Chapter 3 - The Penthouse Siege
Two nurses rushed into the bedroom.
One lifted the second twin from her bassinet.
The other helped me stand.
Pain exploded through my back.
My knees nearly buckled.
Elias caught my arm before I hit the floor.
“Easy.”
“I can walk.”
“You can survive.”
His tone left no room for argument.
Another crash sounded from below.
Then the lights went out.
The penthouse fell into darkness.
One of the babies started crying.
I felt terror rise through me.
Elias immediately switched on a small flashlight.
“Backup power will activate.”
It did not.
One guard swore quietly.
“They cut the building system.”
Elias’s expression changed.
This was no random attack.
These people knew the building.
They knew the security.
They knew exactly where to strike.
Elias guided us through a hidden door behind the bedroom paneling.
Inside was a narrow hallway.
The walls were reinforced steel.
Arthur followed.
“You built this?”
Elias glanced at him.
“I have enemies.”
Arthur almost laughed.
“So does Ava now.”
We reached a secure room.
Elias placed the twins inside with the nurses.
I grabbed his sleeve before he could leave.
“Don’t go.”
The words escaped before I could stop them.
Elias looked down at my hand.
For a second, embarrassment burned through me.
I released him.
“Sorry.”
He did not move.
“You’re afraid.”
“Yes.”
“That does not require an apology.”
Another distant impact shook the wall.
Elias handed me a phone.
“There is one number programmed into it.”
“Yours?”
“Yes.”
“What if you don’t answer?”
His eyes held mine.
“Then keep calling until I do.”
He closed the door.
The lock engaged.
For the next ten minutes, I heard almost nothing.
That silence was worse than gunfire.
Arthur sat across from me.
The nurses fed the twins warmed formula.
I watched every breath my daughters took.
Then Arthur whispered.
“There is something else you need to know about Daniel.”
I turned toward him.
“What?”
“He was not chosen randomly.”
“What does that mean?”
“Mercer selected him.”
My skin prickled.
“Selected him for what?”
“To marry you.”
I stared.
Arthur continued.
“Daniel’s family owed Mercer money.”
“When Daniel met you, that debt disappeared.”
Memories crashed through me.
Daniel appearing at the diner where I worked.
Daniel returning every night.
Daniel telling me we had been destined to meet.
My stomach twisted.
“Our whole marriage was arranged?”
Arthur nodded sadly.
“He needed access to you.”
“For the land?”
“For your signature.”
I remembered documents Daniel had placed in front of me over the years.
Insurance papers.
Tax forms.
Mortgage applications.
Things I had signed without reading because he became furious when I asked questions.
My breathing became shallow.
“What did I sign?”
Arthur answered carefully.
“That is what we need to determine.”
The safe-room phone suddenly vibrated.
I grabbed it.
Elias’s voice came through.
“We’re clear.”
Relief hit me.
Then he added something else.
“We captured one alive.”
My heart stopped.
“Who?”
May you like
There was a pause.
“One of Daniel’s brothers.”
