Chapter 6
The shockwave of the blasts threw the entire Ashford estate into absolute chaos. Plaster rained down from the ceiling of the master suite, coating the luxurious bedding in white dust. Silas rolled off Mara and Theo, instantly hauling them to their feet. His angular jaw was locked in a grimace of pure, murderous intent as he checked his heavy pistol.
"Are you hurt?" Silas demanded over the screeching alarms.
"We're fine," Mara coughed, clutching Theo tightly to her chest. The toddler was crying, terrified by the sudden, violent noise. Bruno stood at her side, his teeth bared in a vicious snarl toward the hallway.
"We have to move to the garage," Silas ordered, his voice cutting through the panic. "The east wing is compromised. They breached the perimeter."
He grabbed Mara’s arm, guiding her out of the master suite and into the grand hallway. The luxurious mansion had transformed into a war zone. Guards in dark tactical gear were sprinting past them, shouting orders and taking up defensive positions behind marble pillars. The acrid smell of smoke and cordite burned Mara’s throat.
"Dante!" Silas bellowed as his scarred lieutenant ran up the grand staircase. "Report!"
"They used a shaped charge on the east wall," Dante yelled over the heavy thud of automatic gunfire echoing from below. "It’s a heavy hit squad, Boss. At least fifty men. They’re trying to push through the main foyer. I have the armored SUVs prepped in the subterranean garage, but the route is hot."
"Hold the main staircase! Do not let them breach the second floor!" Silas commanded. "I am getting them out of here."
Silas led Mara, Theo, and Bruno toward the hidden servants' staircase that led directly to the underground garage. The narrow, concrete stairwell was dark and claustrophobic. Mara held Theo so tightly her arms ached, her sensible shoes slipping slightly on the concrete steps.
They burst into the subterranean garage. Three heavily armored, matte-black SUVs were idling, surrounded by a dozen of Silas's elite guards.
"Get in the middle car," Silas ordered, opening the heavy, bulletproof door for her.
Mara climbed into the backseat, pulling Theo onto her lap. Bruno jumped in right behind them, taking up the floor space, his sharp eyes scanning the garage. Silas climbed into the front passenger seat, while a heavily armed driver took the wheel.
"Move!" Silas shouted into his radio.
The garage doors rolled up, and the three-car convoy tore out into the blinding, snowy morning. The immediate area around the estate was a war zone. Tracer rounds whipped through the freezing air, striking the armored plating of their SUV with terrifying, heavy thuds. Mara ducked, curling her body entirely over Theo, while Bruno pressed his large, warm body against her legs to shield them.
"Keep your foot down!" Silas roared at the driver, firing his pistol through a specialized port in the window, taking out a Lane mercenary who tried to step in front of the convoy.
The heavy vehicles smashed through the outer gates, tearing away from the estate and onto the winding, icy mountain roads. The pursuing gunfire faded into the distance, replaced by the roaring engines of the SUVs pushing eighty miles an hour on black ice.
Mara sat up slowly, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She looked at Silas in the front seat. He was reloading his weapon, his hands perfectly steady, the negative space tattoos flexing with lethal precision.
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"We are heading to the Blackwood cabin," Silas announced, not looking back. "It's entirely off the grid. They won't find us there."
Mara looked out the tinted window at the passing snow-covered pines, realizing that her life as a simple maid was completely, irreversibly over. She was now a high-value target in a mafia war, bound to the most dangerous man in the city.
