Chapter 19 - The Clash in the Dark
The pitch-black room erupted into chaos.
"Kill them!" Sterling roared in the dark, his voice filled with frantic panic.
Gunfire flashed, illuminating the room in brief, terrifying strobes of light. But Julian was already moving. Guided by the sound of footsteps and Anaëlle’s clear voice directing him, Julian disarmed the first guard, using the man’s own body as a shield against incoming bullets.
"Anaëlle! Get your mother behind the piano frame!" Julian shouted over the deafening noise.
Anaëlle grabbed her mother’s hand, pulling her down behind the thick, solid mahogany casing of the grand piano as bullets ripped through the air above them.
Julian moved through the dark like a predator born from shadows. He neutralized the second guard with a devastating elbow strike, grabbed the man's assault rifle, and fired a burst toward the door, taking down the remaining enforcers.
"The drive!" Sterling screamed, scrambling across the floor toward the open compartment of the piano.
Evelyn reached out in the dark, grabbing a heavy brass piano pedal that had snapped off during the acoustic blast, and swung it into the gloom.
THUD!
Sterling let out a agonized yell as the heavy brass caught him across the jaw, sending him crashing onto the marble floor.
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Julian flipped on his tactical flashlight, illuminating the room. Sterling lay dazed on the ground, blood streaming from his lip, surrounded by his fallen guards.
Julian stood over him, his pistol pointed directly between Sterling’s eyes.
