Chapter 6 - Breach at the Gates
“Stay here under the window,” I whispered to Leo, my heart hammering against my ribs as I grabbed a heavy brass paperweight from the mahogany desk.
The security alarms began to wail, flashing a strobing crimson light through the hallways. Gunshots echoed from the lower foyer—sharp, deafening pops that shattered the pristine silence of the estate.
Footsteps pounded up the grand staircase.
I shoved Leo behind the heavy velvet drapes, holding my breath as the door to the sunroom flew open. A man in tactical black gear stepped through, holding a silenced submachine gun, scanning the room with cold, calculating eyes.
Before he could spot Leo in the corner, I lunged forward, swinging the brass paperweight with every ounce of strength I had left. It caught him square across the temple. He grunted, stumbling backward, but managed to backhand me across the face, sending me crashing hard into a glass coffee table.
Pain exploded across my ribs and my healing shoulder, stealing the air from my lungs.
The intruder raised his weapon, leveling the barrel straight at my chest.
*Bang.*
The gunshot never hit me. The intruder’s eyes went wide, and he collapsed forward onto the Persian rug, revealing Dante standing in the doorway behind him, his smoke-wreathed pistol still pointed at the center of the man's back.
Dante dropped the gun, sprinting across the room to my side.
“Elena!” he cried out, his usual icy composure completely shattered as he pulled me into his arms. “Look at me. Are you hit?”
“I’m... I’m okay,” I gasped, clutching my aching shoulder. “Leo... check Leo. He’s behind the drapes.”
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Dante gently pulled me back, shouting for his security detail to clear the rest of the floor, before rushing over to pull the curtains open. Leo tumbled out into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Dante pulled them both against his chest, burying his face in his son’s curls.
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