Chapter 4 - THE BREAK-IN AT DAWN
The sun had barely crested the tree line when the alarms went off.
It wasn't the gentle chime of a door sensor. It was a high-pitched, piercing shriek that rattled the windows and flashed red emergency lights across every hallway in the estate.
Natalie bolted upright in bed, throwing off the covers. In the next room, Ava screamed, startled awake by the sudden cacophony.
“Natalie!” Ava cried out, bolting from her bed and running straight into Natalie's arms, burying her face in her chest.
“I've got you, sweet girl. I've got you,” Natalie said, her own heart racing as she pulled Ava into her secure sensory corner beneath the heavy mattress pad. “Stay right here. Don't move a muscle.”
Grabbing a heavy brass bookend from her nightstand as an improvised weapon, Natalie sprinted out into the hallway. Downstairs, heavy boots thudded against marble. Shouting echoed from the foyer.
“Perimeter breach at the north wall! They're cutting the cameras!” a voice barked—one of Damian's elite security detail.
Natalie hurried down the main staircase, keeping to the shadows. In the grand foyer, Damian stood near the front doors clad in a dark tactical sweater, holding a heavy-caliber firearm with professional ease. Two armed guards flanked him, their weapons raised.
“Check the west corridor!” Damian ordered, his voice echoing with absolute authority. “Victor, secure the panic room!”
Suddenly, the front reinforced glass window shattered inward in a shower of glittering shards. A smoke grenade came rolling across the marble floor, hissing thick, blinding white smoke that instantly filled the grand entrance.
“Gas!” one guard yelled, coughing.
Through the smoke, dark figures in tactical gear surged through the broken window. Gunfire erupted—sharp, deafening cracks that made Natalie scream and cover her ears.
Damian moved with terrifying speed. He fired twice, dropping the first intruder before the man could raise his weapon. But two more pushed forward, aiming straight for the grand staircase—straight toward the east wing where Ava was sleeping.
“No!” Natalie screamed, forgetting all self-preservation. She grabbed a heavy ceramic vase from a side table and hurled it with all her might at the lead intruder.
The vase struck the man squarely in the shoulder, throwing him off balance just as Damian pivoted and fired, neutralizing the threat.
The remaining intruder turned, his eyes locking onto Natalie through the haze of smoke. He lunged toward her with a combat knife drawn. Natalie stumbled backward, tripping over her own feet as she hit the marble floor.
Before the man could reach her, Damian closed the distance like a striking predator. He grabbed the intruder by the throat, slamming him against the stone pillar with bone-crushing force. The knife clattered to the floor. With a single brutal blow to the jaw, Damian rendered the attacker unconscious.
The smoke began to clear, sucked out by the estate's emergency ventilation system. Sirens wailed in the distance—not police, but Damian's private quick-reaction force sweeping the perimeter.
Damian stood chest-heaving among the fallen intruders, his hands stained with ash and blood. He slowly turned his head, his dark eyes fixing entirely on Natalie, who was still trembling on the floor.
He dropped his weapon, crossed the floor in three long strides, and hauled her to her feet by her arms. His grip was iron-tight, but his hands were shaking slightly.
“What part of 'stay in your room' did you not understand?” Damian snarled, his face inches from hers, fury and raw terror warring in his eyes.
“They were heading toward Ava's wing!” Natalie fired back, tears of adrenaline stinging her eyes. “Someone had to stop them!”
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Damian stared at her, stunned by her defiance. Slowly, the anger in his face fractured, replaced by a deep, haunted realization. He pulled her against his chest, shielding her face from the carnage behind him.
“You saved her again,” Damian whispered against her hair, his voice rough. “And you almost got yourself killed doing it.”
