Chapter 5 - War on 5th Avenue
Before Damian could pull the trigger, the glass windows behind Claire exploded into a thousand sharp shards!
CRASH!
A tactical strike team from the Valenti family—the rival South Side syndicate Evan had secretly allied with—swung through the windows on tactical ropes! Four heavy mercenaries landed on the velvet rug, opening fire with submachine guns!
"DOWN!" Damian roared, grabbing Lily and throwing his body over hers as he rolled behind the heavy marble bar!
Bullets tore through the lounge, shredding the velvet couches, shattering the mirrors, and turning the opulent room into a warzone! Vance was caught in the crossfire, dropping instantly behind the desk!
Claire screamed, scrambling through the shattered window frame onto the fire escape outside, fleeing into the torrential rain!
"Stay down, Lily!" Damian commanded, pressing the child flat against the hardwood floor beneath the marble counter. "Hold your ears!"
Damian leaned out from behind the bar, his pistol barking three times with lethal accuracy!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Two Valenti mercenaries dropped instantly, hit straight through their tactical helmets! The third mercenary sprinted toward the bar, throwing a frag grenade into the air!
Damian caught the grenade in mid-air, spun around, and threw it right back through the ruined double doors into the hallway where the fourth mercenary was advancing!
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the entire third floor of the restaurant, setting fire to the tapestries and filling the room with thick, black smoke!
Damian didn't wait for the smoke to clear. He scooped Lily into his arms, holding her tight against his chest, and sprinted through the burning hallway toward the service stairs leading down to the lower parking garage!
"Mom!" Lily cried out over the sound of alarm bells ringing through the building. "They have my mom in the garage!"
"We're getting her, baby!" Damian shouted, leaping down six steps at a time, his boots pounding against the concrete stairwell. "Hold on tight!"
They reached the heavy steel doors of the underground parking garage. Through the small reinforced glass window, Damian could see two Valenti guards standing beside a black SUV. Inside the back seat, bound and gagged, was Nora Harper—her eyes wild with terror as she struggled against her ties.
Damian checked the magazine of his tactical pistol. Three rounds left.
He turned to Lily, setting her down gently inside the doorway nook.
"Stay here for ten seconds, sweetheart," Damian whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "When I call your name, you run to your mom."
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Lily nodded bravely, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Be careful, Dad."
Damian smiled—a dark, lethal smile—and kicked the garage door off its hinges!
