Chapter 7 - The Descent
The horrifying realization that Marcus had been neutralized completely shattered my remaining hopes of a swift, easy rescue.
I was entirely alone, armed only with my desperate instincts, trying to protect my daughter against a highly trained killer.
I kept my body pressed tightly against the cold marble floor of the balcony, shielding Lily from the deadly line of sight.
"We have to move down to the kitchen, sweetheart, we cannot stay trapped up here," I whispered urgently into her ear.
I knew the kitchen contained the heavy butcher knives and the only access point to the mansion's emergency maintenance tunnels.
We slowly army-crawled completely undetected along the edge of the long balcony toward the secondary servant staircase.
I peeked carefully over the edge and saw Victoria cautiously slowly ascending the main grand staircase, her weapon raised and ready.
We slipped silently into the dark, narrow servant stairwell, our feet completely silent on the thick, plush carpet.
As we reached the bottom floor, I quickly darted into the massive, state-of-the-art kitchen and hid Lily inside the heavy wooden pantry.
I silently pulled my largest, sharpest chef's knife from the magnetic block on the wall and gripped it tightly.
I hid completely in the dark shadows beside the massive stainless steel refrigerator, waiting for her inevitable arrival.
The soft, slow click of her heels echoed menacingly on the polished marble floor as she entered the kitchen.
She was moving with the precise, highly calculated stealth of an apex predator hunting its incredibly vulnerable prey.
"I can hear your heavy, panicked breathing, David," Victoria taunted softly, stepping completely into the center of the dark room.
I lunged violently from the shadows, swinging the heavy knife aggressively toward her weapon arm to disarm her.
Victoria moved with completely terrifying, unnatural speed, easily dodging my desperate strike and violently kicking my knee.
My leg buckled painfully, sending me crashing heavily onto the hard tile floor, completely dropping the sharp knife.
She aggressively stomped her expensive heel directly onto my wrist, pinning my arm painfully against the cold ground.
Victoria aimed the suppressed pistol directly at my forehead, a wicked, totally victorious smile spreading across her beautiful face.
"It is truly a terrible tragedy that you both died in a horrific, accidental house fire tonight," she sneered coldly.
Before she could pull the trigger, a small, incredibly brave voice suddenly echoed loudly from the kitchen pantry.
"Leave my daddy alone, you bad monster!" Lily screamed, violently throwing a heavy can of soup directly at Victoria.
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The heavy metal can struck Victoria squarely in the temple, causing her to stagger completely backward in sheer, stunned surprise.
I used the critical distraction to violently sweep her legs out from under her, completely knocking her to the floor.
