As we near the hotel, I stop thinking about Cassia and the other alliance members and focus more on my surroundings.
One by one, the SUVs head into the underground parking area, and once I find a space to park the SUV, I let out a sigh.
Fuck, I need some kind of excitement to stir things up.
Chapter 4
CASSIA
Walking toward Dad’s office, my stomach is nothing but a tight ball of nerves.
I stop outside the shut door, my hands opening and closing into fists while I try to gather the courage to talk to him about the alliance.
There’s no way I’m asking for the hundred million dollars we invested to be returned. We’ll be the laughingstock of the world.
Just as I take hold of the doorknob, a scream comes from the direction of the kitchen. Then gunfire erupts from the front and back of the property, and it sounds like a warzone as our guards fight off whoever’s attacking us.
Intense shock vibrates through me as I shove the office door open, shouting, “We’re under attack!”
“What?” Dad barks, jumping up to peer out of the window where we can see our guards trying to fight off the intruders in the front yard.
Not wasting a minute, I rush to the vault and quickly key in the code. “I also heard gunfire coming from the kitchen,” I tell Dad, my voice breathless from shock.
The instant the lock clicks, I yank the door open and grab a handgun.
Dad comes to take a machine gun, but I don’t wait for him and haul ass out of the office.
With my heart hammering against my ribs and my mouth growing dryer than a desert, I hurry down the hallway.
God, all the training in the world couldn’t prepare me enough for this moment.
Just get Mom, Eleni, and Kiki. Focus on them.
Another scream echoes through the house, and there are more gunshots, the sounds chilling the blood in my veins.
I last saw Mom in the kitchen, and my sisters went to Kiki’s room to choose something for her to wear to the party.
When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I hesitate, unsure whether I should go to the kitchen or to my sisters.
As Dad comes up behind me, men pour out of the kitchen, and when they open fire on us, I have no choice but to run up the stairs while ducking low.
“Fucking bratva scum,” Dad roars as he returns fire.
The gunshots grow louder, and right before I reach the landing at the top of the stairs, I glance over my shoulder. It’s in time to see a spray of bullets hit Dad, his body jerking before dropping to the ground.
“God!” I cry as I rush down the hallway, shock and horror filling every inch of my body.
I can’t believe we’re being attacked.
I burst into Kiki’s room, and not seeing the girls, I shout, “Eleni! Kiki!”
Both their heads pop up from the side of the bed, and when they see me, they quickly hurry out of their hiding place.
“They’ve taken the first floor.” My tone is surprisingly firm, and I point at the glass door by the window. “Balcony!”
The girls rush out onto the balcony while I press my shoulder to the wall near the bedroom door, ready to shoot whoever comes in.
Will I be able to kill someone today?