Chapter 5 - The Breach
At 3:00 AM, the security alarms of the Chestnut Hill estate remained silent, but the silent alert system on Jackson’s nightstand began to vibrate violently.
Jackson’s eyes snapped open. He was fully awake in a fraction of a second, his survival instincts honed by a lifetime of combat.
He slipped out of bed, grabbing his custom tactical pistol from the biometric lockbox beside the bed. He reached down, gently shaking Jasmine’s shoulder.
"Jasmine. Wake up," Jackson whispered, his voice a low, commanding thread.
She opened her eyes, instantly recognizing the look on his face. She didn't panic. She silently nodded, slipping out of bed and grabbing her own compact weapon from her vanity drawer.
"Stay here. Lock the door. If anyone tries to come through, you shoot," Jackson instructed, his eyes locking onto hers with an intense, protective flame.
"Get Harper," Jasmine whispered.
Jackson slipped out of the master bedroom, moving like a ghost through the dark, carpeted corridor. The power to the estate had been cut; the only light came from the occasional flash of lightning outside the high windows.
He reached Harper's room. The door was slightly ajar.
Jackson’s heart slammed against his ribs. He pushed the door open, his weapon raised.
Robert was already inside, standing over Harper’s bed, his weapon trained on the balcony doors. A tall, dark figure in tactical gear was stepping through the shattered glass of the balcony.
Phwt! Phwt!
Robert’s suppressed weapon fired twice. The intruder crumpled to the floor, his weapon clattering against the hardwood.
"We have a breach on the east wing, boss," Robert whispered, his voice steady despite the chaos. "They cut the main fiber-optic lines. The backup generators are being jammed."
"Get Harper to the safe room," Jackson ordered, scooping up his sleeping daughter, who whimpered softly but didn't wake as Jackson handed her to the powerful bodyguard. "Where is Marcus?"
"Clearing the lower terrace," Robert replied, cradling Harper against his chest as he slipped through the hidden panel in the closet wall that led to the estate's reinforced safe room.
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Jackson turned back toward the main corridor. A sudden, deafening explosion rocked the ground floor, sending a violent shudder through the stone walls of the mansion.
The front doors had been breached.
