Chapter 6 - THE HOUND OF RECKONINGPanic erupted like a wildfire through the ballroom. Half the corrupt politicians and judges scrambled for the exits, tripping over their own expensive gowns and designer shoes, while Victor’s personal bodyguards—dozens of them stationed around the perimeter—drew their weapons and swarmed the center aisle.
"Kill him!" Victor shrieked, his voice cracking with rising hysteria, pointing a trembling finger at Marcus. "Kill them all! I want them shredded!"
Seventeen armed men raised their weapons.
They never got the chance to fire.
With a low, rumbling growl that vibrated through the floorboards, Sovereign launched himself forward. The dog didn't aim for limbs; he moved like a localized disaster, slamming into the lead enforcer with enough force to send him crashing through a display table of crystal champagne flutes.
At the same exact moment, Iris moved.
To the untrained eye, she was just a child caught in the crossfire. But as three guards rushed toward her with extended batons, Iris dropped into a low sweep, kicking out with a steel-toed boot that shattered a kneecap with ruthless precision. She pivoted, disarming the second guard with a lightning-fast wrist lock, relieving him of his sidearm, and pistol-whipping him into unconsciousness before he even realized his gun was gone.
Marcus didn't even draw his weapon. He simply walked through the chaos, his eyes fixed entirely on Victor, who was backing away toward the private elevator at the back of the stage.
Guards tried to intercept Marcus, but Sovereign intercepted them first, tearing through Victor’s security detail like a reaper through wheat. Glass shattered, furniture splintered, and the elite mercenaries who had terrorized the city for months were systematically dismantled by a man risen from the dead, a scarred mutt, and a nine-year-old girl.
Ray Delgado, gritting his teeth through the pain of his healing injuries, drew his pistol and lunged around a marble pillar, aiming directly at Marcus’s chest.
"End of the line, old man!" Ray roared.
Before Ray could squeeze the trigger, a small silver object bounced across the floor and landed right at his feet.
Ray looked down. It was a flash-bang grenade with the pin already pulled.
Click.
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A blinding flash of white magnesium light engulfed the pillar, followed instantly by a deafening concussive blast that sent Ray flying backward into a wall of mirrors, knocking him out cold.
Marcus didn't even look back. He kept walking up the stage stairs, step by deliberate step, until he was standing inches away from his terrified cousin.
