Chapter 2 - The Men in the Shadows
The heavy front door splintered as another violent blow struck the wood.
Ryan did not have time to ask any more questions.
He scooped the little girl into his arms and grabbed Leo by his shirt collar.
"Get to the basement safe room, right now!" Ryan ordered his wife.
Chloe scrambled to her feet, leading the children toward the hidden door behind the pantry.
Ryan grabbed a heavy cast-iron skillet from the stove just as the front door gave way.
Three men dressed entirely in black tactical gear stormed into the living room.
They were heavily armed, their faces hidden behind dark ski masks.
Ryan swung the skillet with all his might, striking the first man in the side of the head.
The intruder collapsed to the floor, dropping his weapon instantly.
Ryan tackled the second man, wrestling him into the sharp edge of the coffee table.
The third man raised a suppressed pistol and aimed it directly at Ryan's chest.
Suddenly, a loud gunshot rang out from the kitchen hallway.
The third intruder dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, clutching a bleeding shoulder.
Ryan turned around to see Chloe holding his grandfather's antique hunting rifle.
Her hands were completely steady, a shocking contrast to her earlier panic.
"Get in the basement, Ryan!" she commanded with the authority of a trained soldier.
Ryan grabbed the dropped pistol from the floor and ran into the pantry.
He descended the dark wooden stairs, expecting Chloe to follow him down.
Instead, the heavy steel door slammed shut from above, plunging the stairs into darkness.
The loud, metallic click of the deadbolt echoed through the silent basement.
Chloe had locked them in.
Ryan rushed up the stairs and pounded frantically on the steel door.
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Through the thick metal, he heard Chloe speaking to someone in a calm, flat voice.
"I have secured the targets, you can bring the boss inside now," she said.
