Chapter 5 - The War for East Carson
The world went white and silent for two seconds.
The sound of splintering wood, heavy tactical boots, and automatic gunfire instantly shattered the air of Apartment 4B.
Three men dressed in dark tactical gear, wearing night-vision goggles and holding suppressed submachine guns, burst through the ruined front entrance!
“Clear the room! Find the woman!” a harsh voice barked through a radio comm.
From behind the velvet sofa, Adrian Vale rose like a demon from the ash.
Before the lead tactical shooter could pivot his weapon, Adrian grabbed the barrel of the submachine gun, driving his shoulder into the man’s sternum with the force of a freight train. The shooter crashed back into the wall, his helmet shattering against the plaster.
Adrian stripped the weapon from the man’s hands in a single fluid motion, spun around, and fired a rapid three-round burst into the second gunman entering the doorway!
Marcus was right beside him, his heavy hand-cannon roaring through the small apartment, dropping the third shooter in the hallway before he could raise his weapon.
“Clear!” Marcus shouted, reloading his magazine with mechanical speed. “Boss, there are more coming up the fire escape!”
“Get them down the back stairs!” Adrian commanded, stepping back over the fallen men, his suit jacket dusted with drywall powder, his face cold and merciless.
He looked down at Nora, who was crouching in the corner of the hallway, her arms wrapped around Lily like a steel cage. Lily had her face buried in her mother’s neck, her tiny hands clutching Nora’s wet cardigan, holding back her screams.
Adrian extended his hand down to Nora.
“Come with me,” Adrian said, his voice cutting through the ringing in her ears. “I am not letting them touch either of you.”
Nora looked at his hand—large, strong, covered in gun smoke, yet offering absolute safety. She took it without hesitation.
Adrian pulled her up easily, guiding her and Lily behind Marcus as they moved down the narrow back hallway toward the service stairs.
The back stairwell smelled of old rust and cold rain. Below them, heavy footsteps were scrambling up the metal steps.
“Marcus, drop the fire gate,” Adrian ordered.
Marcus kicked the emergency release lever on the wall. A heavy iron security grate slammed down with a deafening crash, locking the lower half of the stairwell shut and blocking the advancing mercenary team below.
They burst through the heavy steel rear exit door into the muddy alleyway behind the building.
The rain was coming down in sheets now, soaking through Adrian’s suit. Two black Vale SUVs were waiting at the end of the alley, their engines revving, doors wide open.
A sniper shot cracked from the roof of the opposite building, tearing through the brick wall two inches above Adrian’s head!
Without missing a beat, Adrian wrapped his left arm around Nora’s waist, lifted her and Lily off their feet, and sprinted six yards through the muddy rain, throwing them into the cushioned backseat of the lead SUV!
Marcus fired four rounds up toward the roofline as he dove into the front passenger seat.
“Go! Go! Go!” Marcus yelled to the driver.
The heavy armored SUV lurked forward, its wheels spinning against the wet asphalt, tearing out of the alleyway just as two grey vans rounded the corner, opening fire on their reinforced rear glass.
The bulletproof glass spider-webbed under the impact of dozens of high-caliber rounds, but held firm.
Inside the SUV, Nora fell back against the leather seat, gasping for air, her heart pounding so violently she felt sick. She pulled Lily into her lap, checking her frantically.
“Lily, baby, look at me! Are you hurt? Are you okay?”
Lily peeked out from under the blanket. Her cheeks were pale, but her dark gray eyes were surprisingly calm. She looked up at Adrian, who was sitting across from them, calmly clearing a jammed round from his weapon.
“Mr. A,” Lily said in a small, polite voice. “Those men were not nice.”
Adrian stopped working his weapon. He looked at the little girl, his hard face softening into something almost gentle. He set the gun aside, leaned forward, and pulled the fleece blanket up around her shoulders.
“No, Lily,” Adrian said softly. “They were not. But they will never come near you again.”
He looked up at Nora. Her hair was wet, her clothes soaked, her hands shaking as she held her daughter. Yet in her eyes, despite the horror of the last thirty minutes, there was an unyielding, fierce strength.
“Where are you taking us?” Nora asked, her voice steadying.
Adrian leaned back against the leather headrest, his gray eyes fixing on her with absolute, binding authority.
“To my home,” Adrian said. “The Vale Estate in Sewickley Heights. It is a fortress. No one enters without my permission. No one leaves without my protection.”
May you like
He reached into his pocket and pulled out Daniel’s leather notebook.
“And tomorrow,” Adrian added softly, “we are going to finish the war my brother started.”
