Chapter 9 - The Siege of BlackwoodBefore Lucas could pull the trigger, the heavy double doors of the mansion burst open behind him.
Harold sprinted out onto the grass, an assault rifle raised, flanked by six elite enforcers. "Boss! We're surrounded! Sniper teams on the perimeter walls!"
"Hold your fire, Harold!" Lucas commanded, never breaking eye contact with Elena.
Elena smirked, stepping backward into the shadows of the garden. "You have ten seconds to surrender the estate, Lucas. Give me the books, the routes, and the leadership, and I might let your little housekeeper and her daughter walk out of here alive."
"You want a war, Elena?" Lucas’s voice dropped to a terrifying, deadly register. "You just bought one."
He suddenly lunged to the side, rolling across the wet grass as a sniper bullet shattered the marble fountain behind him. Chaos erupted. Muzzle flashes lit up the dark estate grounds as Blackwood's elite guard returned fire, suppressing the treeline.
"Harold! Secure the west wing!" Lucas shouted over the roar of gunfire, sprinting toward the mansion's side entrance. "Get Clara and Emma into the subterranean panic room!"
"On it, Boss!"
Lucas burst through the kitchen doors, his lungs burning. The house was dark, emergency red lights flashing along the hallways as the electronic security grid locked down. He dashed up the grand staircase toward the guest suites, his heart hammering against his ribs—not from fear for himself, but for the pale blue-gray eyes of an eight-year-old girl who had unknowingly walked into a warzone.
As he reached the landing of the second floor, a masked intruder stepped out from the shadows of the hallway, raising a suppressed submachine gun right toward Emma’s bedroom door.
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Lucas didn't hesitate. He raised his Glock and fired two rounds straight through the intruder's chest. The man collapsed instantly, sliding down the wallpaper leaving a dark crimson streak.
Lucas kicked open Emma's bedroom door.
