Chapter 3 - The Breach at North Ridge
The peace of the estate shattered instantly.
Sirens echoed across the snow-covered grounds as the mansion's automated security shutters slammed down over the windows. Red emergency lights bathed the marble corridors in an eerie glow.
"Get her to the panic room!" Alfred barked, pulling a heavy tactical sidearm from his desk drawer and racking the slide with a lethal clack.
"No!" Maya cried, grabbing Alfred's coat sleeve. "Don't leave us!"
Bruno let out a low, vibrating growl, standing firmly between Maya and the door, his fur standing on end along his spine.
"Marcus, take her and the dog down to the subterranean vault," Alfred ordered, his eyes cold as liquid nitrogen. "I'll handle the uninvited guests."
Outside, heavy automatic gunfire erupted across the courtyard. A squad of twelve tactical mercenaries wearing thermal gear and carrying suppressed rifles had breached the south lawn, moving toward the main entrance under the cover of a smoke grenade veil. They were Valetti's elite hitmen, led by a ruthless enforcer known as "The Harvester."
"Find the girl!" The Harvester roared into his throat mic. "Kill anyone who stands in the way!"
They cleared the front foyer, expecting to find defenseless house staff. Instead, they stepped directly into Alfred Christa's crosshairs.
Alfred moved through his own home like a phantom. Utilizing hidden wall panels and familiar corridors, he flanked the strike team from behind. In a display of terrifying, surgical efficiency, Alfred eliminated four mercenaries in less than fifteen seconds, his suppressed pistol coughing fire in the dim hallway.
"Flank left! Flank left!" The Harvester screamed, firing a burst of automatic rounds into the plaster wall.
Suddenly, a heavy shadow lunged from the darkness of the side dining room.
Bruno had slipped away from Marcus, doubling back through the service ducts to protect his master and the house. The dog launched his eighty-pound frame onto the lead mercenary, clamping his powerful jaws around the man's forearm and pulling him to the marble floor with violent force.
"Get this beast off me!" the man shrieked as his weapon clattered across the floor.
Alfred stepped out from the shadows, executing the downed mercenary with a single shot, then patted Bruno's flank. "Good dog. Move back!"
The remaining five hitmen realized too late that they had stepped into a trap. Marcus and four heavily armed Christa security guards flanked the foyer from the grand balcony above, raining down devastating firepower. Within two minutes, the entire mercenary squad was neutralized.
The Harvester lay bleeding on the floor, his rifle shattered. Alfred walked over, pressing the warm barrel of his pistol against the man's forehead.
"Who sent you?" Alfred asked, his voice entirely devoid of emotion.
May you like
The Harvester spit blood onto the marble floor, grinning maniacally. "Valetti knows... he knows she's here. You can't protect her, Christa. The whole Chicago syndicate is coming for this house."
"Then I will save them the trip," Alfred said coldly, pulling the trigger.
