced steel safe room, a glass window at the end of the hallway shattered! Two masked gunmen dropped into the corridor!
Carter turned, firing his sidearm, taking down the first gunman, but the second gunman fired a burst of automatic rounds! Carter groaned, collapsing against the wall, hit in the shoulder!
The second gunman stepped over Carter, raising his rifle directly at Beatrice and Harper!
Harper didn't hesitate. Remembering Roman’s words, remembering her promise to protect Beatrice, she shoved Beatrice behind the heavy steel safe-room door and slammed herself against the frame, locking her body in front of the older woman!
“Move, girl!” the gunman shouted, raising his weapon.
Harper glared at him with absolute steel in her brown eyes. No, she signed with one hand, her face devoid of fear.
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Before the gunman could pull the trigger, the front doors of the estate were shattered inward!
Roman stormed down the corridor like a demon unleashed from hell. Dressed in a rain-soaked black coat, his face twisted in apocalyptic fury, he fired three precise shots from his heavy handgun, dropping the gunman instantly before he could even turn!
