Chapter 9
The roar of Archer’s customized automatic weapon was deafening in the enclosed, smoke-filled corridor. He fired with lethal, mechanical precision. The first mercenary collapsed backward, his chest armor shattered by the armor-piercing rounds. The second man spun wildly, his assault rifle spraying blindly into the ceiling, bringing down a shower of plaster and crystal before he, too, crumpled to the floor.
The third mercenary panicked. He scrambled backward, trying to retreat through the blown-out doorway, slipping on the polished marble floor.
"Are you leaving so soon?" Archer asked, his deep voice carrying a terrifying, absolute calm over the ringing in their ears.
He fired a single, decisive shot. The mercenary dropped, his body wedged in the ruined doorframe.
The hallway fell into a sudden, eerie silence, broken only by the crackle of localized fires and the distant wail of sirens. Archer did not lower his weapon. He kept his extremely short stubble and sharply defined jawline locked in a mask of lethal focus, his perceptive eyes scanning the smoke for further threats.
"Are you able to walk, Pippa?" Archer asked, looking back over his powerful shoulder at the housemaid clinging to his tailored suit.
"Yes," Pippa whispered, her fair, rosy skin pale beneath a layer of dust. She gritted her teeth against the throbbing pain in her bandaged knees and stepped forward.
"Shall we check on my mother?" Archer asked.
He kicked the remnants of Evelyn’s door open, sweeping the room with his weapon. The suite was dark, the windows shattered by the concussive blast, but it was empty of enemies. Evelyn was huddled behind a heavy oak armoire, her hands covering her ears.
"Mother, are you harmed?" Archer asked, rushing forward and dropping to one knee beside her.
"Archer!" Evelyn cried, throwing her arms around his thick neck. "I am unhurt. Oh, thank God you are safe."
Pippa knelt beside them, her graceful proportions moving carefully. She placed a comforting hand on the elderly woman's back. Evelyn looked at the housemaid, her eyes filling with profound gratitude.
"Did you come through that gunfire for me, child?" Evelyn asked softly.
"Would I ever leave you alone in the dark?" Pippa answered, offering a warm, albeit trembling, smile.
"Is the perimeter secure?" Archer demanded, pressing a finger to his comms earpiece.
"Yes, Boss!" his security chief shouted over the radio. "The Sterling mercenaries are retreating! We have them pinned at the breach! The police are three minutes out. They overplayed their hand."
"Will you ensure none of them escape?" Archer asked coldly.
"We are mopping them up now, sir."
Archer stood up, helping his mother to her feet. The adrenaline was slowly ebbing from his veins, leaving behind a cold, absolute certainty. The Sterling syndicate was finished. They had struck hard, but they had failed to kill the king.
"Will you both follow me to the secure bunker?" Archer asked, his eyes softening as he looked at the two women who now formed the core of his world.
They navigated the ruined corridors, the bright, airy light of the mansion permanently scarred by the night's violence. When they reached the heavy steel doors of the subterranean safe room, Archer sealed them inside. The bunker was brightly lit and heavily fortified.
May you like
Archer set his weapon down on a metal table. He turned to Pippa, his movie-star handsome face covered in dust and sweat, yet radiating an undeniable, magnetic power.
"Are you beginning to regret your new position, Pippa?" Archer asked, stepping closer to her, his dark eyes burning with an intense, unyielding fire.
