Chapter 4 - THE SIEGE OF THE WEST WING"They're inside," Ethan said, his jaw tightening into a hard line of absolute fury. He clicked the slide of his Glock, checking the magazine. "Victor must have sent an automated beacon right before we took him down. A tactical strike team is sweeping the grounds."
"Not a strike team," Maggie corrected, peering through the broken window into the foggy courtyard below. She pointed toward the heavy black SUVs idling near the fountain. "That’s a clean-up crew. They aren't here to capture the mansion. They’re here to blow it off the map and leave no witnesses."
"Then we make a stand in the armory," Ethan said, moving toward the hidden corridor behind the dining room.
"No," Maggie shook her head firmly. "The armory is their primary objective. They know every blueprint of this house. If we go down there, we’re walking straight into a kill box."
"Then what do you suggest, super-spy?" Ethan muttered, a sarcastic edge creeping into his voice despite the dire situation. "We sit here and wait to be blown up?"
"We split up," Maggie said calmly, pulling two tactical combat knives from Victor’s fallen tactical vest and sliding them into her belt. "You take the back service stairs down to the underground escape tunnel. Get to the safehouse in Newark and activate the contingency protocol."
"And you?" Ethan demanded, his voice unexpectedly sharp. "What are you going to do?"
"I’m going to go shopping," Maggie said, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes.
Before Ethan could argue, a massive explosion rocked the front entrance of the mansion. The heavy oak double doors blew inward in a storm of splinters, fire, and thick grey smoke. Heavy combat boots echoed across the marble foyer.
"Go!" Maggie shouted, shoving Ethan toward the hidden door.
Ethan hesitated for a single second—a second that defied every instinct of a ruthless crime boss who trusted no one—and then he nodded. "Don't you dare die on my floors, Maggie. I hate cleaning blood off marble."
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"Then you'd better survive, Mr. Caldwell," she replied softly.
Then she turned, grabbed a heavy iron fire poker from the hearth, and stepped out into the smoke-filled corridor to face an army alone.
