Chapter 8 - The Equinox Gathering
The autumn equinox arrived with a suffocating, dense coastal fog that swallowed the Newport coastline whole. By midnight, visibility on the Mercer estate was reduced to barely ten feet, turning the grand oak-lined drive into a labyrinth of shifting shadows.
Inside the main mansion, the lights were deliberately kept low. Dominic sat at the head of the long oak dining table, cleaning the slide of his custom Sig Sauer with methodical, unhurried precision. Across from him, Marcus laid out tactical maps of the estate’s perimeter, marking the thermal sensor grid that now covered every square inch of the property from the eastern cliffs to the private marina.
"The offshore buoys just tripped," Marcus reported, his voice low and steady. "Three high-speed Zodiacs dropped anchor past the reef. Twenty-five to thirty operatives, heavily armed, moving in silence. No local police response—our jammer loop is holding the local precinct frequencies."
Dominic didn't look up from his weapon. "Let them land. They think they’re walking into an isolated country estate to collect a debt. They don't realize they've stepped into a slaughterhouse."
Outside, along the damp gravel path leading to the historic east cottage, the sound of boots crunching on stone broke the silence. The advance team of the Crescent Syndicate—clad in thermal camouflage and carrying suppressed tactical rifles—moved in a disciplined diamond formation. Leading them was a tall, scarred man named Viktor Vance, a ruthless enforcer sent directly from Zurich to avenge Julian’s downfall.
Viktor held up a fist, signaling his men to halt outside the warmly lit windows of the east cottage. Inside, Natalie and Noah were fast asleep, completely unaware of the lethal storm gathering outside.
"Surround the structure," Viktor whispered in a sharp, accented hiss. "Burn the cottage down. If Mercer comes out to play, put a bullet in his skull."
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Three operatives raised their flamethrowers and incendiary charges, stepping toward the wooden porch.
Before their boots could touch the first step, the entire treeline behind them erupted.
