Chapter 16
A flashbang grenade bounced across the concrete floor, hissing violently.
"Cover your eyes!" Ryan screamed, throwing his body over Emily and the two girls, pinning them against the cold foundation stones.
The world vanished into a white-hot detonation of sound and blinding light. Ryan’s ears rang with a high-pitched scream, his vision swimming in violent red afterimages. Through the ringing haze, he saw two tactical operators in black body armor advancing through the smoke, their laser sights cutting through the dark like red needles.
Operating on pure instinct and muscle memory, Ryan rolled onto his back, raised his pistol, and fired three controlled double-taps. The first gunman dropped instantly, his rifle clattering against the concrete. The second operative scrambled behind a brick pillar, returning fire in short, disciplined bursts that kicked up lethal clouds of concrete chips around Ryan’s head.
"Sarah, Lily, crawl to Emily!" Ryan yelled over the roar of gunfire.
He didn't wait for the operative to reload. Ryan lunged forward, closing the distance in three explosive strides, kicking the fallen guard's tactical shotgun across the floor toward Emily while slamming his shoulder into the surviving operative behind the pillar.
The two men crashed into an antique wine rack, hundreds of vintage glass bottles shattering around them in a cascade of dark red liquid that smelled like old vinegar and blood. The operative went for his combat knife, but Ryan seized the man's tactical helmet, wrenching it sideways with brutal force until the ceramic neck brace snapped with a sickening pop.
The man went limp.
Ryan scrambled up, his hands covered in wine and blood, snatching the dead soldier’s submachine gun and extra magazines.
"Emily, take the shotgun," Ryan ordered, his voice raw. He tossed the weapon to her; she caught it with trembling hands, cocking the pump with a loud, mechanical clack that proved she was the daughter of a soldier.
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"Where now?" she asked, her voice steady despite the madness around them.
Ryan pointed toward a low, rusted iron hatch buried beneath an old wooden coal chute. "Into the dark. Marcus just cut the estate's main power grid. The automated backup generators will kick on in sixty seconds. When they do, every security shutter in the house will seal shut permanently. We have less than a minute to cross the threshold."
