Chapter 63 - The Betrayal at Midnight
The gunfight inside the mansion was swift, brutal, and terrifying. Ethan and Marcus moved like specters through the dark hallways, taking down the mercenary strike squad one by one with lethal precision.
By 3:00 AM, nine mercenaries lay disarmed and unconscious on the marble floors of the grand foyer.
Only one intruder remained—the team leader, pinned to the wall by Ethan’s hand around his throat.
"Who ordered the drop?" Ethan growled, his jaw set in stone.
The mercenary choked out a bloody laugh. "Look... look behind you, Vance."
Ethan froze. Slowly, we both turned.
Standing at the top of the grand staircase, holding a flash drive connected to our main terminal, was Marcus.
His face was shadowed, his weapon pointed directly at Ethan and me.
"Marcus...?" I whispered, complete disbelief washing over me. "What are you doing?"
"I'm sorry, Victoria," Marcus said, his voice trembling slightly, though his gun hand remained rock steady. "Lord James offered me something Ethan couldn't. He has the medical files on my daughter in Switzerland. He promised her life in exchange for the decrypted master drive."
"Marcus, he's lying to you!" Ethan shouted, stepping in front of me. "James doesn't spare witnesses! If you give him that drive, he kills your daughter anyway!"
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"I have to take the chance, brother," Marcus said quietly. He pressed a button on a remote detonator.
A flashbang grenade exploded in the foyer! Blinded and deafened, Ethan and I stumbled back. By the time the thick white smoke cleared, Marcus, the mercenary, and the decrypted hard drive were gone.
