Chapter 5 - The Cabin Trap
The rain poured heavily over the dense forest of the Berkshire Mountains. Nestled deep among the towering pine trees sat the secluded wooden cabin belonging to the Romano estate. Inside, warm yellow light flickered through the windows.
Inside, Sarah, a kind-faced woman in her early thirties, was tucking six-year-old Emma into bed. Emma held her cloth doll, Rosie, tightly against her chest.
"Mama," Emma asked quietly, "are we safe here?"
"Of course we are, sweetie," Sarah said, kissing her forehead. "Mr. Romano set all of this up for us. He has security guards outside to make sure we're okay."
Outside, hidden in the pitch-black woods, a shadowy figure dressed in black tactical gear crept toward the side of the house. In his hands, he carried a heavy iron wrench and a propane canister. It was Julian—a hitman hired by the Vance family syndicate.
Julian moved silently toward the heavy propane tanks supplying the cabin's heating system. He knelt down, raising his wrench to break the main valve.
Click.
Suddenly, blinding halogen floodlights exploded from every tree trunk, illuminating the entire clearing in blinding white light.
"Drop the tool! On your knees! Hands behind your head!"
Ten heavily armed men, clad in dark tactical gear with SWAT markings, emerged from the dark forest, lasers pointed directly at Julian’s chest. Standing in the middle of them was Marcus Vance, holding a high-definition video camera aimed directly at the assassin's face.
Julian dropped the wrench immediately, putting his hands up in panic. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"
Marcus walked up, kicking the wrench away and pinning Julian to the damp earth. "Julian Vance. Private enforcer for the Vance family. You're under arrest for attempted murder, conspiracy, and domestic terrorism."
Marcus pulled out a radio. "Alessandro, the intruder is secured. We have full high-definition video footage of him attempting to rupture the gas lines with the mother and child inside."
Over the radio, Alessandro’s voice answered from Providence, cold and unyielding: "Keep the mother and child safe. Put Julian in secure holding. Do not notify the police yet. Isabella still thinks the plan is executing tonight."
May you like
"Understood," Marcus said. "What's the next step?"
"Tomorrow morning is our pre-wedding gala at the Grand Ballroom," Alessandro replied. "Isabella thinks she’s winning. Tomorrow, she takes center stage."
