Chapter 34
by sunrise, the estate was a fortress of silent tension. ryan had smuggled the girls into an underground safe room beneath the wine cellar, a place only he had the biometrics to access. upstairs, ryan called a sudden, mandatory meeting of all his lieutenants in the grand dining room. victor sat at the right side of the table, sipping espresso, completely unaware that his death warrant had already been signed. ryan walked in, tossing a heavy leather folder onto the center of the table. "we have a rat," ryan announced, his deep voice echoing off the vaulted ceilings. the room went dead silent. "someone in this room has been working with the russians. someone who thought they could use my own blood against me." victor's smile faltered for a fraction of a second, but it was all ryan needed to see. ryan pulled the small, dusty child's blanket from his pocket and dropped it next to the folder. victor's face drained of color as ryan drew his weapon. but before ryan could pull the trigger, the estate's massive front doors blew open with a deafening explosion.
chapter 6 the shockwave shattered the dining room windows, sending shards of glass raining over the long oak table. ryan dove for cover, firing two blind shots toward the hallway as heavily armed mercenaries flooded into the mansion. victor didn't run; he pulled a submachine gun from under the table, revealing he had been prepared for a coup all along. "you're getting soft, ryan!" victor yelled over the deafening gunfire. "you should have never gone looking in the walls!" ryan overturned the heavy table, using it as a barricade while his loyal men engaged in a brutal firefight with the invaders. his only thought was the safe room. if victor's men reached the wine cellar, lily and mia would be trapped. ryan reloaded his pistol, his eyes burning with a lethal focus. he sprinted out of the dining room, taking down two mercenaries in the hallway with ruthless precision. but as he reached the top of the cellar stairs, he froze. standing there, holding a thermal detonator, was the estate's sweet, elderly housekeeper, mrs. carmichael.
