Chapter 6 - A Shadow at the Door
The oak desk Emma had jammed against the door groaned under the impact of a second heavy boot. Splinters of wood sprayed into the dark room as a heavy man in tactical gear barged inside, holding a silenced submachine gun.
"Clear the room!" the man shouted over his shoulder, sweeping his flashlight across the shadows.
Emma held her breath, crouching low inside the storage closet, her arm wrapped tightly around Leo's chest, her hand covering his mouth to suppress his ragged breathing. Through the thin wooden slats of the closet door, she watched the shadow of the gunman move closer.
The gunman stopped right in front of the closet door. He reached out his gloved hand toward the brass door handle.
Emma’s heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. She shifted her weight, tightening her grip on the heavy bronze candlestick, preparing to fight for her son’s life with every ounce of strength left in her body.
Just as the gunman's fingers touched the handle, a blinding flash of gunfire erupted from the hallway.
BANG! BANG!
The gunman collapsed onto the floor, his weapon clattering across the hardwood tiles.
Julian stepped through the shattered doorway like a phantom, his face dark with lethal fury, his tactical vest splattered with blood. Marcus followed close behind, sweeping his rifle to secure the corridor.
"Emma!" Julian roared, his voice filled with desperate agony. "Leo!"
"Julian!" Emma yelled, throwing open the closet door and stumbling out into the room.
Julian dropped his weapon onto its sling and swept both of them into his arms, squeezing them tightly against his body. He pressed his face into Emma’s hair, his hands shaking violently as he checked them both for injuries.
"Are you hit? Did they touch you?" Julian rasped, his breathing ragged.
"We're okay! We're fine!" Emma cried out, tears spilling over her cheeks as she buried her face in his shoulder. "Leo is safe!"
"Dad!" Leo cried, wrapping his arms around Julian’s neck.
"I’ve got you. I’ve got you both," Julian whispered, his voice cracking with emotion.
Marcus stepped over the fallen assailant, checking the man’s pulse before looking up at Julian. "Moretti’s forward team is down, Boss. But there are two more vehicles pulling up to the south gate. We need to evacuate to the safe house in the hills immediately."
Julian stood up, his posture instantly returning to that of a ruthless war commander. He handed a small concealed pistol to Emma, placing her fingers firmly around the grip.
"Do you remember how to use this?" Julian asked, staring deeply into her eyes.
Emma looked down at the cold black metal in her hand, remembering the target training Julian had forced her to take seven years ago when they first met. "Point and pull. Safety is off."
"Good girl," Julian said, kissing her forehead fiercely. "Follow Marcus to the armored transport in the subterranean garage. I’m going to clean up the rest of these bastards."
"Julian, no!" Emma grabbed his wrist, panic rising in her chest. "Don't go back out there!"
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"They brought a war into my home, Emma," Julian said, his eyes turning to cold gray ice. "They tried to take my family twice. If I don't finish Victor Moretti tonight, we will spend the rest of our lives running."
He pulled his hand gently from her grip, turned, and strode out into the smoke-filled corridor, his weapon raised, disappear into the darkness of the battle.
