Chapter 13
The transition from the secure residential wing back into the chaotic fray of the main house was jarring. Callum navigated the smoke-filled corridors, descending the grand staircase. The bright, cinematic lighting of the atrium was completely extinguished, leaving only the tactical strobes.
His elite operators were fortified behind overturned marble tables and heavy velvet sofas, exchanging heavy fire with the Ward mercenaries pinned down near the shattered glass of the front entrance.
Callum did not join the defensive line. He bypassed the main hall, slipping through the servant’s corridors toward the subterranean armory.
He emerged minutes later on the western flank of the estate, stepping out into the freezing night air. He had bypassed the primary firefight entirely, moving silently through the manicured gardens like a hunting panther.
The Ward mercenaries had parked a heavily armored transport vehicle across the main gates, using it as an impenetrable shield while they rained suppressing fire on the mansion. They were confident in their tactical advantage, entirely unaware that the most dangerous man in the city was flanking them in the dark.
Callum reached the edge of the security floodlights. He withdrew a specialized, high-yield explosive charge from his tactical harness.
"Did you believe you could park on my driveway without paying the toll?" Callum whispered to the night.
He armed the charge and threw it with perfect, athletic precision. The device sailed through the freezing air, landing directly beneath the fuel tank of the armored transport.
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Callum turned his back on the vehicle and began walking calmly toward the mansion.
The explosion was catastrophic. The armored transport erupted in a blinding, deafening ball of fire, lifting entirely off its wheels before crashing down in a twisted heap of burning metal. The concussive shockwave shattered the remaining glass in the western wing and threw the Ward mercenaries violently to the ground.
