Chapter 8 - THE PRICE OF SURRENDERBefore I could process the seismic weight of Anthony’s words, the heavy double doors of the sunroom burst open.
Marco, Anthony’s head of security, rushed into the room. His usually impassive face was pale, his breathing ragged, and his hand hovered instinctively over the weapon holstered beneath his jacket.
Anthony dropped his hand from my face instantly, his posture shifting from a man vulnerable in love to a lethal apex predator in less than a second.
"Boss," Marco said, his voice urgent and breathless. "We've got a breach at the perimeter gates. A coordinated hit. The Moretti loyalists didn't wait for morning."
My heart stopped. Down on the rug, Liam and Luna paused their play, looking up at the sudden noise with wide, frightened eyes.
"How many?" Anthony demanded, his voice turning into cold, razor-sharp steel.
"At least a dozen," Marco reported rapidly. "They bypassed the outer security sensors using military-grade frequency jammers. They're moving through the west wing garden right now."
Anthony didn't hesitate. He spun around, pulling a heavy, suppressed automatic pistol from a hidden wall compartment behind the mahogany bookcase, checking the chamber with a smooth, practiced flick of his wrist.
"Take Eliza and the children down to the reinforced panic room beneath the wine cellar," Anthony ordered, his eyes locking onto Marco with absolute authority.
"No," I said, stepping forward, my voice ringing out clearly across the room.
Anthony stopped, turning back to look at me with a furious scowl. "Eliza, this isn't a debate. Move now."
"I'm not running and hiding while you go out there alone," I said, my voice shaking, but my jaw set with unbreakable stubbornness. "I spent three years running, Anthony. I'm done hiding. If they're here for us, then this ends tonight—once and for all."
For a terrifying second, I thought he was going to scream at me. His chest heaved, his jaw clenched so hard a muscle twitched. 🍊
"Marco," Anthony barked, his voice dropping into an ice-cold register. "Take the kids to the panic room. Lock the steel door from the inside and don't open it for anyone except me. Understood?"
"Boss—" Marco started.
"Do it!" Anthony roared.
Marco hesitated, then moved quickly, scooping up both Liam and Luna before they could start crying. "Come on, kids. We're playing a hide-and-seek game with Uncle Marco."
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As the heavy oak doors shut behind Marco and the twins, the sound of shattered glass echoed from the distant west wing of the manor.
The battle had arrived.
