Chapter 5 - The Assassin at the GateBefore Dimitri could outline his proposal, the massive iron chandelier above them flickered violently and died.
The amber glow of the desk lamp vanished, plunging the study into deep shadow, illuminated only by the intermittent flashes of lightning slicing across the stormy sea.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the room shifted from tension to lethal peril. Tsar stopped wagging his tail. His head snapped toward the heavy double doors, his lips pulling back to reveal white, razor-sharp fangs as a deep, rumbling growl vibrated from his chest.
"Power outage," Dimitri stated, his hand finally clearing his holster, revealing a suppressed Glock. "Not a storm outage. The grid was tripped."
"Substation hack or physical sabotage," Lara analyzed instantly, moving without hesitation to the corner of the room where shadow offered cover. Her military instincts reasserted themselves with terrifying speed. "They know you're injured. They tracked your blood trail from the hospital or followed your SUV."
"Viktor!" Dimitri shouted toward the intercom on his desk. There was only static.
"Comms are jammed," Lara said, her eyes scanning the room. "An EMP or local signal jammer. We have less than sixty seconds before breach."
As if on cue, the sound of shattered glass echoed from the eastern wing of the mansion. Shouts, followed by the muffled, sickening pop-pop of suppressed automatic gunfire, shattered the silence of the estate.
Dimitri’s men were fighting back, but they were being systematically neutralized.
"Who?" Lara asked sharply, crouching behind a heavy mahogany bookshelf while keeping her eyes fixed on the doors.
"The Moretti syndicate," Dimitri gritted out, blood smearing slightly across his bandages as he chambered a round. "They wanted my territory. They thought killing me at the hospital would look like a random street crime. When I survived, they sent clean-up crews."
"Then we have a tactical problem," Lara said, her voice chillingly calm. She looked at Dimitri, then down at Tsar, who stood protectively in front of her. "Your men are pinned in the corridors. The panic room is down the hall, but the keypad is tied to the electrical grid—which is currently dead."
"Which means we fight our way to the boathouse," Dimitri said, his jaw set. "There's an armored launch waiting."
"No," Lara said, grabbing Dimitri’s arm with a grip that left no room for argument. "The boathouse is their primary choke point. They’ll have snipers zeroed on the dock. If we go out there, we’re fish in a barrel."
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"Then what's your plan, Major?" Dimitri challenged, his eyes flashing with dark amusement even under fire.
"We don't run," Lara said, a dangerous glint appearing in her eyes. "We turn your grand estate into a slaughterhouse, and you and I are going to play doctor."
