Mila is in her room with Elena, clutching her stuffed bear. When she sees me, she runs into my arms.
"Papa, I'm scared."
"I know,cielo." I hold her tight. "But you're going to be safe. You and Valerie. The panic room is the strongest place in the house. Nothing can hurt you there."
"What about you? You're going to fight the bad men?"
"Yes."
"What if they hurt you like they hurt Mama?"
The question destroys me. "They won't. I'm stronger now. Smarter. And I'm fighting for you. For Valerie. For the baby. That makes me harder to kill."
She pulls back, looks at me with those serious gray eyes. "Promise you'll come back?"
I should tell her I can't promise. But I have made up my mind that I must come back to this second chance which the universe has handed to me.
"I promise," I say. "I'm not leaving you, Mila. Not tonight. Not ever."
She hugs me again, fierce and desperate. "I love you, Papa."
"I love you too. More than anything."
Elena escorts them to the panic room. I watch until they disappear down the hallway, then force myself to move.
Night falls like a curtain.
I'm positioned in the main house, central command with full tactical overview. Screens showing camera feeds. Radio connecting me to all positions. Weapons at hand.
Mikhail is beside me. Yaroslav coordinates roof positions. Viktor handles the south perimeter.
We wait.
10 PM. Nothing.
11 PM. Still quiet.
Midnight approaches and tension coils tighter.
Then at 12:17 AM, motion sensors trip at the north gate.
"Contact," Yaroslav's voice through comms. "Multiple vehicles. Looks like six. No seven. Approaching fast."
"All positions, weapons hot." I watch the feeds. "Wait for my command."
The vehicles don't slow. Ram through the gate in coordinated impact. Steel screeching. Alarms blaring.
Men pour out. Twenty. Thirty. Forty.
More vehicles at the east wall. The south entrance. Coordinated assault from three directions simultaneously.
"ENGAGE!" I shout into the radio.
Gunfire erupts. The night explodes into chaos.
Our snipers pick off men advancing across the lawn. Heavy weapons teams lay down suppressing fire. Bodies drop but more keep coming.
Patrick brought an army. Of course he did, after all, I levelled his house, office and operation and killed his second in command.
