CHAPTER 3 – THE SIEGE
CHAPTER 3 – THE SIEGE
The knock came only once.
Then silence.
Matteo knew men like these.
Patient.
Disciplined.
Professionals.
He pulled Emma—the little girl—behind him and gently guided her into the upstairs bedroom.
"Stay behind the bed," he whispered.
"No matter what happens, don't come out."
She nodded through tears.
"What about Mommy?"
Matteo glanced toward Sarah lying unconscious downstairs.
"We're getting her out."
He shut the bedroom door but didn't lock it.
Locked doors trapped people.
He had learned that lesson years ago.
His phone vibrated.
No signal.
The attackers had activated a portable jammer.
Whoever sent them expected resistance.
Matteo searched the room.
An old landline sat beside the bed.
He picked it up.
A dial tone.
Relief washed over him.
He dialed 911.
"This is an emergency," he said quietly.
"A woman has been brutally assaulted. Armed men have surrounded the house. There is a child inside."
The dispatcher kept him talking while officers and paramedics were dispatched.
"Stay on the line."
"I can't."
"They're coming."
He set the receiver down without hanging up.
Every sound would now be recorded.
Downstairs, the front door exploded inward.
Boots thundered across the floor.
"Clear the first level!"
Flashlights swept through the darkness.
Matteo slipped into the hallway.
Years ago, he had been the man entering houses like this.
Tonight he was protecting one.
One attacker rounded the corner.
Matteo seized the man's arm, twisted away the weapon, and shoved him backward into the wall.
The pistol slid across the floor.
He kicked it away.
"No more," Matteo muttered.
"I'm done with killing."
The man lunged again.
Matteo struck once.
The attacker collapsed unconscious.
Another rushed upstairs.
Matteo pulled the hallway runner from beneath his feet.
The man crashed headfirst into the banister.
Before he could recover, Matteo secured him with electrical cord torn from a nearby lamp.
Outside, tires screeched.
Police.
Not enough.
Not yet.
A booming voice echoed through the shattered doorway.
"Matteo Reichi!"
The speaker stepped into the light.
Expensive suit.
Silver hair.
Cold eyes.
Victor Kane.
Emma's grandfather.
Sarah's father-in-law.
The man behind the private security company.
"You've become sentimental," Victor said.
"You've broken into my family's home."
Matteo's expression hardened.
"This isn't your family."
"It's your crime scene."
Victor smiled.
"You still think the law can touch me?"
May you like
Behind him stood half a dozen armed guards.
The house had become a battlefield.
