Chapter One Hundred And Twenty Five

Chapter 125  

Jemima's heart pounded as she stared at the silent earpiece, the enemy's chilling words reverberating in her mind.  

Marcus, Ava, and Jay are in our custody. Surrender now, or they die.

The east wing felt suffocating, the walls pressing in as smoke coiled through the air. Dimitri was at her side, blood streaking his face, Vanessa clutching her wounded shoulder. Both were waiting for her to decide, their expressions mirroring her fear and desperation.  

"What's the plan?" Dimitri asked, his voice low but urgent.  

Jemima didn't respond immediately. Her thoughts were racing, but the one thing she knew was that she couldn't lose them. Not Marcus. Not Ava. And not Jay.  

"They want us to surrender," she said finally, her voice strained.  

"Then they'll kill us all," Dimitri countered, his jaw tightening.  

Vanessa winced, leaning heavily against the wall. "We can't just do nothing," she said, her voice weaker but no less determined.  

Jemima pressed her fingers to her temple, her mind struggling to focus. Surrender wasn't an option. But neither was walking into Mancini's trap without a plan.  

"First, we regroup," she said sharply, snapping herself back to reality. "Dimitri, help Vanessa. We need to get back to the main hall. If they've breached the estate, we need to assess the damage and figure out how to split their forces."  

Dimitri nodded, looping Vanessa's arm over his shoulder. "And the others?"  

"We're getting them back," Jemima said firmly. "Alive."  

She didn't allow herself to dwell on the fear threatening to claw its way to the surface. Fear wouldn't save her family. Action would.  

The estate was in chaos. Smoke filled the air, gunfire echoed through the halls, and bodies—both friend and foe—littered the ground. Jemima led Dimitri and Vanessa through the labyrinth of corridors, their movements quick and silent. Every corner they turned felt like a potential ambush.  

"Down!" Dimitri barked suddenly, shoving Jemima and Vanessa against the wall. Bullets ricocheted off the marble as a group of armed men rounded the corner.  

Jemima didn't hesitate. She leaned out from cover, firing three quick shots. Two of the men dropped instantly, the third retreating around the corner.  

"Move!" she hissed, pushing forward.  

The main hall was a war zone. Ava's monitors were shattered, the long oak table overturned and riddled with bullet holes. Several of their guards lay motionless on the floor, and the enemy forces had taken up defensive positions by the windows and staircases.  

Dimitri set Vanessa down behind an overturned couch and passed her a spare weapon. "Stay here," he ordered.  

"I'm not useless," Vanessa snapped, her face pale but determined.  

"You're bleeding out," Dimitri shot back.  

“Both of you shut up! If you can’t at least forgive each other then be civil around each other before you lose the other!” Jemima yelled, her breathing coming out ragged as she turned away from them. 

Jemima didn't have time to mediate as tears stung the corner of her eyes. Her mind wandered off to Jay and the danger he could be in. How would she cope without him? 

She scanned the room, quickly assessing the situation. The enemy was holding their ground, but it was clear they weren't here to win a firefight. They were stalling, keeping the remaining team occupied while Mancini executed his real plan.  

"Vanessa, cover the west staircase," Jemima said, cutting through their dazed stares at each other. "Dimitri, with me. We need to clear the north side and secure the perimeter."  

Jemima and Dimitri moved like shadows through the chaos, their weapons firing in tandem as they pushed back the intruders. But for every man they took down, two more seemed to appear.  

"This isn't sustainable," Dimitri said between gritted teeth, reloading his gun.  

"We don't need to hold them forever," Jemima replied. "Just long enough to find Mancini's leverage."  

“And what if we don’t?” Vanessa questioned as she winced in pain. 

“We’ll have to keep trying!” Jemima snapped on the verge of a breakdown. She was operating mechanically, and her brain not functioning properly. 

As if on cue, the enemy forces began to pull back, retreating toward the estate's outer gates. Jemima's instincts screamed that something was wrong.  

"They're leaving?" Dimitri asked, frowning.  

"No," Jemima said, her voice cold. "They're repositioning."  

Her earpiece crackled again, the same cold voice from before cutting through the static.  

"You've wasted enough time, Jemima. Surrender now, or watch your siblings and lover die."  

The sound of muffled screams followed, and Jemima's stomach twisted. She recognized Ava's voice, furious and defiant, but tinged with pain.  

"You bastard," Jemima spat into the earpiece.  

The voice chuckled darkly. "You have ten minutes."  

The line went dead again.  

Back in the main hall, Vanessa had managed to hold the west staircase, but her condition was worsening. Dimitri knelt beside her, trying to staunch the bleeding with a strip of fabric torn from his shirt.  

