Chapter 4 - The Poisoned Bloodline
Before the words could fully settle in the room, a deafening explosion shattered the quiet night!
BOOM!
The entire west wing of the Varric estate shook violently. Dust and plaster rained down from the ceiling, and the stained-glass balcony windows of Liana’s room blew inward in a shower of sharp, glittering shards!
The power instantly cut out, plunging the mansion into total, suffocating darkness.
Emergency sirens began to wail across the estate grounds, their high-pitched scream mixing with the sound of automatic gunfire erupting in the courtyard below!
"GET DOWN!" Matteo roared!
He threw his body over Liana, slamming her to the floor beneath him as a spray of bullets tore through the balcony doors, ripping through the velvet curtains and pulverizing the wooden desk where they had been standing seconds earlier!
Liana screamed, covering her head as glass and wood splinters showered over them. Matteo’s heavy weight shielded her completely, his arm locked securely around her head.
"Nico!" Liana gasped through the dust and smoke. "The nursery!"
"Stay here!" Matteo commanded, pulling a silver sleek pistol from his back holster.
"No! I’m coming with you!" Liana yelled back, scrambling to her feet despite the darkness.
Matteo didn't argue. He grabbed her hand, pulling her through the connecting door into the nursery just as red emergency lights flickered on, bathing the room in a bloody, ominous glow.
Inside the nursery, the crib was empty!
Liana’s heart stopped. "NICO!"
"Look!" Matteo pointed toward the far side of the room.
The heavy oak door leading to the nursery's private service hallway was hanging open. A shadow moved quickly through the smoke—a figure dressed in dark tactical gear, carrying a bundle wrapped in a black blanket!
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Matteo roared, raising his pistol and firing two shots into the hallway!
The bullets hit the doorframe, sending sparks flying! The intruder didn't stop, sprinting down the narrow service staircase toward the estate’s lower levels!
Matteo tore after the figure, with Liana running right at his heels, ignoring the cuts on her bare feet from the broken glass.
They flew down the winding stone staircase, the sound of heavy gunfire echoing from the main foyer below. Matteo’s men were engaged in a fierce gunfight with at least a dozen armed attackers in black tactical uniforms bearing no insignias.
The intruder carrying Nico burst through the heavy reinforced doors leading to the estate's underground garage!
Matteo kicked the garage doors open with a thunderous crack! "Liana, take cover!"
Inside the garage, three black sleek SUVs were running, their headlights blinding in the dim space. The intruder holding Nico was scrambling into the back seat of the lead vehicle!
"NICO!" Liana screamed with a mother’s wild, desperate rage.
She didn't take cover. She sprinted past Matteo, grabbing a heavy steel fire extinguisher off the concrete pillar, and threw it with all her strength at the SUV's rear window!
CRASH!
The heavy cylinder shattered the back window, striking the driver in the head! The driver slumped over the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to veer wildly and slam directly into a concrete support beam with a screech of tearing metal!
The rear passenger door swung open. The dark-suited intruder stumbled out, clutching Nico, who was now screaming at the top of his lungs.
Matteo closed the distance in a flash. He grabbed the intruder by the throat, slamming him violently against the hood of the wrecked SUV! With one swift, devastating blow, Matteo broke the attacker’s jaw, sending the man crashing to the concrete floor, unconscious!
The bundle in the man’s arms slipped.
Liana dove forward, catching the black blanket before it hit the hard ground, pulling Nico tight against her chest!
"I have him! I have him!" Liana sobbed, her body shaking as she cradled the terrified baby.
Nico’s cries instantly softened the second his face pressed into her neck, smelling her scent, feeling her heartbeat. He buried his small face into her red uniform, clutching her lapel with all his strength.
Matteo stood over the unconscious attacker, his gun pointed straight at the man's head, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. He looked at Liana and his son, a look of profound relief washing over his blood-stained face.
Suddenly, the passenger door of the second SUV opened slowly.
A tall, slender woman stepped out into the dim red emergency lights of the garage. She wore an expensive black trench coat, dark leather gloves, and her silver-blonde hair was styled in a sharp, elegant bob.
On her right thumb, catching the glare of the emergency lights, was a custom silver ring shaped like a coiled serpent with a red ruby eye.
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Matteo froze. His gun lowered half an inch. His voice cracked with a terrifying mix of horror and agony.
"Elena...?"
