Chapter 6 - BLOOD IN THE MARBLE"Lock down the estate!" Adrien roared, his cold detachment instantly vanishing, replaced by the lethal predator who had carved an empire out of blood and concrete.
He didn't look like a wealthy aristocrat anymore; he looked like a general stepping onto the killing fields. He drew a custom-weighted Sig Sauer P226 from his shoulder holster, checking the chamber with a crisp, mechanical click.
"Marcus, take the east wing. Clear the lower corridors. Leo, stay in the panic room behind the library with the girl."
"I'm not hiding," Claire said, her voice shaking slightly, but her grip on the Remington shotgun she had refused to leave behind was rock-solid. "Moretti burned my home. I’m not sitting in a box while you fight my war."
Adrien looked at her—really looked at her—for a long, searing second. Instead of arguing, he nodded once.
"Stay behind me. If you shoot, don't miss."
The heavy oak doors of the command center exploded inward in a shower of splinters and white-hot shrapnel.
Two of Moretti’s enforcers came through the smoke, weapons raised, shouting in Italian. They didn't even get their barrels leveled.
Adrien moved with terrifying, unnatural speed. Two sharp cracks echoed through the room. The first man took a round straight through the center of his tactical vest, collapsing instantly. The second man swung his submachine gun toward Adrien, but before he could pull the trigger, a hundred and sixty pounds of furious black muscle launched from the floor.
Titan hit the second enforcer like a freight train.
The impact shattered the man’s collarbone against the stone wall, sending his weapon clattering across the polished marble. Titan didn't hesitate—his jaws locked onto the man’s tactical sleeve, pinning him to the floor with a bone-chilling growl that vibrated through the entire room.
"Clear!" Marcus shouted, storming back into the room with two syndicate guards behind him. "Boss, they’ve breached the main foyer. There's at least a dozen of them, heavily armed. They're looking for the girl and the dog."
Adrien reloaded his pistol with practiced fluidity, his eyes dark as midnight. "They aren't looking for them. They're looking for a body count."
He turned to Claire, his hand reaching out to grab her elbow, pulling her close behind his shoulder as the distant sound of automatic gunfire echoed up the grand staircase.
"Stick close," Adrien whispered, his breath warm against her ear. "If we die here today, I’m billing Moretti for the bullet."
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Despite the terror clawing at her throat, a faint, breathless laugh escaped Claire’s lips. "You really are a monster, Cole."
"At your service," he replied grimly, pushing open the smoke-filled door into the burning hallway.
