Chapter 14 - The Blackout at Midnight
The thunderclap shook the glass panes of the carriage house so violently that Daniel reflexively dropped to one knee. The estate’s perimeter security floodlights flickered once, twice, and then plunged the entire twenty-acre property into complete, suffocating blackness.
The emergency generator did not kick on.
"Arthur," Margaret commanded, her frail demeanor completely gone, replaced by the lethal poise of an operative who had survived a century of shadows. "The breakers have been cut from the junction box at the main gate. It’s an external sabotage. Code Black."
Arthur didn’t hesitate. He dropped the lantern, reached behind his back, and unholstered a customized semi-automatic handgun, chambering a round with a crisp, metallic clack. "I will secure the terrace and the underground tunnel, Madame."
"No," Daniel shouted, stepping between them, his voice echoing off the rafters. "Nobody moves until you explain this! Who is out there, Margaret? If my grandfather is alive, who was Victoria working for?!"
"Victoria was Julian's illegitimate daughter, Daniel," Margaret said flatly, her voice cutting through the howl of the storm. "She was your half-aunt. And her purpose was to hold this family hostage until Julian's private medical trust could strip our accounts clean to fund his underground resurrection."
Before Daniel could even process the horrifying revelation, a high-pitched sonic pop shattered the skylight above them. Glass rained down like diamond shards.
A dark, tactical figure dropped from the ceiling rafters, landing with terrifying precision on the stone floor. A suppressed firearm flashed in the dark—*thwip, thwip!*
Arthur lunged forward, pushing Margaret to the floor as a bullet grazed the stone pillar behind her. The old butler fired back twice, the deafening blasts illuminating the silhouette of a masked mercenary. The intruder collapsed with a heavy thud, but from the darkness of the surrounding woods came the ominous, coordinated clicks of multiple rifle bolts cycling.
"Daniel, the safe room under the wine cellar!" Margaret hissed, pulling a compact silver revolver from the pocket of her coat. Her hands didn't shake. "Move, or the Vance name dies tonight!"
May you like
They bolted through the side exit into the torrential rain. Red laser sights crisscrossed through the sheets of downpour, dancing over the wet grass like venomous spiders. They weren't here to negotiate. They were here to execute an eradication.
---
