Chapter 7 - Breach at the Gates“Perimeter breach. Sector Four. Western cliffside trail.”
The automated security voice echoed through the mansion's intercom system just as the lights flickered and died a second time.
Ethan’s tactical instincts kicked in instantly. He grabbed Rosa by the arm, pulling her out of the hallway and pushing her toward the nursery door.
"Get inside. Lock the door. Do not open it for anyone unless you hear my voice," Ethan commanded, his eyes flashing with lethal intent.
"Ethan, what's happening?" Rosa panicked, clutching the warm milk as it nearly spilled onto the floor.
"Thorne didn't wait for morning," Ethan said, pulling a heavy-duty encrypted satellite pistol from his shoulder holster under his suit jacket. "He sent a clean-up crew."
Ethan sprinted down the grand staircase toward the security control center on the ground floor. Marcus Hale was already there, illuminated by the red glow of emergency monitors, hammering commands into a master terminal.
"Status!" Ethan demanded, stepping into the command hub.
"They bypassed the primary gate using a military-grade EMP generator," Marcus reported, sweat beading on his forehead. "Six operatives, heavily armed, approaching from the western ridge trail. They’re not local thugs, Ethan. These are private contractors—former black-ops."
"They aren't here to negotiate," Ethan said coldly, watching the thermal imaging feeds on the monitors as six glowing white figures crept past the estate's perimeter gardens. "They’re here to eliminate any living witness to the hospital cover-up. They want Sofia, and they want Rosa."
"We need to evacuate the house immediately," Marcus urged, reaching for the emergency transport console. "The chopper can—"
"No," Ethan interrupted, his voice dropping into a register of absolute, terrifying calm. "The moment we take off in a chopper, we’re sitting ducks in the open sky. This is my house, Marcus. They brought a war to my doorstep. We’re going to finish it here."
Ethan strode over to the armory locker embedded in the back wall, punching in a twelve-digit biometric code. The heavy steel doors slid open, revealing an array of high-grade tactical gear, rifles, and suppression equipment.
"Lock down the third floor," Ethan ordered, sliding a tactical vest over his dress shirt and locking a magazine into a suppressed carbine. "Keep Rosa and my daughter in the panic room behind the nursery."
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"And you?" Marcus asked, watching his boss strap a combat knife to his thigh.
"I’m going to go welcome our guests."
