Chapter 10
"Shall we go get my son?" Adrian asked, his deep voice slicing through the blaring noise of the security sirens.
He didn't wait for an answer. He grabbed her hand, his warm, tattooed fingers wrapping securely around her delicate wrist, and pulled her out of the study into the chaotic, flashing hallway.
The bright, luminous colors of the mansion were gone, replaced by the chaotic strobe of emergency lights and the deafening, rhythmic staccato of heavy gunfire echoing from the eastern wing. The smell of cordite and burning wood filled the air.
Adrian moved with absolute, predatory grace. He kept Holly tucked safely behind his broad shoulders, his weapon raised, his observant eyes sweeping every corner and gilded wall panel for threats. They navigated the marble 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 both 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?" Adrian shouted over the ringing in their ears, pulling Holly back to her feet.
"I'm okay!" Holly gasped, coughing through the thick smoke, her hands gripping the fabric of her black maid dress.
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 where Owen and Teddy slept.
"Did you forget whose house you entered?" Adrian asked the empty air.
He stepped out from cover, pulling Holly tightly against his side. 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 cascading crystal chandeliers 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?" Adrian 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 chandelier swayed precariously above. The smell of cordite and shattered evergreens filled the air.
Adrian 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.
"Is everyone unharmed?" Adrian asked quietly, pulling Holly securely against his chest.
Before Holly could answer, the frantic, panicked barking of a small spaniel echoed down the hallway, followed immediately by the sound of more glass shattering. The Wren syndicate hadn't just sent three men; the breach was wider than they anticipated.
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"Adrian, they're in Owen's room!" Holly screamed, tearing away from his grip and sprinting blindly down the dust-filled corridor toward the nursery.
"Holly, stop!" Adrian roared, launching himself after her as the tactical laser sights of a secondary strike team cut through the smoke, painting the walls in deadly crimson, the true battle for his family's survival erupting in the shadows.
