Chapter 11 - Under Siege|
Heavy black rain clouds rolled over the estate, unleashing a furious downpour that battered against the reinforced glass windows.
Nelia stood in the center of the master bedroom, her heart pounding with dread as sirens suddenly began to wail across the grounds.
Red emergency lights flashed along the perimeter walls outside.
Marco burst into the bedroom, clad in tactical body armor and carrying an assault rifle.
“Mrs. Ramos, we need to move you to the reinforced panic room right now,” Marco urged, extending a hand to guide her.
Before Nelia could take a single step, the power cut out completely.
The bedroom plunged into pitch-black darkness, illuminated only by sharp flashes of distant lightning.
The sound of heavy automatic gunfire erupted near the main security gates.
Explosions rattled the stone foundation of the mansion, sending tremors through the floorboards beneath her bare feet.
Nelia gasped, wrapping both arms around her baby as another tremor shook the walls.
“Marco, what is happening?” she cried over the deafening noise.
“They cut the main grid and breached the south wall!” Marco shouted, ushering her toward the hidden doorway behind the bookshelf.
Suddenly, the heavy mahogany bedroom door splintered inward with a deafening crash.
Two men dressed in black tactical gear burst into the room, their weapons raised and scanning the shadows.
Marco reacted instantly, firing two precise rounds that dropped the first intruder to the hardwood floor.
The second mercenary returned fire, the muzzle flashes blinding in the dark room.
A bullet struck Marco’s shoulder, spinning the security chief around as he collapsed against the wall with a groan of pain.
Nelia screamed, backing into the corner of the room, completely defenseless.
The surviving gunman turned his weapon directly toward her, his face concealed behind a black ski mask.
“Don't move, girl,” the man growled in a thick foreign accent, stepping forward with his finger resting on the trigger.
“Mr. Vance sends his regards.”
Lightning flashed through the rain-streaked window, illuminating the barrel of the gun pointed straight at her chest.
Nelia closed her eyes, shielding her stomach with her entire body and praying for a miracle.
BANG.
The gunshot was deafeningly loud in the enclosed space.
Nelia braced for the agonizing impact of the bullet, but no pain came.
She opened her eyes to see the gunman collapse heavily to the floor, a smoking hole drilled clean through the center of his forehead.
Standing in the doorway was Diego.
He was drenched in rainwater, his dark hair plastered to his forehead, holding a smoking pistol in his steady hand.
He looked like an angel of death emerging straight from the underworld.
He dropped the weapon, rushed across the room, and pulled Nelia fiercely into his arms.
“I have you,” Diego choked out, his voice cracking with sheer, unadulterated terror.
He held her so tightly she could feel the thunderous pounding of his heart against her cheek.
“I have you, my love. You are safe.”
Nelia buried her face into his wet coat, sobbing with profound relief as his strong arms sheltered her from the madness.
Then, a sharp, searing pain tore through her lower abdomen, causing her knees to buckle beneath her.
She cried out in agony, clutching Diego’s shirt.
Diego caught her instantly, his eyes widening in pure horror as he looked down at her pale, sweating face.
“Nelia? What is it?”
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“Diego,” she gasped, clutching her belly as another violent contraction ripped through her body.
“The baby... it’s coming now!”
