They struck at midnight.

The first explosion shook the foundation of the estate, shattering the reinforced glass in the east wing. Alarms blared, a deafening siren that cut through the night. Gunfire erupted in the courtyard like violent popcorn.

Dante was out of bed in a second, strapping on a Kevlar vest and checking his weapons. "Take Mia to the panic room behind the library," he ordered Clara, kissing her hard on the mouth. It was a desperate, claiming kiss. "Lock the door. Do not open it for anyone but me or Silas."

"Come back to us," Clara pleaded, holding Mia tight to her chest.

"Always," Dante promised, racking the slide of his rifle before disappearing into the smoke-filled hallway.

Clara didn't panic. She carried Mia through the secret servant corridors she knew better than anyone else. She reached the library, pulled the hidden lever behind a bookshelf, and rushed into the reinforced steel panic room, slamming the heavy door shut and engaging the deadbolts.