Chapter 17 - Blood on the Cliffside
Chaos erupted in a heartbeat.
Leandro vaulted over the mahogany desk, drawing his weapon and neutralizing the lead mercenary with a clean shot to the chest before the man could raise his rifle. Daphne and Estelle moved in tandem, taking cover behind the thick stone pillars as return fire shattered the antique bookshelves and sent porcelain and glass raining down.
“They tracked us here!” Daphne yelled over the deafening roar of automatic gunfire, returning fire with lethal precision.
Maribel didn’t run. She stood calmly near the edge of the blazing fireplace, watching the firefight with detached fascination.
A rogue mercenary broke through the crossfire, charging directly toward Maribel with a tactical knife raised high.
“Mother!” Leandro shouted, abandoning his cover.
With a burst of speed, Leandro crossed the open floor, tackling the mercenary hard against the glass window. The glass shattered under their combined weight, sending a cascade of sharp shards tumbling down into the churning, black ocean far below. Leandro wrestled the blade away, driving it deep into the attacker’s chest before throwing the limp body over the ledge.
He turned back inside, panting heavily, his clothes stained with soot and rain.
The remaining mercenaries were cut down by Daphne and Estelle’s calculated assault, leaving the study silent save for the crackling of the fire and the howling wind outside.
Estelle lowered her smoking weapon, walking over to check the perimeter. “Area secure. There are no more coming.”
Leandro walked slowly back toward the center of the room. He stopped a few feet from Maribel, who was calmly brushing a speck of ash off her sleeve, completely unfazed by the near-death experience.
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“You almost got yourself killed,” Leandro said, his voice laced with suppressed frustration.
“In our world, boy, you’re either hunting or you’re prey,” Maribel replied, looking him dead in the eye. “And you proved tonight that you are the apex predator.”
