Chapter 6 - Blood on the Velvet
The corridor outside the study was a nightmarish scene of smoke, flashing muzzle lights, and shadows.
Sirens began wailing across the estate as the automatic security system kicked in, flooding the halls with pulsing emergency red light. Screams echoed from the east wing as guests barricaded themselves inside their rooms.
Claire moved like a ghost through the red gloom, her suppressed pistol spitting twice as a Falcone gunman rounded the corner near the grand staircase.
The shooter dropped without making a sound.
Adrian was right behind her, his heavy pistol barking twice, taking down a second gunman who had taken position near the balcony railing.
“The guest suites are clear for now!” Claire called out, scanning the shadows with tactical precision. “Where is Dominic?”
“He’ll be heading for the main security vault in the basement,” Adrian said, his voice cold as ice. “He knows if he doesn't get the ledger, Julian won't pay him.”
Suddenly, a woman’s terrified scream pierced the air from the end of the east corridor.
“Adrian! Help me! Adrian!”
It was Vanessa.
She was running down the hallway in her silk nightgown, her blond hair wild with terror, her diamond necklace flashing beneath the red emergency lights. Behind her, a large gunman in tactical gear was pursuing her, raising his rifle to shoot.
Claire didn't think. Instinct took over.
She stepped out from behind the marble pillar, raised her suppressed pistol with both hands, and squeezed the trigger once.
Pfft.
The bullet struck the pursuer precisely in the center of his chest. He stumbled backward, crashing through a glass display case before collapsing onto the carpet.
Vanessa skidded to a stop, gasping for air, her face pale as snow. She looked up and saw Claire standing there in black tactical gear, holding a suppressed handgun with cold, expert precision.
Vanessa’s jaw dropped in absolute shock. “Claire...? The maid?”
Claire didn't answer. She ran forward, grabbed Vanessa by the arm, and pulled her behind the heavy oak doors of a nearby linen closet.
“Stay inside, lock the door, and don't make a sound until Adrian comes for you,” Claire ordered, her voice sharp and commanding.
Vanessa stared at her, completely stripped of her arrogance, nodding like a terrified child. “Okay... okay... I’m sorry... I’m sorry about the bell...”
Claire closed the closet door, locked it from the outside, and turned back to Adrian.
Adrian stood near the balcony, watching her with an unreadable expression.
“You saved her,” Adrian said quietly. “After how she treated you.”
“I’m an agent of the law, Moretti,” Claire said flatly, reloading her magazine. “I protect civilians. Even the obnoxious ones. Now let’s go find Dominic.”
They moved down the service stairs toward the basement. The air grew damp and cold as they entered the subterranean stone hallways beneath the mansion.
As they reached the entrance to the wine cellar, a voice echoed out from the darkness.
“I knew you were tough, boss!” Dominic yelled from inside the darkened wine vault. “But I didn't think you’d bring your little maid along to die with you!”
Adrian stepped into the doorway, his silhouette imposing against the red emergency light.
“You made a mistake, Dominic,” Adrian said, his voice echoing off the stone walls. “You sold out your family for Falcone pennies.”
“The Falcones are the future!” Dominic shouted back.
A sudden flash of gunfire erupted from behind a rack of vintage wine bottles.
Adrian ducked behind a heavy oak barrel, returning fire.
Claire moved along the left wall, creeping silently through the shadows, flanking Dominic’s position while Adrian kept him suppressed.
She moved like a phantom, her boots making no sound on the damp stone floor.
May you like
She rounded the final wine rack, coming up directly behind Dominic. He was so focused on shooting at Adrian that he didn't hear her until the cold steel of her suppressed barrel pressed directly against the back of his neck.
“Drop the weapon, Dominic,” Claire whispered softly into his ear. “Or I put a hole in your spine.”
