Chapter 6 - The Breach
The sun set, plunging the estate into shadows. At 8:14 PM, the lights in the main house flickered, then died completely. The emergency backup generators didn't kick in; Mrs. Gable had done her job. Sophia stood in the dark of the office, her heart hammering against her ribs. Declan peeked through a sliver of the heavy curtains. “Three SUVs,” he murmured. “Cutting the headlights. Coming up the gravel.” “How did they get past the front gate?” “Gable must have poisoned the dogs and slipped something into the gate guards' coffee.” The sheer betrayal of it made Sophia sick.
Downstairs, the sound of glass shattering echoed through the cavernous halls. The O’Connors were inside. “Finn is stationed in the east wing with five men,” Declan said quietly, checking the chamber of his handgun. “Marcus is in the trees with a sniper rifle. The trap is sprung.” A burst of automatic gunfire erupted from the floor below. The sound was deafening, followed by screams and shouts. Declan didn’t blink. He moved to the heavy oak door of the secured wing, inputting a code that slammed heavy steel deadbolts into place. “They’ll come up here. They know I’m hurt. They know this is where I’d be.”
Footsteps pounded on the grand staircase. “Check the master suite!” a rough voice yelled. “It’s locked!” “Blow the hinges!” Sophia backed away from the door, her hands clutched into fists. Boom. The oak door shook violently, but the steel deadbolts held. “Again!” Boom. The wood splintered. Declan pushed Sophia behind the heavy mahogany desk. “Stay down.” He took a position behind a marble pillar, raising his rifle. Boom. The door gave way, crashing inward. Three men poured into the corridor, assault rifles raised. Declan fired, brutally efficient. Three shots, and three men hit the floor before they could even pull their triggers.
But more were coming. The hallway filled with smoke and the smell of cordite. Gunfire shredded the wallpaper and shattered the antique vases Sophia used to dust. Suddenly, a figure darted low, rolling past the doorway and into the room. He raised a shotgun, aiming directly at Declan’s blind side. Sophia didn’t think; she acted on pure instinct. She grabbed the heavy bronze paperweight off the desk and hurled it with all her might. It struck the gunman squarely in the side of the head. He staggered, his shot blasting a hole in the ceiling, giving Declan the second he needed to pivot and drop the man instantly. He looked back at Sophia, chest heaving. “I told you to stay down!” “You’re welcome!” she yelled back over the ringing in her ears.
May you like
The gunfire downstairs began to taper off as Finn’s men pushed back. Suddenly, a voice rang out from the hallway. “Declan! Hold your fire! We have her!” Declan gestured for Sophia to stay hidden and slowly peered around the pillar. In the ruined hallway stood Liam O’Connor, the head of the rival family. In front of him, serving as a human shield, was Mrs. Gable. Liam had a gun pressed to her temple. “Your housekeeper was very helpful, Walsh,” Liam sneered. “But she’s outlived her usefulness. Surrender the territory, or I blow her brains out right here.” Mrs. Gable was weeping in terror. “Mr. Walsh! Please!”
Sophia expected Declan to negotiate, but his face turned completely devoid of emotion. “Liam,” Declan called out. “She let you into my house. She betrayed my staff. Why would I pay you to save her?” Mrs. Gable’s eyes widened in sheer horror, and Liam hesitated, thrown off balance by the coldness. It was a fatal mistake. From the window across the hallway, a single sniper shot rang out. Marcus’s bullet shattered the glass and caught Liam O’Connor perfectly in the shoulder, spinning him violently away. Declan stepped out and fired twice. Liam hit the floor, dead. Mrs. Gable collapsed to her knees, shrieking in terror, as the house fell completely, terrifyingly silent.
