Chapter 4 - BLOOD ON THE MARBLE
The grand hall of the mansion, usually a testament to opulence with its crystal chandeliers and imported Italian marble, was now a war zone. Plaster rained down from the ceiling as bullets chewed through the walls. I slipped through the servant's corridor, emerging behind the mercenary squad attempting to breach the stairs.
There were six of them. Too many for a direct assault without taking a hit. I needed a distraction.
I shot out the massive skylight above them. Glass rained down like deadly daggers, momentarily blinding and disorienting the squad. In that split second of chaos, I moved. I took down the first two with clean headshots. Marco and his men, sensing the shift, pushed forward from the top of the stairs, catching the remaining mercenaries in a deadly crossfire.
But the fight wasn't over. A massive explosion rocked the west wing, shaking the foundation of the house. The shockwave knocked me off my feet. My ears rang, the sharp scent of C4 filling the air.
"Boss! The west wall is gone!" Marco yelled over the comms. "They're bringing in a secondary team."
I scrambled up, my blood running hot. They weren't just trying to kill Serafina; they were trying to level the entire estate to ensure no evidence survived. I sprinted back up the stairs toward my office. If they had breached the west wing, they had access to the balcony outside my windows.
I kicked the office door open. Serafina was backed into a corner, clutching Mia, a heavy brass fire poker in her trembling hands. The reinforced glass of the balcony doors was splintering under heavy, sustained fire from outside.
"We need to move. Now," I grabbed her arm, leading her toward the concealed bookshelf. I pressed the hidden biometric scanner. The shelf swung open silently, revealing a dark, descending staircase.
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Just as the balcony doors shattered inward, showering the room in glass, I shoved Serafina and Mia into the passageway. A mercenary stepped through the broken window, leveling an assault rifle at us. I didn't have time to aim. I threw my body backward into the secret door, firing blindly. The door clicked shut, sealing us in pitch-black silence just as bullets ricocheted off the hardened steel exterior.
We were in the catacombs. And the real war had just begun.
