Chapter 9
"Stay close to me," Matthias ordered, his deep voice slicing through the blaring noise.
He didn't wait for an answer. He reached out, his warm, tattooed fingers wrapping securely around Ada's wrist, and pulled her out of the dining room, ensuring Theo was tucked safely between them. They stepped out into the chaotic, flashing hallway.
The bright, luminous colors of the mansion were gone, replaced by the chaotic strobe of red emergency lights and the deafening, rhythmic staccato of heavy gunfire echoing from the eastern wing. The smell of cordite and burning pine filled the air.
Matthias moved with absolute, predatory grace. He kept Ada and Theo tucked safely behind his broad shoulders, his weapon raised, his observant eyes sweeping every cream marble column and gilded wall panel for threats. They navigated the corridors, the sound of combat growing louder with every step.
As they reached the heavy oak doors separating the main house from the family wing, a massive explosion rocked the foundation of the estate.
The shockwave threw them against the carved walnut furniture lining the hall. Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling. The heavy oak doors were blown entirely off their hinges in a blinding flash of orange fire.
"Are you injured?" Matthias shouted over the ringing in their ears, pulling Ada back to her feet and shielding Theo with his body.
"We're okay!" Ada gasped, coughing through the thick smoke, her hands gripping Theo tightly.
Through the ruined doorway, the bright tactical lights of three heavily armed mercenaries pierced the darkness. They were moving aggressively down the corridor, aiming their assault rifles directly at the private residential wing.
"Did you forget whose house you entered?" Matthias asked the empty air.
He stepped out from cover, pulling Ada and Theo tightly against the wall. The roar of his weapon was deafening in the enclosed space. The first mercenary collapsed backward, his chest armor shattered by the armor-piercing rounds. The second man spun wildly, his weapon firing blindly into the ceiling before he hit the marble floor.
The third assassin panicked, scrambling toward the heavy mahogany doors to escape the absolute slaughter.
"Are you running so soon?" Matthias asked, rising to his full height.
He aimed and fired a single, decisive shot. The third man crumpled in the doorway, his body wedging the heavy doors open.
The hallway fell into a terrifying, ringing silence. The warm golden light flickered as a damaged sconce swayed precariously above.
Matthias did not lower his weapon. He kept his very short stubble and sharply defined jawline locked in a mask of lethal focus, his eyes scanning the corridor outside for further threats.
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"Is everyone unharmed?" Matthias asked quietly, pulling Ada and his son securely against his chest.
Before Ada could answer, the frantic, panicked shouting of a secondary strike team echoed down the hallway, followed immediately by the sound of more glass shattering. The Shaw syndicate hadn't just sent three men; the breach was massive.
