The silence of the penthouse had a physical weight to it, pressing against my eardrums like the pressure drop before a storm. I stood frozen in the center of the dark hallway, Michael Reed’s voice lingering in the air like a ghost. “You want me to locate her?”

Before Viktor could drop to his knees, a sharp, piercing beep echoed from the hallway.

It wasn't my transmitter. It was the security console mounted near the kitchen entrance. A high-priority red alert flashed across the screen: Perimeter Breach. Multiple Unidentified Units Approaching via North Access.

Viktor’s head snapped toward the screen, a sudden, desperate smirk returning to his lips. “That’s not the Feds, Daniel. That’s Evelyn. And she didn't come to negotiate.”

“Move!” I shouted, grabbing Elizabeth by the arm and dragging her toward the heavy oak door leading to the lower-level storm shelter.

“Drop them!” one of Viktor’s mercenaries yelled, recovering his weapon as chaos erupted once again.

Gunfire shattered the front windows, a hail of lead chewing through the glass and wood paneling. Wood splinters exploded into the air. I shoved Elizabeth down behind the heavy concrete breakfast island just as a bullet buried itself into the wall inches above her head.

“Michael!” I roared into the collar of my tactical jacket, activating my short-wave radio. “We’ve got a second wave! Front and back!”

“I see them, Boss!” Michael’s voice crackled back over the static, punctuated by the heavy, rhythmic thud of his suppressed rifle from the tree line outside. “I’m cutting off their retreat!”

Inside the room, Viktor lunged for his dropped rifle, but Elizabeth reacted faster than either of us expected. With a sharp, practiced movement, she kicked a heavy iron fireplace poker across the floor. It caught Viktor behind the ankles, sending him crashing hard onto the hardwood.

I didn't hesitate. I vaulted over the counter, closed the distance, and brought the butt of my Sig Sauer down hard across Viktor’s temple. He groaned once, his eyes rolling back, before he collapsed unconscious onto the rug.

“Daniel!” Elizabeth screamed, pointing toward the sliding glass doors.

Two of Viktor’s guards were charging through the broken patio doors, their rifles raised. I whipped around, squeezing the trigger twice. The first guard dropped instantly; the second scrambled back into the blinding snow and rain outside, swearing loudly.

“Are you hit?” I asked, grabbing Elizabeth by the shoulders and pulling her up, scanning her body frantically for any sign of injury.