Chapter 6 - Fire in the Pines
The gunfire started before they even reached the bottom of the grand staircase.
The sharp, deafening chatter of automatic rifles shattered the massive floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the main hall, sending showers of crystalline shards raining down onto the hardwood floors. Armed men in black tactical gear burst through the shattered frames, muzzle flashes illuminating the darkness in violent bursts of orange light.
Dominic’s men returned fire instantly, taking cover behind stone pillars and heavy oak furniture. The compound exploded into a thunderous storm of noise, smoke, and screaming metal.
Harper ran through the upper gallery, holding Emma tightly against her chest. The child was awake now, but she didn't cry. She buried her face in Harper's shoulder, her tiny hands holding onto Harper’s sweater with supernatural strength, her small body rigid with silent terror.
"Keep moving!" Dominic barked, firing three precise shots over the balcony railing, dropping two attackers advancing up the stairs. He grabbed Harper by the waist, shoving her ahead of him into a hidden service corridor concealed behind a wood-paneled wall.
Marco slammed the heavy steel reinforced door shut behind them, locking the deadbolts just as a hail of bullets hammered against the outside frame.
"Tunnel is clear, Boss," Marco panted, blood dripping from a shallow cut on his temple. "The secondary team is holding the garage exit."
They hurried down a narrow, damp concrete staircase that descended deep beneath the compound foundation. The sound of explosions and gunfire above grew muffled, replaced by the echo of their frantic footsteps.
Harper’s lungs burned, her legs shaking from sheer adrenaline. "Where are we going?"
"To your apartment," Dominic said, walking fast, his gun held at low ready. "If the Morettis breached this compound, it means Julianna alerted her father’s inner circle. They know Emma is alive, and they know you saved her. The locket in your apartment is the only thing standing between my daughter's safety and total annihilation."
They reached the end of the underground concrete tunnel, where a heavy iron door opened into a hidden ravine three hundred yards away from the burning compound. A matte-black, reinforced tactical SUV was idling beneath the thick canopy of pine trees, its headlights off.
Dominic shoved Harper into the back seat, sliding in right beside her and slamming the armored door shut. Marco leapt into the driver's seat, stomping on the accelerator. The vehicle roared to life, tearing through the muddy forest track just as a brilliant orange fireball exploded into the night sky behind them—the main hall of the pine compound going up in flames.
Harper looked back through the tinted glass, watching the flames lick the clouds. Her breath caught in her throat.
"They burned it," she whispered. "They burned your home."
"It was just stone and wood," Dominic said coldly, pulling a fresh magazine from his vest and clicking it smoothly into his handgun. "My home died thirteen months ago."
He turned his dark head to look at Harper in the dim interior light of the SUV. He reached out, his long, calloused fingers gently lifting a stray strand of dark hair from Harper’s pale, sweat-streaked cheek. The unexpected gentleness of his touch made Harper’s heart leap into her throat.
"You handled yourself well back there, Miss Lane," Dominic said softly.
Harper stared at him, her pulse racing. "I was terrified."
"Fear keeps you alive," Dominic replied, his thumb brushing lightly against her jawline before he pulled his hand back. "Panic gets you killed. You didn't panic."
Emma shifted in Harper’s lap, reaching up one tiny hand to touch Harper’s cheek. The little girl looked up, her large brown eyes shimmering in the dark.
"Harper..." Emma whimpered softly, the sound barely louder than a whisper, but so clear it made both adults freeze.
Dominic’s breath hitched. He stared at his daughter, his eyes wide with raw, disbelieving emotion. "Emma... bird..."
Emma didn't look at her father. She kept her eyes fixed on Harper, her small lips trembling. "Don't... leave."
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Tears spilled over Harper’s eyelashes, warm and stinging. She bent her head down, pressing her forehead gently against Emma’s tiny brow. "I won't leave you, sweet girl. I promise you, I’m not going anywhere."
Dominic watched them, his chest heaving silently, the icy barrier around his heart cracking wide open in the dark interior of the speeding car.
