Chapter 5 - The Rival Cartel Attacks: A Shower of Glass and a Protective Embrace
The attack came at dawn. I was awake, staring at the ceiling, when the first explosion rocked the compound. The mansion shuddered. Alarms began blaring, a deafening, terrifying wail. Gunfire erupted—rapid, chaotic, and horribly close.
My bedroom door kicked open. Mateo stood there, dressed in black tactical gear, an assault rifle strapped to his chest. "Get up!" he roared over the noise.
I scrambled out of bed, still in my silk pajamas. He grabbed my hand, yanking me into the hallway. The air was thick with smoke and the smell of cordite. "The Morettis breached the west gate," he shouted as we ran down the grand staircase. "They bribed the inside guards. We need to get you to the panic room."
Suddenly, the massive stained-glass window above the landing shattered inward. A grenade had been thrown through. Time seemed to slow down. I saw the metal canister bouncing down the stairs toward us.
Mateo didn't hesitate. He lunged at me, wrapping his massive arms around my body and throwing us both behind a thick marble pillar. The explosion deafened me. The shockwave tore through the hall, showering us in a rain of razor-sharp glass and burning debris. Mateo covered my body completely with his own, taking the brunt of the blast.
I lay there, my ears ringing, coughing on the dust. "Mateo?" I choked out.
He groaned, shifting his weight off me. His back was covered in blood, sharp pieces of glass embedded in his tactical vest, a deep gash bleeding profusely on his left shoulder. He ignored the pain, hauling me to my feet. "Keep moving," he grunted, pushing me toward a hidden door behind a bookshelf in his father's study. He shoved me inside the dark, steel-reinforced room, but he didn't follow.
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"What are you doing? Come in!" I screamed, holding the heavy door open.
"I have to secure the perimeter. Lock this door, Tessa. Do not open it for anyone but me." He turned back toward the gunfire, leaving a trail of blood on the Persian rug.
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