Chapter 11 - BREACH AT SAN PEDRO
Mateo slammed the heavy glass patio doors shut, throwing the mechanical lock into place just as the man collided with the glass on the other side.
THUD!
The reinforced glass spider-webbed, but held.
"Sofía, run to the safe room in Dad's office!" Mateo screamed, shoving her toward the main hallway.
Sofía panicked, dropping her sketchbook as she ran. Mateo grabbed a heavy bronze statue from the foyer console and stood his ground near the hallway, his heart hammering in his chest like a trapped bird.
Outside, a second gunshot echoed—this time a suppressed pop. The glass door shattered completely, showering the living room rug with heavy fragments. The man in the cap stepped through the frame, brushing glass off his shoulders.
"Where is the server drive, kid?" the gunman demanded, raising his weapon. "The physical backup key from the pantry safe. Where did your father put it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Mateo shouted, backing away slowly toward the office corridor.
"Don't lie to me," the gunman sneered, taking a slow step forward. "Rodrigo Alvarado wants the master keys before your father gets back from the board meeting. Give me the drive, and nobody gets hurt."
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the front driveway.
A heavy armored SUV breached the front wrought-iron gates of the estate, tearing across the manicured lawn and slamming directly into the patio structure, taking out part of the stone pillar.
The front doors of the SUV flew open. Daniel, wielding a heavy steel tire iron despite his injured knee, scrambled out alongside two of Valeria’s trusted personal bodyguards.
"Get away from my children!" Daniel roared, his voice echoing through the ruined house.
The gunman turned sharply, firing two quick shots toward the entryway. One of Daniel's bodyguards returned fire, the loud deafening cracks of unsuppressed gunshots shattering the remaining windows of the ground floor.
In the chaos, Mateo lunged forward, throwing the bronze statue with all his strength. It struck the gunman in the side of the head, sending him stumbling sideways into the dining table.
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"Dad!" Mateo yelled.
"Mateo! Get down!" Daniel lunged across the ruined living room floor, tackling his son behind the kitchen counter as bullets tore through the upper cabinets above them.
