Chapter 27 - The Siege of the Estate
The jet touched down on our private estate runway with a screech of burning rubber before it had even fully decelerated. Before the landing gear had locked, I blew the emergency cabin hatch open, dropping straight onto the tarmac with my carbine raised.
My father landed right beside me, moving with terrifying speed for a man his age.
The estate looked like a war zone. The grand iron gates were twisted metal wreckage, the manicured gardens cratered by explosive charges, and the eastern wing of the mansion was scarred with black burn marks from incoming rocket-propelled grenades.
"Move!" I barked, sprinting toward the mansion with my tactical team flanking my sides.
We breached the shattered front entrance through the grand foyer. Glass, splintered wood, and spent brass casings littered the marble floor where Arthur Sterling’s mercenaries had tried to force entry months ago. But this wasn't Arthur’s work—the tactical footprint was heavier, cleaner, deadlier. Zurich black-ops.
We bypassed the upper levels, heading straight down the reinforced concrete stairwell leading to the underground security annex and safe room.
As we reached the reinforced vault door, we found three Zurich mercenaries lying motionless on the floor, neutralized by close-quarters combat.
And leaning against the bullet-scarred wall, bleeding heavily from a shrapnel wound to his shoulder, was Bruno.
"Bruno!" I yelled, dropping to my knees beside him.
Bruno coughed, spitting a streak of blood onto the floor, but managed a weak, grim smile. "Boss... you're back."
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"Where are the children?" I demanded, pressing my hand against his shoulder to stem the bleeding.
"Safe room... inside," Bruno whispered, gripping my wrist with surprising strength. "They tried to use thermal charges on the vault door, but the manual override... Sophie locked it from the inside using her biometric signature. She saved them, Adrien."
