Chapter 6 - Blood on the Marble
The emergency lights cast long, flickering shadows across the grand foyer of the Moretti mansion as the heavy oak front doors shuddered under a massive, synchronized impact.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The reinforced timber held, but the sound reverberated through the marble halls like rolling thunder.
Tomas moved with terrifying efficiency. He didn't panic; he simply unholstered a suppressed Beretta, checked the magazine with a practiced click, and motioned two armed guards toward the heavy velvet curtains flanking the main entrance.
"They're using a hydraulic battering ram on the side service doors," Tomas shouted over the intercom radio clipped to his collar. "Hold the line. Don't let anyone past the foyer."
Upstairs on the second-floor landing, Santiago stood like a statue carved out of granite. He had retrieved a heavy Beretta Px4 Storm from a concealed wall safe in his study, sliding a fresh magazine into the grip with a sharp, metallic snap.
He turned and looked toward the hallway.
Ruby stood just outside Sophia’s bedroom door, her hands pressed tightly over her mouth, her eyes wide with horror. She had caused this. If she hadn't run away three years ago, if she had just stayed silent, none of these men would be here.
"Get back inside the room, Sarah," Santiago ordered, his voice cutting through the distant sound of shattering glass from the ground floor.
"I can't just hide while your men bleed for me!" Ruby cried out, her voice shaking.
Santiago closed the distance between them in three long strides. He grabbed her by the shoulders, his grip firm, grounding her completely. He leaned down until his face was inches from hers.
"Listen to me," Santiago growled, his dark eyes burning with absolute authority. "You are not the cause of this. Those men came here because they thought they could intimidate a Moretti. They made a fatal miscalculation. Now, you take Sophia into the panic room behind the library bookshelf. You lock the door behind you. Do you understand me?"
Before Ruby could argue, the sound of automatic gunfire erupted from the lower floor.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Glass shattered in the grand staircase chandelier as stray rounds tore through the vaulted ceiling, raining crystal shards across the marble floor below.
Sophia grabbed the hem of Ruby’s jacket, her fingers digging into the fabric with desperate strength. She didn't want to run; she wanted to stay with her brother.
Santiago looked down at his sister, his expression softening for a fraction of a second before hardening back into stone. He reached out and stroked Sophia’s dark hair.
"Go," Santiago commanded softly. "I'll be right behind you."
Ruby didn't hesitate any longer. She grabbed Sophia’s hand and pulled her backward down the corridor toward the heavy oak library.
Behind them, Santiago turned back toward the staircase, raising his weapon as the first black-clad intruder crested the top of the stairs, a suppressed submachine gun raised and searching for targets.
Santiago didn't hesitate. Two shots echoed through the corridor, sharp and deafening.
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The intruder dropped instantly, tumbling backward down the marble steps.
Santiago didn't waste a second. He stepped over the fallen body, moving down the hallway toward the foyer to reclaim his house.
