Chapter 9 - ASHES TO DAWN
Sparks showered the room as the system short-circuited. The red emergency lights flickered and died, replaced by the blazing white of the standard house lights. Outside, the massive steel gates of the estate automatically disengaged and swung wide open, triggering a silent alarm directly to the state police headquarters. Upstairs, Marcus checked his phone as the system failure notifications flooded his screen. Panic flashed in his eyes. "Kill him," he ordered his men, turning toward the door. But the delay had been enough. Alexander, utilizing a distraction from the power surge, headbutted the guard holding him, snatched the dropped rifle, and swung it around, firing two rounds into the ceiling. "Nobody moves!" Alexander roared. The distant, unmistakable wail of police sirens pierced the night air, growing louder by the second. Marcus froze, the color draining from his face. The empire he had killed for was crumbling in seconds. Down in the basement, Elena dragged herself up from the floor, gasping for air. Vanessa lay unconscious against the server racks. Elena stumbled back to the generators, dropping to her knees as Liam rushed out, throwing his arms around her neck. "Seventy-two," Liam cried. "I only got to seventy-two, Mommy."
