Chapter 10
The warm golden light from a surviving wall sconce flickered, swaying precariously above the wreckage. The acrid smell of gun smoke hung heavy in the air.
Mason did not lower his weapon. He kept his very short stubble and sharply defined angular jaw locked in a mask of lethal focus, his eyes scanning the corridor outside for further threats. The artistic tattoos on his hands gripped the dark metal of his firearm with absolute, unwavering certainty.
"Is everyone unharmed?" Mason asked quietly, pulling Lila and his daughter securely against his chest.
Before Lila could answer, the frantic, panicked shouting of a secondary strike team echoed down the hallway, followed immediately by the sound of more glass shattering. The Shaw syndicate hadn't just sent three men; the breach was massive, a coordinated assault designed to wipe out the Vale leadership and rescue Camille in a single night.
"Lila, take Piper and run to the safe room," Mason commanded, his eyes fixed on the smoke-filled corridor. "Do not stop until the heavy steel doors lock behind you."
"I am not leaving you here!" Lila cried out, her voice cracking with terror. "They have an army, Mason!"
"Will you survive running through a crossfire if I attempt to move you now?" Mason asked bluntly, his imposing frame blocking the exit to the hallway.
"I can't just leave you alone in the dark!" Lila pleaded, her hands trembling as she clutched Piper to her side.
Mason stared at the beautiful woman before him. She possessed a profound, quiet courage that completely eclipsed the shallow, venomous nature of the elites he normally dealt with. She was willing to stand in a gunfight to protect him, just as she had tried to protect their unborn child.
"Are you willing to follow my exact orders to keep yourself alive?" Mason asked, his cold eyes burning with a fierce, protective fire.
"Yes," Lila promised without hesitation.
"Then go," Mason commanded, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper. "I will hold the line here. If I fall, Vincent has instructions to get you and Piper out of the city. Now, go!"
Lila didn't argue further. The absolute authority in his voice left no room for hesitation. She scooped Piper into her arms, her black maid dress swirling around her legs, and sprinted down the corridor toward the heavily fortified safe room, her disheveled hair flying wildly behind her.
Mason watched them go, a profound sense of relief washing over him as the heavy steel doors of the safe room slammed shut and locked securely with a resounding, metallic clack.
May you like
He turned back to face the ruined doorway, his tailored suit dusted with plaster and ash. He raised his weapon, his artistic tattoos flexing against the grip, and stepped fully into the line of fire.
The secondary strike team poured into the hallway, their assault rifles blazing. Mason moved with lethal, calculated precision, using the overturned marble pillars for cover. The syndicate war had officially begun, and Mason Vale was ready to burn his own empire to the ground to protect the family hidden safely behind him.
