Chapter 7 - The Breaching of the North WingEthan raced up the grand staircase three steps at a time, his heart hammering against his ribs. The realization hit him with sickening clarity: Richard Sterling wasn't acting alone, and he hadn't needed to make a phone call from prison. The trap had been set months ago, waiting for the exact moment Ethan reunited with his family.
Bang!
A heavy explosion echoed from the upper hallway, blowing the ornate wooden double doors of the north wing off their hinges. Smoke and splintered mahogany filled the corridor.
Ethan dropped to one knee around the corner, raising his pistol just as two masked operatives emerged from the smoke, weapons raised.
Pop-pop.
Ethan’s shots were fast and accurate, striking the lead operative in the shoulder and sending him crashing to the floor. The second operative spun around, returning fire with a burst of submachine gun rounds that chewed into the plaster wall inches from Ethan’s head.
Ethan lunged forward, tackling the second intruder to the carpet, driving his elbow into the man's mask until he went limp.
Panting heavily, Ethan scrambled to his feet and rushed toward the nursery door.
The reinforced steel shutter was dented inward, but held.
"Claire!" Ethan shouted, slamming his fist against the metal. "Claire, open up! It's me!"
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The heavy steel mechanism clicked, and the door slid open an inch. Claire’s pale, tear-stained face appeared through the gap, holding a heavy iron fireplace poker like a weapon.
"Ethan..." she gasped, dropping the poker as she saw him standing unharmed in the smoky hallway.
