Chapter 7 - Breach at Midnight
At 2:00 AM, a heavy rainstorm rolled over the estate, blinding the exterior security cameras with thick sheets of water and low-hanging fog.
Inside Maya’s room on the second floor, the young girl woke up suddenly. Barnaby, sleeping at the foot of her bed, let out a low, barely audible growl, his small ears perking up toward the wide balcony window.
Maya sat up, rubbing her eyes. Through the glass, she saw the faint silhouette of a shadow moving across the upper terrace.
She didn't panic. Her life of silence had made her hyper-aware of her surroundings. She knew the floor vibrations meant someone heavy was walking outside.
Maya quickly slid out of bed, grabbing her stuffed fox and scooping the small puppy into her arms. She slipped silently out of her bedroom door into the dark, long hallway, heading straight for Arthur’s master suite.
Suddenly, the estate’s primary power grid cut out.
The warm hallway lights vanished, plunging the entire mansion into pitch-black darkness. Seconds later, the harsh, red emergency backup lights flickered on, accompanied by the deafening silent flash of security strobes.
Rayner and four heavily armed mercenaries, wearing dark tactical gear and night-vision goggles, moved through the second-floor corridor with suppressed weapons.
"Target is in the east bedroom," Rayner whispered into his comms headset. "Execute clean. No noise."
They kicked the door to Maya’s room open, raising their weapons—only to find an empty bed with tucked-in sheets.
"She’s gone!" one mercenary hissed. "Search the floor!"
Down the hallway, Arthur stood behind a marble pillar, holding a suppressed tactical pistol in both hands. He had pulled on his tactical vest the second the power cut out. Through the dim red light, he saw three mercenaries moving toward Maya’s wing.
Arthur didn't hesitate. He stepped out from behind the pillar and pulled the trigger twice.
The lead mercenary dropped silently to the floor. The second turned his weapon, but Arthur fired two more precise shots, neutralizing him instantly.
Rayner dove behind a heavy leather armchair in the hallway, firing a burst of automatic rounds toward Arthur’s position, shattering the glass artwork on the walls into thousands of pieces.
"Arthur Vance!" Rayner shouted over the ringing silence. "Give us the child and you live! Sterling only wants the girl!"
Arthur’s eyes turned into cold, killer steel. "You'll have to go through me first!"
Behind the grand staircase, Maya hid inside a small service closet, holding her hand tightly over Barnaby’s snout to keep the puppy quiet. Through the thin wooden slats of the closet door, she could see the flashing red lights and the shadowy figures exchange gunfire.
She saw Rayner reloading his weapon, preparing to flank Arthur’s position from behind.
Maya knew Arthur couldn't see Rayner moving around the marble corner. He was walking straight into a trap.
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She couldn't call out. She couldn't yell a warning.
Maya looked down at the emergency fire alarm button installed on the wall inside the service closet. She reached out her tiny hand and pulled the glass breaker lever down with all her strength.
