Chapter 6 - The Breach at the Manor
The confrontation at the gala had forced Dmitri Sokolov into a corner. Knowing that Marcus was yielding intel to Damien, Dmitri launched a desperate, full-scale assault on the Cavanaugh estate two nights later.
It was 2:00 AM when the explosion rocked the north perimeter wall.
The sound shattered the peaceful quiet of the estate, sending glass raining down into the central courtyard. Emergency red lights instantly illuminated the hallways as sirens wailed through the house.
Evelyn burst out of her bedroom, dressed in black tactical pants and a tight compression shirt that showcased her powerful physique. In her hands, she held a heavy combat shotgun provided by Viktor.
Damien met her in the hallway, drawing his dual Sig Sauer pistols. "They brought heavy artillery. They blew the north gate with C4. Viktor is holding the main foyer, but they're pushing through the west wing."
"Where are the boys?" Evelyn demanded, her heart pounding.
"They're in the panic room behind my office," Damien said. "The door is reinforced titanium, but if they bring thermite charges, it won't hold forever."
"I'll secure the panic room," Evelyn said instantly. "You take Viktor and flank them from the east terrace."
Damien grabbed her face with both hands, pulling her into a hard, fierce kiss that tasted of iron and gunpowder. "Stay alive, Evelyn. That's an order."
"I don't take orders from employers," she replied with a wicked grin, racking the slide of her shotgun. "I take them from partners."
She sprinted down the long hallway toward the west wing. Gunfire echoed through the estate—the sharp tat-tat-tat of automatic rifles answered by the heavy thrum of Viktor’s security detail.
As she reached the entrance to the study corridor, three mercenaries in full tactical body armor turned the corner. Seeing the large woman standing in the red emergency light, they raised their weapons.
Evelyn didn't hesitate. She fired the shotgun.
The heavy 12-gauge slug hit the lead mercenary square in the chest plate. The kinetic impact hit him like a freight train, lifting his two-hundred-pound frame off his feet and throwing him backward into his teammate.
Before the third man could aim, Evelyn sprinted forward. She slammed her heavy shoulder into his chest, pinning him against the wall, and swung the stock of the shotgun upward, smashing it across his helmet visor. The plastic shattered, and the man dropped like a sack of stones.
She racked the shotgun, sending a spent shell clattering across the marble floor.
"Panic room cleared," she reported into her comms. "I'm setting up a defensive perimeter at the study door."
“Hold that position!” Viktor’s voice barked through the earpiece. “Dmitri is inside the house! I repeat, Dmitri Sokolov is in the building!”
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed. She turned toward the dark end of the study corridor.
Out of the shadows stepped Dmitri Sokolov himself, holding an silenced submachine gun. His tactical vest was stained with soot, and his eyes were manic, driven by the realization that his empire was crumbling around him.
"Miss Pearce," Dmitri sneered, bringing the weapon up. "It seems your foundation is about to be tested."
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"You came to the wrong house, Dmitri," Evelyn said, bringing her shotgun up to meet his sightline.
"I came for Cavanaugh's blood," Dmitri spat. "And starting with you will make his death so much sweeter."
