Chương 5 - the breach in the storm
By 3:00 AM, a severe thunderstorm rolled over the suburban estate, hammering heavy rain against the slate roofs and high glass windows. Thunder rumbled across the hills, masking the quiet sounds of the night.
Inside the master suite upstairs, Emily sat on the plush king-sized bed. Three-year-old Lily and four-year-old Maya were curled up under the thick duvet beside her, fast asleep, their hands clasped together in their sleep. Emily sat near the headboard, a heavy brass desk lamp illuminating her face as she kept watch over the two girls.
Down in the subterranean security center beneath the east wing, Ryan stood before a bank of twelve glowing monitors showing live thermal feeds of the perimeter walls.
Marcus leaned over the central terminal, his brow furrowed. "Boss, thermal sensor four on the north fence just went dark. Interference or a cut wire."
"It's not interference," Ryan said flatly, pulling his heavy revolver from his shoulder holster and checking the cylinder. "Valenti sent a strike team through the treeline."
Before Marcus could answer, the lights across the entire mansion flickered violently and died, plunging the estate into pitch-black darkness!
The low hum of the emergency backup generator kicked in three seconds later, casting dim amber nightlights along the baseboards.
"Perimeter breached!" a guard's voice crackled over Marcus's tactical radio. "North garden doors! Three hostiles in tactical gear!"
Ryan moved with terrifying speed. He sprinted up the subterranean stairs, emerging into the dark grand foyer just as the glass patio doors in the dining hall shattered into thousands of sharp pieces!
Two mercenaries dressed in black tactical coats, holding silenced submachine guns, burst through the rain-soaked curtains into the dining hall!
Ryan didn't give them a fraction of a second to acquire a target. He stepped out from the shadow of the marble archway and fired three precise, devastating shots!
The heavy rounds tore through the lead mercenary's chest, sending him crashing backward through the broken glass frame into the wet garden!
The second mercenary spun around, raising his weapon beam, but Ryan closed the distance in two massive strides, grabbing the barrel of the gun with his bare, calloused hand and twisting it violently out of the attacker's grip!
Ryan delivered a crushing right hook to the mercenary's jaw, knocking the man unconscious onto the hardwood floor.
Silence returned to the dining hall, broken only by the sound of the rain pouring through the shattered windows.
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Ryan picked up the disarmed tactical radio from the fallen mercenary's vest. He pressed the transmit button, his deep voice echoing coldly into the speaker:
"Valenti. You sent six men to my house. Five are dead in the garden. The last one is breathing because I need him to carry a message back to you."
