Chapter 16 - The Siege of Astoria
Rain battered the windshield of the black armored SUV as we tore down the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway toward Astoria.
Marcus drove at breakneck speed, dodging late-night commercial trucks on the slick asphalt.
My phone buzzed incessantly in my palm.
It was Elena, her voice frantic and breathless over the speaker.
"Sophia! There are men outside the bakery!" she cried, the sound of breaking glass audible in the background.
"Mateo is hiding in the pantry, but they're trying to force the security shutter!"
"Elena, listen to me," I commanded, forcing my voice to remain completely steady.
"Alexander's tactical team is ninety seconds away from your street."
"Stay down, do not open the door, and take the revolver from the safe behind the flour sacks."
"They have guns, Sophia!" she sobbed before the call cut off with a burst of static.
"Step on it, Marcus!" Alexander roared from the passenger seat.
The SUV barreled around the corner of 30th Avenue, its tires screeching against wet cobblestones.
Two unmarked black sedans were parked diagonally across the street from Elena’s beloved bakery.
Three armed men dressed in dark tactical gear were swinging a sledgehammer against the reinforced steel gate.
Alexander didn't wait for Marcus to come to a full stop.
He kicked open his door, firing three suppressed rounds with terrifying precision.
Two of the attackers dropped instantly to the pavement, clutching shattered knees and shoulders.
The third attacker turned, raising an automatic rifle, but Marcus rammed the SUV’s bull bar straight into his getaway car.
The impact threw the man across the sidewalk, his weapon skittering uselessly into the gutter.
I leapt from the back seat, clearing the distance to the bakery entrance in seconds.
"Elena! Open the latch! It's Sophia!" I yelled, banging the flat of my palm against the dented steel.
The heavy bolt slid back with a loud clank.
Elena pulled me inside, her face streaked with tears as she threw her arms around my neck.
In the corner behind the dough mixers, little Mateo sat clutching a baseball bat, his eyes wide with sheer terror.
Alexander stepped over the threshold, his gun lowered, his eyes sweeping the room until they settled on the trembling boy.
May you like
"Nobody touches this family," Alexander vowed, his voice vibrating with absolute authority.
"Not while I have breath in my body."
