Chapter 34 - Shadows in the Nursery
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At 2:15 AM, the storm outside Sterling Manor reached a deafening crescendo. Rain lashed against the tall stained-glass windows, and thunder shook the ancient timber framing of the house.
I woke up instantly in the master guest suite, my maternal instinct screaming that something was wrong.
The room was pitch black. I looked over at Clara's crib near the window—and my heart stopped.
A tall silhouette in dark tactical clothing was standing over the crib, reaching down with gloved hands toward my sleeping baby.
"Get away from her!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, leaping out of bed and grabbing a heavy bronze desk lamp from the nightstand.
Before the intruder could touch Clara, the nursery door was kicked off its hinges with a thunderous crack.
Ben charged into the room like a runaway train, tackling the intruder across the room and slamming him violently into the mahogany bookshelf. Books and crystal vases rained down around them as they traded brutal, heavy blows in the dark.
I rushed to the crib, scooping Clara into my arms and shielding her body with mine as she began to wail in terror.
"Lydia! Get behind me!" Ben yelled, parrying a knife strike from the intruder and delivering a brutal knee to the man's ribs.
Ben twisted the assassin's arm back until a sickening pop echoed through the room. The intruder cried out in pain, dropping the tactical blade onto the carpet. Ben slammed the man's head into the floor, knocking him instantly unconscious.
Lord Alistair arrived at the doorway moments later, flanked by Julian Ross and two armed house guards.
Ben knelt over the unconscious assassin, ripping off his ski mask to reveal a sleek European man with a dragon tattoo inked across his neck.
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"Serena's private security team," Julian Ross muttered, his face going pale in the dim light.
"She tried to kidnap Clara to force me to surrender the vault key," I said, my voice shaking with unbridled, protective fury. "We go to Geneva tomorrow, Uncle Alistair. End this now."
