Chapter 12 - THE MIDNIGHT AMBUSH
The war finally came to their doorstep on a freezing moonless night. A team of masked mercenaries, hired by Sal as a final desperate gamble, breached the perimeter fence of the Berkshires safe house. The security alarms blared instantly. Dante moved with lethal efficiency, securing Ella and the twins in a reinforced panic room beneath the floorboards before arming himself with a silenced submachine gun. In the dim hallways of the cabin, a fierce, tactical shootout erupted. Dante outmaneuvered and neutralized the intruders one by one, ensuring that none of them ever reached the sanctuary where his children slept.
The shrill wail of the security alarm shattered the midnight silence. Ella scrambled out of bed, grabbing Leo and Sofia while Dante shoved her toward the hidden cellar door behind the pantry.
“Get inside. Lock it. Do not open it for anyone but me,” Dante commanded, his voice absolute and devoid of fear.
Before she could protest, he pulled the heavy steel door shut, plunging her into darkness with the crying infants. Above them, the shattering of glass and the dull thud of suppressed gunfire echoed through the timber floors. Ella held the twins tight against her chest, whispering frantic prayers as the sounds of combat raged overhead.
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Minutes felt like hours. Then, absolute silence fell over the cabin.
The heavy cellar door clicked open, and Dante’s silhouette appeared in the opening, stained with soot and holding his weapon down at his side. He scanned the room, his eyes finding hers, and breathed a ragged sigh of relief. “It’s over. They’re all down.”
