Chapter 3 - SHADOWS IN THE MANOR
The flash of muzzle fire illuminated the room as the first syndicate mercenary stepped through the breached doorway.
Andrew didn't give them a chance to set up a field of fire. He fired two heavy shots from the tactical shotgun, the concussive force blasting the lead operative backward into the hallway and forcing the remaining men to dive for cover behind the marble pillars of the corridor.
"Fall back to the study!" Andrew yelled, grabbing Sarah’s hand as they retreated down the side connecting balcony overlooking the library.
Bullets tore through the drywall, shattering expensive porcelain vases and sending wood splinters flying like shrapnel.
Below them, in the main library, Evelyn was being forced into a chair by the bearded commander, her wrists bound with heavy tactical zip-ties. She was weeping hysterically, her expensive dress torn and stained with soot.
"Viktor promised I would inherit the estate!" Evelyn shrieked at the commander. "You were supposed to handle Sarah quietly!"
"Viktor considers you a loose end, Miss Vance," the commander replied coldly, setting a timed incendiary device on the central desk. "In twenty minutes, this entire property will burn to the ground. The police will find a tragic murder-suicide scene. The tragic loss of the Vance family at the hands of a disgruntled, mentally unstable maid."
On the upper balcony, Sarah listened to the commander's cold declaration. Her jaw set in a hard line. She looked at Andrew, gesturing toward the secondary fire escape ladder hidden behind the library's antique tapestry.
"If that incendiary device goes off, the whole east wing burns," Sarah whispered. "The children's safe room is reinforced against impact, but not against prolonged thermal heat."
"I'll draw their fire down the main stairs," Andrew whispered back, checking his remaining ammunition. "You get down to the library, neutralize the device, and secure Evelyn. She has the biometric key to the estate's main gate control on her wrist watch."
"Be careful, Andrew," Sarah said, her voice filled with deep emotion.
Andrew smiled—the first genuine, fierce smile Sarah had seen on his face in three long years. "I have my wife back. Nothing in this world is stopping me."
Andrew broke cover, firing three precise shots toward the corridor pillar, drawing the attention of two operatives. "Over here, you bastards!" he yelled, running toward the open gallery that led down to the main staircase.
The mercenaries took the bait, turning their weapons to pursue Andrew down the east corridor.
Sarah moved like a shadow. Utilizing her intimate knowledge of the home she had designed alongside Andrew years ago, she slipped through the narrow maintenance access panel behind the tapestry, descending silently into the darkness of the library ceiling crawlspace.
Below her, the commander was checking his watch, completely unaware of the threat above.
Sarah dropped from the wooden beam onto the top of a heavy leather sofa, landing with absolute silence. Before the commander could turn his head, she struck him across the temple with the heavy butt of her sidearm. The man collapsed onto the rug without making a sound.
Evelyn gasped, her eyes wide with terror as Sarah stepped into the faint light.
"Sarah! Please!" Evelyn begged, tears streaming down her face. "I was forced into this! Viktor threatened my family! They made me do it!"
Sarah walked up to Evelyn, looking down at her former sister-in-law with pure, icy contempt. "You didn't do it because you were threatened, Evelyn. You did it because you wanted my life. My husband. My children. My home."
Sarah reached down, ripping the biometric smartwatch from Evelyn's wrist with a single, sharp motion.
"Please... don't leave me here to burn!" Evelyn sobbed.
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Sarah looked at the glowing incendiary device on the desk. The timer was counting down: 04:59... 04:58...
Sarah didn't hesitate. She picked up the device, opened the heavy cast-iron fireplace door, and shoved the explosive deep into the reinforced stone hearth, sealing the iron grate shut with a heavy brass poker just as steps echoed from the main doors.
