Chapter 4 - The Lockdown
The cold metal of the pistol dug painfully into my ribs.
Marcus applied more pressure to my throat, cutting off my air supply.
I knew I could not overpower a trained mercenary with brute strength.
I went entirely limp, pretending to pass out from the lack of oxygen.
Marcus grunted and slightly loosened his grip to keep me on my feet.
I seized the opportunity and brought the heavy bronze candlestick down violently on his wrist.
He shouted in pain, dropping the pistol onto the kitchen floor.
I kicked the gun under the commercial ovens and sprinted out of the kitchen.
I ran up the grand staircase as fast as my legs could carry me.
I burst into the boys' bedroom and locked the heavy wooden door behind me.
The boys sat up in their beds, their eyes wide with fear.
I told them we were playing a game and needed to hide in the safest place they knew.
Evan immediately jumped out of bed and ran to his massive wooden wardrobe.
He pushed a hidden latch on the side, revealing a dark tunnel behind the furniture.
I ushered all four boys into the tunnel just as heavy footsteps reached our bedroom door.
Marcus began pounding furiously against the wood, demanding I open it.
I crawled into the tunnel behind the boys and pulled the wardrobe panel shut.
The narrow passageway was dark and smelled strongly of dust and old wood.
We crawled on our hands and knees, guided only by the faint light of my cell phone.
Suddenly, a deafening mechanical siren began blaring throughout the entire mansion.
An automated voice announced over the intercom that the estate was in full lockdown.
Heavy steel shutters began slamming down over every window and door in the house.
We reached the end of the tunnel, which opened up onto the second-floor mezzanine.
I peeked through the decorative wooden grates overlooking the foyer.
Down below, Adrian's loyal guards were drawing their weapons.
But they were not pointing their guns at the front door to defend the house.
They were pointing their weapons directly at Adrian Vale, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs.
The entire security detail had been bought off.
I watched in horror as Marcus walked out onto the mezzanine holding a tactical rifle.
He looked directly at the wooden grate where we were hiding.
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Marcus smiled and pushed a button on a remote control in his hand.
The heavy steel security doors at both ends of our hallway slammed shut, trapping us completely.
