Invasion

Invasion
“For the fifth time, I know I’m grounded, but I need to get out of this house,” I plead with Lorenzo, who is in his office.

I had to wait an eternity to get through to him; lately, everything has been more hectic.

They raided the place Edgar mentioned, but they didn’t find anything.

Everyone’s mood has been terrible these past few days; even Nonna, who is usually a well of patience, was yelling at someone on the phone this morning.

I know it’s difficult; I feel the tension in the air and the fear.

The American mafia hasn’t made a move yet; since they asked for my death, they’ve simply disappeared.

And that’s not good at all.

I look at Lorenzo, who looks tired, has a beard, and everything indicates he hasn’t slept in over a day.

“Elena, take a walk around the grounds or distract yourself at the shooting range,” Leonardo asks.

I look back and neither Leonardo nor Dante, who are here, interfere.

"I already did that, you can take me to the shed when you leave," I say hopefully. "I promise I won't get into trouble."

"No," they all reply at the same time, and I roll my eyes.

"Know that, if necessary, I will leave without your permission," I say irritably.

They know me well enough to know I'll do it.

"Threaten to disobey me again and I'll lock you in your room," Lorenzo says, and I smile.

I know I might seem like a spoiled child, but I took on a mission when I came here. I need to relieve their tension.

"That wasn't a threat, fratellino," I say coldly.

"Elena, don't challenge me, you know I usually don't repeat myself," Lorenzo replies sharply.

"I came here and asked you politely, now this is a warning, Lorenzo," I say in the same tone as him.

Annoying my older brother is a gift I've had the pleasure of discovering. I just hope he doesn't hate me for it.

The others don't interfere; I don't know if they've realized what I want to do or if they simply don't want to challenge Lorenzo's authority.

"That's enough, go to your room now," he finally explodes and stands up angrily.

If it were a few days ago, I would have cowered at his tone, scared.

Lorenzo watches me and sighs; I know he understands what I'm doing.

"Feeling better now?" I ask calmly.

He runs a hand through his hair and closes the distance between us.

Lorenzo stops in front of me and hugs me; I'm surprised by his reaction.

"Thank you, sorellina," he says and kisses the top of my head. "But use that tone with me again and you'll be grounded for life."

I smile, still hugging him.

My smile fades when I see a small red dot move on his suit.

Without wasting a second, I push him back and throw myself to the ground.

I hear the sound of the window breaking and then see a hole open in the door.

I look at my brothers, who are already reacting.

Leonardo orders me to stay down and hide under the table, Dante calls Vittorio and orders him and the boys to return to the mansion.

Lorenzo is also on the phone giving orders to someone.

"Elena, stay here until I come to get you," Leonardo orders seriously and hands me a gun. "Shoot anyone who isn't family."

"Okay," I say firmly, and they leave the office, leaving me alone.

I check the gun's magazine and count the bullets, leave it unlocked, and try to control my nervousness.

I hear gunshots both outside and inside the house, my hands are sweating, and every minute I feel that someone might get hurt. I start counting in random order when I feel the anxiety turning into panic.

It takes a long time before I stop hearing gunshots.

It's over, they're okay.

I repeat this to myself until the office door opens.

I smile, expecting to see Leonardo, but I see a man with gaiters and a rifle.

He takes a moment to notice me, and I seize the opportunity to shoot him in the head, without thinking much about what I'm doing.

All I feel is a huge surge of adrenaline in my blood, preventing me from processing anything other than surviving.

The sound of the gunshot is loud, and I know that if there's anyone else nearby, they'll arrive soon.

I crawl out from under the desk, open the drawers looking for a phone, and almost cry when I find my cell phone.

I jump over the dead man's body without looking back.

I look around before running down the hallway that passes under the stairs; there's a small entrance leading to the basement, where I can hide if the access door is open.

I reach the entrance and run down the stairs as fast as I can; my heart clenches when I find the huge metal door closed. I look at the digital lock and my fingers tremble as I try to type the code.

I try twice before the panel warns that if I get it wrong again, the alarm will go off.

I take a deep breath and finally try the same house access code.

I let out a cry of frustration when the panel turns red and the alarm goes off.

I know whoever broke into the house won't be long in arriving.

"Damn it, Elena, think," I tell myself, trying to calm down.

My brothers must be dead.

My mind is sabotaging me, making me even more nervous.

I take a few deep breaths before going back to the hallway, checking if there's anyone unknown, and then I run to the main staircase.

I need to get out of the house!

I go up to my room without making a sound. I see that some things are broken and all the rooms are ransacked.

I enter my room and lock the door, pushing the dresser aside to make it harder for anyone trying to break in.

The plan has formed clearly in my mind; the only problem is some sniper killing me.

I open my wardrobe and grab several sheets, tie them together, and attach them to the foot of the bed.

In the movies, this seems to work; I hope it works in real life too.

I throw the makeshift rope out the window and pray it will hold me, or I'll die from the fall.

I put the gun in my waistband and grab the rope, using the wall as leverage to control my descent.

I'm almost at the ground when a shot hits the wall beside me. Startled, I let go of the rope and fall backward onto the lawn.

I hit my head in the fall and it takes me a few moments to recover.

I hear voices, which makes me get up, even though I'm disoriented.

I run as fast as I can toward the garage; I need to get a car and call for help.

I walk around the house and feel my heart calm down, until someone hits me in the face with something hard, throwing me to the ground.

I feel blood running down my nose and look up, seeing a rifle pressed against my forehead.