Chapter 5 - A Trap Sprung in the Dark
By midnight, the Duca estate had transformed from a luxury mansion into an armed citadel.
Heavy steel shutters had been lowered over the lower-level windows, perimeter motion sensors were dialed to maximum sensitivity, and four squads of private security operatives—men hand-picked and loyal only to Lorenzo—patrolled the grounds with assault rifles and night-vision gear.
Up in the west wing suite, Elena sat on the edge of the plush bed while Maya slept peacefully, exhausted from the emotional turbulence of the last twenty-four hours. A soft lamp glowed on the nightstand, casting long shadows across the Persian rug.
A low, urgent knock sounded at the door.
Elena stood up quickly and unlocked it. Lorenzo stood in the hallway, his coat off, carrying a secure encrypted satellite phone in one hand.
“Are you and Maya alright?” he asked, stepping inside and scanning the room with the practiced eye of a man who lived in the crosshairs.
“She’s sleeping,” Elena whispered, clutching her sweater tightly around her shoulders. “Lorenzo... what’s happening downstairs? I heard cars arriving an hour ago. Heavy cars.”
“The board didn't wait for noon,” Lorenzo replied, his jaw tight. “Arthur Vance and his faction made their move early. They tried to bypass the outer gates with three unmarked vans. They thought they could sweep the house, recover Renata, and silence any loose ends before the sun came up.”
Elena’s face paled. “They’re here? In the house?”
“Not anymore,” Lorenzo said grimly. “Vance’s team intercepted them at the perimeter wall. Twelve men down, three captured in the courtyard. But it was just a vanguard. The real pressure is coming from the federal judges and regulatory bodies they’ve bought off in Manhattan. They’re trying to hit us with emergency search warrants and corporate asset freezes by morning.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, heavy brass key, placing it gently into Elena’s palm.
“What is this?” she asked, looking down at the key.
“The panic room behind the library,” Lorenzo said. “If anything breaches the main house, you take Maya down through the service lift. There’s a direct tunnel leading out to the stables, and a vehicle waiting with a full tank of gas, a passport under a new identity, and enough cash to disappear into Europe before dawn.”
Elena stared at the key, then up into Lorenzo’s fierce, unyielding gray-blue eyes.
“And what about you?” she asked, her voice cracking with sudden, unexpected emotion. “You’re staying to fight them alone?”
“I’m not alone,” Lorenzo said, a faint, razor-sharp smile touching his lips. “I have my father’s house. And I have the truth. That’s more than enough to bury every single one of them.”
May you like
Before Elena could answer, a muffled, concussive thud shook the foundations of the mansion, followed immediately by the wail of internal red emergency alarms.
The attack had begun.
