Chapter 12 - Blood and Steel at the Courtyard Gates
The courtyard outside the main manor was illuminated by the harsh white beams of emergency floodlights cutting through the driving rain.
The crack of automatic gunfire shattered the quiet night air, echoing off the stone walls like rolling thunder.
Black-clad operatives from Moretti’s syndicate swarmed the grand iron fountain, pressing forward with ruthless coordination.
DeMarco security guards returned fire from behind reinforced stone planters and armored vehicle flanks.
Sparks flew wildly as bullets ricocheted off the ancient marble statues and shattered antique lanterns.
Ryan moved through the crossfire like a ghost, his tactical rifle spitting fire with disciplined accuracy.
Every shot he fired found its mark, neutralizing the vanguard soldiers before they could breach the heavy oak doors.
Beside him, seasoned enforcers held the line, their boots slipping in a mixture of rainwater and crimson mud.
“They’re bringing up a breaching charge for the north entrance!” one of the guards shouted over the din of battle.
Ryan spun on his heel, his eyes locking onto the heavy oak doors where two operatives were slapping magnetic explosives against the wood.
Without hesitation, Ryan dropped to one knee, steadying his breath against the howling wind.
He squeezed the trigger twice, the suppressed rounds snapping through the rain with lethal precision.
Both operatives crumpled into the mud before the detonator could be pressed.
Yet, even as the immediate threat fell, the massive wrought-iron estate gates gave way with a deafening groan of tortured metal.
A heavily armored personnel carrier plowed through the shattered gates, crushing the stone pillars to dust.
Moretti’s private enforcers poured through the gap like a swarm of angry hornets, outnumbering the remaining estate guards two to one.
Inside the secondary monitoring room, Natalie watched the chaos unfold across a dozen split-screen monitors.
Her fingers danced across the console keyboard, rerouting emergency power to seal the interior steel shutters.
Every screen flashed red as Moretti’s men systematically cut through the outer defensive lines.
She could see the brutal reality of the world she had accidentally stumbled into—a world built on blood, vengeance, and broken contracts.
Suddenly, the monitor displaying the private library flickered and went entirely black.
Natalie’s breath caught in her throat.
May you like
Victor was still alone in that room.
Without a second thought, Natalie turned away from the console, gripped the tactical blade Ryan had given her, and sprinted down the corridor.
