Chapter 6 - The Setup and the Ambush
The red emergency strobes painted the corridors of the Westchester estate in jagged slashes of crimson light.
Inside the east wing pavilion, the heavy steel door was locked tight, but the acoustic panels muffled the chaotic symphony of war outside—the dull, concussive boom of a breaching charge near the main gates, the sharp pop-pop-pop of suppressed submachine fire, and the frantic shouting of security guards moving through the west corridor.
Naomi stood in the center of the room, her breath coming in shallow, controlled bursts.
Her mind raced through a dozen survival protocols. She knew the layout of the compound now—she had studied the architectural blueprints during her breaks, not out of suspicion, but out of a habit born of always needing to know where the exits were.
Moretti’s syndicate. The same ruthless faction that had tried to muscle in on Belvin’s shipping lanes six months ago. They knew Belvin was vulnerable here, away from his downtown fortified offices, surrounded by family and personal assets.
They had come to burn the king out.
Titan paced the length of the rubber matting, his massive head low, a low, vibrating growl tearing through his throat. He could smell the cordite leaking through the ventilation system. He could sense the spike in the ambient air pressure, the raw, violent energy of a coordinated assault.
Click.
The secure satellite comms console embedded in the wall panel hissed to life.
It wasn't Bram’s voice.
It was a harsh, raspy laugh belonging to a man Naomi had never heard before—someone speaking over a hijacked local frequency.
“Santoro! We know you’re in the main study! Drop your weapons and walk out into the courtyard, or we start clearing the estate room by room. Starting with the girl from Queens.”
Naomi’s blood ran cold.
They knew about her. They had intelligence on everyone inside the compound. They knew she was here.
Titan stopped pacing. His ears snapped forward. He turned his head toward the reinforced steel door, then looked back at Naomi, his dark eyes locking onto hers with terrifying, intelligent clarity.
They were coming for this wing next.
The emergency protocol for the pavilion was designed to lock down for forty-eight hours against any external force, but the heavy glass viewing windows faced the inner courtyard—the exact path Moretti’s cleanup crew was using to flank the main study.
If they breached the courtyard glass, Naomi and Titan would be trapped in a fishbowl.
“No,” Naomi whispered to herself.
She wasn't going to sit here like a caged animal waiting for someone else to decide her fate. She had spent her entire life dodging landlords, hospital bills, and bullies. She wasn't going to die cowering in a veterinary pavilion because some mafia thugs wanted to settle a turf war.
She walked over to the secure wall locker where the estate's emergency gear was stored.
She punched in the master override code Belvin had given her on day three—a sequence only he and she knew.
BEEP.
The heavy steel locker swung open. Inside hung riot gear, ballistic vests, tactical flashlights, and a heavy-duty tactical harness designed specifically for K-9 extraction units.
Naomi pulled the K-9 tactical vest out. It was reinforced with Kevlar, featuring heavy D-rings and a reinforced handle across the spine.
She knelt in front of Titan.
“Easy, big guy,” she murmured, her hands moving with swift, clinical precision. “We’re going for a walk.”
Titan didn't fight her. He stood still as she buckled the heavy Kevlar vest around his massive chest, securing the straps, clicking the heavy-duty reinforced leash ring into place. He looked like an armored tank built for urban warfare.
Naomi grabbed a heavy industrial stun baton from the locker, flicked the switch, and watched the blue electrical arc snap between the prongs with a sharp, ozone-scented crackle.
May you like
She walked to the reinforced steel door, keyed the emergency release, and stepped out into the smoke-filled corridor of the Westchester estate.
The war had come to them. And Naomi Rivers was ready to collect her rent.
