Chapter 8 - The Breach
The warm, fragile peace inside the mansion was shattered by a deafening explosion.
BOOM!
The entire estate shook. The heavy crystal chandelier in the grand hallway rattled violently, showering glass crystals onto the marble floor.
Khloe gasped, pulling Lily tightly against her chest.
Arthur was on his feet in a fraction of a second, the vulnerable grieving father vanishing instantly, replaced by the lethal, cold-blooded Castellano crime lord. He drew his pistol from his holster with practiced, deadly speed.
"Stay in this room!" Arthur commanded, his voice ringing with absolute authority. "Lock the door behind me! Do not open it for anyone except me or Silas!"
"What was that?!" Khloe screamed over the wail of the mansion’s automated security alarms.
"Morozov," Arthur snarled, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. "They found us."
He sprinted down the hallway toward the grand staircase.
Downstairs, chaos had erupted. Red emergency strobe lights flashed against the dark windows. Gunfire cracked through the lower foyer—sharp, deafening bursts of automatic weapons fire echoing through the marble halls.
Silas Croft appeared at the top of the stairs, reloading a submachine gun, his face covered in soot and sweat.
"Boss! They blew the west perimeter gate with a C4 charge!" Silas yelled over the gunfire. "There’s twenty of them! They're coming through the gardens!"
"Fall back to the panic room," Arthur ordered, stepping in front of Silas as a hail of bullets shattered the stained-glass window above the landing. "Get the women secured!"
"Boss, you can't hold the foyer alone!"
May you like
"Watch me," Arthur replied coldly.
He leaned around the corner of the marble banister and fired three rapid shots downstairs. A muffled cry echoed from below, followed by the heavy thud of a falling body.
