Chapter 5 - IGNITING THE INFERNO
"Marco!" I screamed into the pitch-black hallway, grabbing the heavy brass candlestick from the dresser. I didn't wait for a response. I locked the bedroom door, dragged a heavy mahogany chest of drawers in front of it, and rushed to the bed where the triplets were waking up, crying in the dark.
"Shh, shh, it's okay, Mommy's here," I whispered frantically, ushering them under the heavy bedframe. "Stay quiet. We're playing hide and seek, okay? Not a sound."
Gunfire erupted downstairs. The staccato pop-pop-pop of silenced weapons echoed through the floorboards, followed by shouting and the crashing of glass. My heart hammered violently against my ribs. Sebastian's grandfather had sent a hit squad. He was trying to erase his "liability" before Sebastian could solidify his power.
Footsteps pounded up the grand staircase. Heavy, booted feet. I gripped the candlestick, pressing myself against the wall next to the door. I heard the handle jiggle. Then, a heavy thud against the wood. They were trying to kick it down.
"Open the door, bitch!" a gruff voice yelled. "The old man sends his regards!"
Another kick, and the wood began to splinter. I closed my eyes, praying to whatever God was listening to protect my babies. Just as the door gave way, crashing inward and pushing the heavy dresser aside, a massive silhouette stepped into the doorway.
But it wasn't the assassin.
A gunshot rang out, deafeningly loud in the confined space, and the man trying to enter the room crumpled to the floor. Standing over him, illuminated by a flash of lightning through the window, was Sebastian. He was drenched in rain, his suit jacket gone, holding a smoking handgun. He looked like the devil himself, eyes blazing with a murderous rage.
"Maya!" he yelled, stepping over the body.
"Sebastian!" I sobbed, dropping the candlestick and throwing myself into his arms. He caught me, holding me tight, burying his face in my hair. His heart was beating as frantically as mine.
"Where are they?" he demanded, looking around the dark room.
"Under the bed."
Sebastian dropped to his knees, pulling the crying children out from under the bed. He gathered all three of them into his massive arms, holding them tightly against his chest. "I've got you," he whispered, his voice cracking with an emotion I had never heard from him before. "Daddy's got you. No one will ever hurt you. I swear it."
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More of Sebastian’s men flooded the hallway, securing the perimeter with tactical flashlights. The backup generators finally hummed to life, bathing the room in warm light. Sebastian stood up, keeping Noah in his arms, while I held Owen and Ivy. He looked down at the dead assassin, his expression turning to stone.
"Clean this up," he ordered Marco, who had appeared in the doorway, bleeding from a graze on his shoulder. "And prep the convoy. We are going back to the city. My grandfather just declared war. And I am going to burn his world to the ground."
