Chapter 6 - The Siege of the Estate
The war for Chicago’s underworld erupted that very night.
From the windows of the East Wing, Bella could see the distant red glow of fires burning along the city skyline. News reports on the muted television spoke of an unprecedented wave of arson and violence sweeping through the industrial districts—a silent, total annihilation of the Castellano network executed by Silana Moretti's forces.
By midnight, the storm outside raged harder, tearing leaves from the ancient oak trees in the estate grounds.
Bella sat in the nursery, holding a sleeping Leo in her arms, unable to rest. The heavy house felt unnaturally quiet, most of the guards having been deployed to the city to finish the offensive.
Suddenly, the lights flickered, died, and plunged the entire mansion into pitch darkness.
The backup generators failed to kick in.
Bella stood up instantly, her heart slamming against her ribs. "Dominic?" she called out into the dark hallway.
No answer.
A muffled thud echoed from the floor below, followed by the soft, distinct sound of shattering glass from the conservatory.
The Castellanos hadn't stayed on the defensive. Realizing they were being wiped out in the city, they had launched a desperate, suicidal counter-attack directly against Silana’s home, targeting the woman and child hidden inside.
Bella pulled a small flashlight from the nightstand, shielding the light with her palm. She wrapped Leo in a thick blanket, strapping him securely to her chest with a baby carrier, keeping her hands free.
She remembered her days as a maid, navigating the narrow, hidden servant corridors built behind the walls of the mansion.
She slipped out of the nursery and pulled open a wooden access panel hidden behind a decorative tapestry in the hallway. Just as she stepped inside the narrow wall void, heavy boots thundered up the main East Wing staircase.
"Find the girl!" a harsh, raspy voice shouted through the dark hallway. "Castellano wants the kid alive! Kill anyone else in your way!"
Bella pressed her back against the wooden beams inside the wall, holding her breath, her hand covering Leo’s small mouth to prevent any sound. Flashlights swept through the bedroom she had just left, illuminating the empty crib.
"She's not here! Search the West Wing!"
Bella moved quickly down the dusty, narrow servant stairwell, heading toward the lower levels. She knew the layout better than any intruder. If she could reach Silana’s fortified basement office, she could lock herself and Leo inside the steel-reinforced storm room.
She reached the bottom of the stairs and pushed open the hidden panel leading into the West Wing corridor.
The hallway was filled with smoke.
Standing in the middle of the foyer, bathed in the dim red glow of emergency exit lights, was a lone figure holding a suppressed pistol.
It was Silana.
He was bleeding from a cut along his temple, his shirt torn, but he stood like a colossus among the shadows. Two fallen attackers lay at his feet.
"Silana!" Bella gasped, stepping out from the hidden wall panel.
Silana spun around, his weapon raised, but instantly dropped his barrel when he recognized her.
"Bella!" he breathed, rushing toward her and pulling her and the baby into his arms, checking them wildly. "Thank God. Are you hit?"
"We're okay! They cut the power!"
Before Silana could answer, three heavily armed men burst through the double doors at the end of the hall.
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"Moretti!" one screamed, raising an automatic rifle.
Silana didn't hesitate. He grabbed Bella, shoved her behind a heavy stone pillar, and opened fire with terrifying precision.
