Chapter 26
Adrian’s shoulders dropped with a heavy sigh. His gray eyes met mine, then shifted
to Dad.
“You’re right. I’m not just an art dealer. The truth is-”
His head snapped toward the window. “GET DOWN!”
Adrian lunged across the table, tackling both Dad and me to the floor as bullets shattered the glass behind us. The crystal vase on the coffee table exploded, sending shards raining down. The distinct pop–pop- pop of automatic weapons filled the air.
“Stay low!” Adrian’s body covered mine as another burst of gunfire tore through the room. The familiar scent of his cologne mixed with gunpowder.
“This way.” Dad’s voice came from my left. “Behind the stone wall.”
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We crawled across the polished floor, glass crunching under our palms. More bullets. peppered the spot we’d just vacated. Adrian kept one hand pressed against my back, guiding me forward while scanning for threats.
The three of us pressed against the thick wall separating the living room from the foyer. Bullets continued to rain through the windows, destroying everything in their path. The sound was deafening – shattering. glass, splintering wood, the steady thunder of automatic weapons.
“Are you hurt?” Adrian’s hands moved over my arms, checking for injuries.
I shook my head, heart pounding. “I’m okay. Dad?”
“I’m fine.” Dad’s face was grim as he pressed against the wall beside us. “But we need to move. This position won’t hold long.”
Another spray of bullets emphasized his
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point, chewing up the floor mere feet from where we crouched.
“Where’s security?” I demanded, pressing closer to the wall. Red laser dots danced across the room like deadly fireflies. “The guards should’ve responded by now.”
Dad’s face darkened. “They must have
taken out the security team first. This was planned.”
“How many?” Adrian’s eyes tracked the laser sights sweeping the interior.
“I count at least eight different trajectories,” Dad said. “Maybe more behind the tree
line.”
Another burst of gunfire forced us lower. The attackers were trying to pin us down, methodically destroying our cover options. My hands trembled as I gripped Adrian’s arm. “Who are they?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.” Adrian’s voice was cold, calculating. His eyes scanned the room, analyzing angles and distances.
Chapter 26
“Where do you keep your weapons?”
“Safe room, down that hallway.” Dad gestured toward a door across the foyer. “Built–in vault in the back wall. Combination is-”
“I’ll handle it.” Adrian’s jaw tightened as he assessed the distance. At least thirty feet of open space between us and the door, all of it in the attackers‘ line of sight. “Stay here. Both of you.”
“Adrian, no-” I grabbed his sleeve, but he was already moving.
He launched himself from behind the wall, rolling beneath a spray of bullets that tracked his movement too slowly. In one fluid motion, he sprang to his feet and dove through the doorway, disappearing into the darkness beyond.
The gunfire intensified, concentrating on his last position. I held my breath, straining to hear anything beyond the chaos of splintering wood and shattering
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glass. Dad’s arm wrapped around my shoulders, holding me in place as I fought the urge to follow.
“You have some good arms in here.” Relief flooded through me at Adrian’s voice from the hallway. He emerged with an assault rifle raised, another slung across his back. His movements were precise as he fired controlled bursts toward the windows. The attackers‘ shots became sporadic, less coordinated.
“We need higher ground.” Adrian pressed against the wall beside us, ejecting the magazine to check the ammunition.
“Second floor gives us better angles, more cover options.”
“Main staircase is exposed,” Dad said. “Service stairs in the back.”
“Go. I’ll cover.”
Adrian laid down suppressing fire as Dad and I sprinted across the foyer. The sound. of return fire dimmed – they were pulling
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Chapter 26
back, regrouping. Adrian appeared beside us moments later as we reached the service
stairwell.
“Kill the lights,” he instructed, leading us. up the narrow steps. “Less visibility works
in our favor now.”
Dad pulled out his phone, tapping rapidly. “Main power cut. Backup generators are offline too.”
The house plunged into darkness. Moonlight filtered through the windows, casting long shadows across the floor. We moved silently down the upstairs hallway, staying low.
“Here.” Adrian guided us into my bedroom. “Good sightlines, multiple exit routes.” He positioned himself by the window, rifle ready. “They’re moving. Spreading out to surround the house.”
“Who would hit us like this?” I whispered, peering through the gloom at the grounds. below. “This isn’t a normal home invasion.”
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“No.” Adrian’s voice was hard. “This is a professional hit team. Military training, high–end equipment.” He shifted, checking his weapon again. “Someone wants to make sure we don’t walk out of here alive.”
Dad crouched beside the doorway, his own borrowed rifle at the ready. “They’ll come in soon. Can’t risk us calling
reinforcements.”
“Let them try.” Adrian’s eyes gleamed in the darkness as he sighted down his rifle. The grounds had gone quiet – too quiet.
The calm before the storm.
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