Chapter 4 - The Siege at MidnightCaleb stood up instantly, his eyes turning into dark, lethal slits of cold steel.
In one fluid, practiced motion, he drew his custom suppressed sidearm from his shoulder harness, stepping firmly between me and the library doors.
Marcus burst into the room, holding a tactical carbine, his forehead bleeding from a shrapnel scratch. "Boss! Richard Vance launched a full tactical assault on the south perimeter! He brought thirty heavily armed mercenaries! They breached the outer gate using a ram truck!"
"Where is Lucy?!" I screamed, my panic rising like a wave.
"Mrs. Gable secured her in the subterranean safe room below the pantry, ma'am," Marcus reported quickly.
Caleb turned back to me, taking my shoulders into his broad, warm hands, looking straight into my eyes with an absolute, sovereign authority that instantly anchored my fear.
"Clara," Caleb commanded softly. "Go down to the safe room with Lucy. Lock the titanium door from the inside. Do not open it for anyone except me or Marcus."
"Caleb... please be careful!" I wept, clutching his lapels. "Don't leave us!"
Caleb offered a breathtaking, soft smile—a look of pure, eternal love that lit up his severe features. "I made a promise to a little girl in church, Clara. I am never leaving you."
He pressed a sweet, lingering kiss against my forehead, then turned, leading his tactical operators out into the dark hallway as heavy gunfire erupted across the courtyard.
Down in the subterranean safe room, I pulled Lucy tight into my arms, holding her against my chest while the concrete walls vibrated with the muted thuds of distant explosions above.
"Is Caleb fighting the bad men, Mama?" Lucy whispered softly, holding her bunny.
May you like
"Yes, baby," I whispered back, tears streaming down my face. "He's protecting us."
"God sent him, Mama," Lucy said with absolute, unshakeable nine-year-old certainty. "I know He did."
Related Stories
