Chapter 5
893 Words
The gunshot made Elena flinch, but before she could move, Adrian had already grabbed her arm and pulled her behind the sofa.
“No, Elena.”
Elena ducked down, trying to steady her breathing. Her heart was pounding so hard that the sound seemed to fill her ears. She could still smell the wood and perfume from the sofa in front of her when footsteps echoed through the hallway.
Someone was walking inside their house. Elena glanced at Adrian, who was now crouching beside her. He pulled out his phone and spoke in a low voice to someone on the other end.
“Marcus, how many?”
Elena could not hear the answer, but the slight change in Adrian’s expression told her enough. Things were not going well.
“Don’t let anyone leave through the east side. Secure the family.”
Adrian ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket.
“How many?” Elena asked.
“At least four have made it inside.”
“And your men?”
“Six outside.”
Elena stared at him in disbelief. “They got in even with six guards outside?”
“This isn’t a random attack.”
A loud crash came from upstairs, followed by the sound of something breaking. Elena immediately started to stand, but Adrian caught her arm before she could take a step.
“Don’t go upstairs.”
“My parents are up there.”
“They’ve been secured.”
“How do you know?”
“Marcus got them out through the back door.”
Elena stared at Adrian for a few seconds. He said everything so calmly, as if gunshots and armed men breaking into the house were not enough to make him lose control. That calmness only made Elena more suspicious.
“You knew this was going to happen.”
“I suspected it.”
“And you still came to my house?”
“I came because I knew there was a good chance they would make a move tonight.”
Elena held her breath. “If you knew, why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because if I had, you might not have come.”
“I was in my own home.”
“That’s the problem.”
Adrian stood and pulled a gun from beneath his jacket. Elena stared at it.
“You brought a gun into my house?”
“I brought it because I didn’t come here for dinner.”
Before Elena could respond, the footsteps grew closer.
Adrian moved toward the side of the room leading to the hallway, while Elena stayed a few steps behind him. She hated the fact that Adrian’s body was now standing between her and whatever was out there, but she was rational enough to know that standing in the middle of the room was not exactly a smart decision.
A few seconds later, a man appeared at the end of the hallway. He was dressed in black, with part of his face covered. A gun was held in his right hand, but the way he walked showed no sign of urgency.
When he saw Adrian, he stopped.
“Voss.”
Adrian raised his gun. “Put it down.”
The man gave him a faint smile. “I didn’t expect to find you here.”
“I could say the same.”
The man’s gaze shifted past Adrian’s shoulder and landed on Elena.
“So she really is with you.”
A chill ran down Elena’s neck. Adrian immediately shifted, blocking the man’s view of her.
“Don’t look at her.”
The man let out a quiet laugh. “You’re still the same. Always thinking you can control everything.”
“And you’re still stupid enough to walk into a guarded house.”
“This house isn’t our target.”
The corner of the man’s mouth lifted.
“She is.”
Elena barely had time to process his words before he raised his gun. The shot rang through the room, shattering the window behind them. Elena instinctively ducked as glass rained across the floor. Adrian fired back, forcing the man to take cover behind the wall.
“Elena, get behind me.”
“I can stand on my own.”
“I know.”
Adrian glanced at her. “But now isn’t the time to prove it.”
Elena was about to argue when another set of footsteps came from behind them. She turned and saw a shadow moving at the end of the hallway.
“Adrian.”
“I know.”
“We’re trapped.”
Adrian looked toward the back door of the room, then turned to Elena.
“Come with me.”
They moved toward the side door, but before they could reach it, another gunshot rang out from upstairs. Elena held her breath when she heard someone scream.
“Dad!”
She started toward the stairs, but Adrian pulled her back.
“Don’t!”
“I can’t leave them.”
“They’re safe.”
“How can you keep saying that?”
“Because I’m the one who made sure they were safe.”
Elena looked at him, and for a moment, she saw something different in his eyes. It was not just vigilance. It was the certainty of a man who had prepared for all of this.
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