"We can't keep doing this," he said, his voice heavy with frustration. "Mancini's playing us, Jem. He's got all the cards."  

Jemima stood by the shattered window, staring out into the night. The enemy forces had regrouped just beyond the estate's gates, their silhouettes illuminated by the glow of floodlights.  

"He's overconfident," she said quietly as she wiped off beads of perspiration that had formed on her forehead with the back of her hands. 

Dimitri frowned. "What are you thinking?"  

"Mancini's counting on me being reckless," Jemima said, turning to face him. "He thinks I'll rush in blind to save them. But he doesn't know what we're capable of."  

"And what exactly are we capable of?" Vanessa asked, her voice laced with sarcasm despite her pain.  

Jemima ignored her tone. "We're going to turn his trap against him."  

The plan was risky, but it was their only option.  

Jemima and Dimitri split up, each taking a small group of guards to flank the enemy's position. Vanessa stayed behind, coordinating from what remained of the main hall.  

As Jemima moved through the estate's underground tunnels, her thoughts kept drifting to Jay. His voice, defiant even in the face of capture, echoed in her mind.  

"Don't give in to him, Jem." 

She clenched her jaw, pushing the thought aside. She couldn't afford to be emotional. Not now.  

The tunnels led to an old access point near the estate's northern perimeter. Jemima and her team emerged into the cool night air, the distant sound of gunfire guiding them toward the enemy's position.  

"Stay low," she whispered, signaling for the others to spread out.  

From their vantage point, she could see the enemy's makeshift camp. Marcus, Ava, and Jay were bound and on their knees in the center of the clearing, surrounded by armed guards. Mancini stood nearby, his silhouette unmistakable.  

"On my signal," Jemima murmured into her earpiece.  

The attack was swift and brutal.  

Jemima's team opened fire from the treeline, taking out several guards before the enemy even realized what was happening. Dimitri's group hit them from the opposite side, cutting off their escape route.  

Mancini shouted orders, his voice rising above the chaos, but his men were overwhelmed.  

Jemima moved with purpose, her eyes locked on her siblings and Jay. She took down anyone who got in her way, her focus unshakable.  

"Jem!" Marcus shouted as she approached, his voice both relieved and urgent.  

She quickly cut his bindings, then moved to Ava and Jay.  

"Are you hurt?" she asked, her voice tight with concern.  

"We're fine," Jay said, his gaze meeting hers. There was a flicker of something unspoken in his eyes—relief, gratitude, and something deeper.  

But there was no time for words.  

"Move!" Jemima ordered, pulling them to their feet.  

The fight was far from over.  

As they retreated toward the estate, the night was pierced by another explosion. Jemima turned just in time to see the northern treeline go up in flames, the shockwave knocking her off her feet.  

“Are the kids safe?” Jemima queried Ava without looking at her. 

“Yes, I sent them away with the nanny to a safe house in an undisclosed location,” Ava replied breathlessly, eliciting a small nod from Jemima. 

Mancini's laughter echoed through the chaos.  

"This isn't over, Jemima!" he shouted, his voice full of venom. "You can't protect them forever!"  

Jemima's blood boiled, but she forced herself to focus.  

"We'll deal with him later," she said, helping Ava to her feet. "Right now, we survive."  

And with that, they disappeared into the night, the firelight casting long shadows behind them.  

Back at the estate, the atmosphere was somber. They had won the battle, but the war was far from over.  

Jemima stood in the ruined main hall, staring at the shattered remains of her home. Marcus and Ava sat nearby, their expressions grim. She knelt and embraced them, her heart beating with a thud. They held each other for a long time, allowing emotions to well up inside them. 

They were the last blood of the Valerians and all they had was each other. 

A shadow descended upon them, forcing Jemima to look up. It was Jay. Jay approached her, his presence steady as always.  

She stood up to match his gaze. 

"You did good," he said quietly.  

Jemima didn't respond immediately. She turned to face him, her eyes searching his.  

"I almost lost you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. 

Jay reached out, his hand brushing hers. "You didn't. And you won't."  Without hesitation, she hugged him and for the first time since the Mancini ordeal, she allowed herself to cry. 

“I’m sorry Jay! I love you so much and the thought of losing you scared me so much!” Jemima wept as a surge of emotions coursed through her. 

“I’m sorry too. You’re my whole world Jem!” Jay confessed, brushing away the tears from her cheeks with his thumb. 

For a moment, the weight of everything lifted. But it was fleeting.  

Because they both knew the fight wasn't over.  

And Mancini wouldn't stop until he had destroyed them all.