THE ATTACK

Author’s POV

In the bathroom, Ashley sat in the jacuzzi, inhaling the sweet smoke of her cigarette. The water was warm, and the bubbles rose to the surface in slow motion. The room was dimly lit, and the only light came from the candles flickering on the countertop.

Suddenly, the loud sound of gunshots startled her. She lowered her head, and glass particles from her window shattered on her body. Panic filled her, and she quickly got out of the Jacuzzi.

As she stood there, shivering, Chris entered the bathroom, clutching his bandaged right arm. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

Ashley nodded, clutching a towel to her chest. She didn't care that she was naked in front of him. They left the bathroom, thinking they were safe, but gunshots erupted in her mansion, making them go down on their knees in fear.

"What's going on?" Ashley asked, her voice trembling.

"I don't know," Chris replied, his eyes darting around the room. "We need to get out of here."

Ashley and Chris entered her storage room full of firearms. Ashley selected a rifle, and Chris chose a sniper. Ashley dropped her towel to the ground and grabbed an emergency unisex outfit from the closet. After changing, she picked up her rifle and began packing guns and bullets into their bags. They were now ready to leave.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Chris asked, his voice low.

"I have no choice," Ashley replied. "I can't let them hurt me or the others."

They headed out of the room, guns at the ready, and made their way through the dark hallways. The sound of gunfire echoed through the mansion, making their hearts race.

"We need to get out of here," Chris said, his voice urgent.

"I know," Ashley replied. "But we need to be careful. They could be anywhere."

As they made their way toward the front door, Ashley's phone rang. She hesitated for a moment, then answered it.

"Hello?" she said, her voice shaking.

"Hello, is this Ms. Gates?" a voice on the other end said. "I have your mansion surrounded, your henchmen are all dead, no one is going to protect you, so come out and present yourself to me, and no one will get hurt."

"Who are you?" Ashley demanded.

"That's not important," the voice replied. "What is important is that I want your head, drop your gun and come out."

"I said who are you?" Ashley asked, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Come out, bitch, now that I am playing nice," the voice replied. Ashley huffed and tossed her phone to the floor, taking off her bag and placing it on the floor. "We can't go with our bags; it will weigh us down, just carry some bullets and handguns," she stated and shoved a handgun into her pocket.

Ashley stood at the window, her eyes squinted as she scanned the dark courtyard. She had been expecting trouble, and now it had arrived. A group of thugs had surrounded her mansion, their guns glinting in the moonlight. She knew that she had to act fast if she wanted to survive.

"Fuck! They are all over the place," she muttered.

"Shit! I told you killing Noah and his father wasn't the best option. Now we are under attack, and it's only a matter of time until we die. Jake and Xander are not yet back," Chris lamented.

"Shh, stop talking," she said, placing her hand on her lips and leaving the window.

"Ashley, we have to go out there and take care of them," Chris said, his voice trembling with fear. Ashley turned to him, her eyes blazing with determination. "I'm not going out there, Chris. We'll do this my way."

Chris looked at her skeptically. "And what way is that?"

"We're going to fight back. They want a war; we'll give them one," she declared.

Chris nodded, his eyes wide with fear. He had never seen Ashley like this before, but he knew that he could trust her. He clutched his sniper, his bandaged arm making it difficult to hold steady.

They made their way to the front door, their weapons at the ready. As soon as they stepped outside, the thugs opened fire, bullets whizzing past their heads. Ashley fired back, her aim deadly accurate. Chris struggled to keep up, his shots going wide.

Ashley covered for him, taking out two of the thugs with expert precision. Chris stumbled, but Ashley pulled him up, and they ran towards the garage. Ashley got into one of her cars, and Chris followed suit, his breath coming in short gasps.

Ashley gunned the engine, the car screeching out of the garage and onto the courtyard. Bullets rained down on them, but Ashley swerved and weaved, avoiding the gunfire with expert skill.

They smashed through the gate, the metal bending and breaking under the force of the car. Ashley lowered her head and floored the accelerator, the car speeding away into the night.

Chris looked at her in awe. "You're a badass, my queen."

Ashley smiled, her eyes sparkling with adrenaline. "I know, I told you I had things under control," she replied.

As Ashley drove down the highway, she spotted Jake's car approaching. It was a beat-up old sedan, while hers was a sleek black sports car. She quickly stuck her head out of her car. "Follow me!" she yelled. Jake was confused, but he still turned his car around and followed her. The moonlight shone down on the asphalt, creating a shimmering light haze.

They had just left the city of Miami and were heading towards the countryside, where Ashley had a crib. Ashley sighed in relief that they were safe when another car appeared behind Jake's and overtook his car at breakneck speed.

Ashley's heart clenched as she tried to maneuver her car out of the way, but it was too late. The car crashed into hers, and her car careened off the road and into the densely packed forest.