Chapter 8 - The Steel Shutters
Gabriel did not argue with Mia's fierce declaration; there was no time left for debate.
They arrived at the edge of the sprawling, heavily fortified estate in the wealthy suburbs of Lake Forest with exactly fifteen minutes to spare.
The perimeter was guarded by a massive iron gate and a sophisticated electronic security system that Marco could not bypass by force.
Mia confidently stepped out of the armored truck, holding the titanium USB drive she had stolen from Sterling's warehouse.
"The master ledger contains all of Sterling's network passwords," Mia explained, plugging the drive into the gate's external maintenance terminal.
She rapidly typed a sequence of commands, and the massive iron gates silently glided open without triggering a single alarm.
Gabriel led the way through the manicured gardens, moving like a phantom through the shadows and silently neutralizing three patrolling guards with lethal efficiency.
They reached the grand entrance of the main house, finding the heavy oak doors surprisingly unlocked and slightly ajar.
Gabriel pushed the doors open, his weapon raised, expecting a massive firefight in the opulent foyer.
Instead, the enormous, marble-floored room was eerily quiet and entirely empty, save for a single chair sitting in the exact center.
Sarah Romano was tied securely to the wooden chair, her face bruised and her eyes wide with absolute, suffocating terror.
"Sarah," Gabriel whispered, immediately stepping out from the shadows and rushing forward to cut his sister-in-law loose.
Mia followed closely behind him, her stolen pistol raised and scanning the dark balcony wrapping around the second floor.
As Gabriel's knife sliced through the thick ropes binding Sarah's wrists, Sarah did not look relieved or happy to see him.
She looked up at Gabriel with tears streaming down her face and screamed with all the breath in her lungs.
"Gabriel, run, it is a trap!" Sarah shrieked hysterically, shoving him forcefully backward.
Before Gabriel could even react, a deafening mechanical grinding noise echoed violently through the entire mansion.
Heavy, impenetrable steel shutters slammed down simultaneously over every single window and door in the room.
The automatic locks engaged with a heavy, final click, trapping them completely inside the reinforced foyer.
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The grand chandelier above them suddenly flickered on, flooding the room with blinding, inescapable light.
From the shadows of the second-floor balcony, dozens of red laser sights slowly descended, painting Gabriel and Mia's chests with lethal precision.
