Chapter 6
The exodus from the Cross ancestral mansion was anything but peaceful. Damon’s order to transport Selena and Arthur essentially decapitated the rival syndicate in one swift stroke. But the Cross family loyalists, realizing their leaders were being taken hostage, finally rallied.
As Damon, Miriam, Lily, and Mara reached the grand foyer, the heavy front doors burst open. A dozen Cross enforcers, heavily armed and wearing tactical gear, flooded into the entrance hall.
"Drop your weapons!" the lead enforcer roared, leveling an assault rifle directly at Damon. "Let Mr. Cross and Selena go, or you all die right here!"
"Get down!" Damon bellowed, shoving Miriam and Lily behind a massive marble pillar.
Gunfire erupted, shattering the tranquility of the snowy night. The deafening roar of automatic weapons echoed off the high ceilings, turning the elegant foyer into a war zone. Plaster rained down from the walls, and the remaining crystal fixtures exploded into dangerous shrapnel.
Mara threw herself over Lily, her black maid dress blending into the shadows of the pillar. The little girl screamed, burying her face into Mara’s chest, terrified by the sudden, violent noise. Miriam huddled beside them, her hands covering her ears, the trauma of her captivity leaving her completely paralyzed with fear.
Damon drew his weapon, a heavy, matte-black pistol, and returned fire with lethal precision. He moved with the fluid, deadly grace of a man raised in violence. He stepped out from cover, firing three consecutive shots that dropped the lead Cross enforcer instantly.
"Move them to the side exit!" Damon shouted over the deafening noise to his lieutenant, a towering man named Silas. "Get the armored SUV to the east wing doors!"
Silas nodded, laying down a heavy layer of suppressing fire with a submachine gun.
"Mara!" Damon called out, sliding back behind the pillar to reload his weapon. "Can you run?"
"Yes," Mara gasped, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. She scooped Lily tightly into her arms, the toddler clinging to her neck like a lifeline.
"Miriam, look at me," Damon said urgently, grabbing his wife's trembling shoulders. "I know you're terrified, but I need you to stay behind Mara. I will cover you. We are going to make it out of here."
Miriam nodded frantically, her clear eyes wide with panic.
"On three!" Damon yelled. "One. Two. Three!"
Damon stepped out, unleashing a barrage of bullets that forced the remaining Cross men to dive behind the overturned furniture. Mara bolted across the marble floor, her sensible shoes slipping slightly on the polished stone, but she kept her balance. She held Lily tight against her chest, feeling the heat of bullets whipping past the heavy fabric of her uniform. Miriam ran right behind her, her creased cream dress billowing.
They burst through the side doors into the freezing winter night. The biting wind whipped Mara’s loose strands of hair across her face. A heavily armored black SUV slid to a halt on the snowy driveway, its doors already thrown open.
Mara practically threw herself inside, dragging Miriam in right behind her. A second later, Damon dove into the front passenger seat.
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"Drive!" Damon roared.
The heavy vehicle tires spun in the snow before catching traction, tearing away from the mansion just as the windows of the east wing shattered from the pursuing gunfire. They were out, but the war had officially begun.
