Chapter 5 - The Price of BloodThe grip around my throat cut off my oxygen, black spots dancing at the edge of my vision. Across the hallway, my mother fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably as a second masked figure stepped out of the shadows with a knife pressed to her cheek.
"We checked the storage unit," the man holding me whispered, his breath hot and foul. "The old man is playing games. Where is the ledger, Julian? Where did he hide the flash drive?"
"I don't... know..." I choked out, my fingers clawing uselessly at the forearm crushing my windpipe.
Suddenly, the front window of the living room exploded inward in a cascade of shattering glass.
A deafening flash-bang grenade rolled across the hardwood floor, detonating with a blinding white light and a concussive shockwave that sent the man holding me crashing backward onto the rug.
"CLEAR!" Agent Miller's voice boomed through the smoke as she vaulted through the broken window, her tactical rifle already tracking targets.
Before the mercenaries could recover their bearings, a second figure stepped through the shattered frame. My father.
Two silent, muffled pops echoed through the house. The mercenary holding the knife near my mother dropped his weapon and crumpled to the floor, neutralized instantly.
The man who had held me scrambled for his fallen pistol, but I didn't hesitate. Adrenaline fueled by hours of pure terror surged through my veins. I lunged forward, tackling him into the oak bookshelf, sending heavy volumes crashing down around us before driving my fist into his jaw until his eyes rolled back and he went limp.
"Julian!"
My mother scrambled across the floor, throwing her arms around me as I gasped for breath, coughing in the acrid smoke of the flash-bang.
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"Where are Celeste and the kids?" I demanded, pushing myself up from the floor.
"The basement," my mother choked out, pointing a trembling finger toward the cellar door. "There's... there's someone else down there with them. Someone who gave the order."
