Chapter 1 - The Broken Sanctuary
The smoke from the breached front doors swirled around the dark boots of the tactical operators.
Julian stood absolutely frozen in the center of the ruined marble foyer.
The thick leather belt slipped from his trembling fingers and hit the hardwood floor with a heavy thud.
Five men walked through the settling dust like gods of war descending upon a mortal realm.
My oldest brother, Arthur, casually adjusted the pure silk cuffs of his bespoke suit.
His cold, calculating eyes scanned the shattered glass and the terrified faces in the room.
"Where is my niece?" Arthur asked, his voice deathly quiet.
His tone carried the absolute, crushing weight of a billionaire who owned halves of continents.
Julian finally found his voice, though it cracked wildly with panic.
"Who the hell are you people?" Julian shouted, stepping backward.
"Get out of my house before I call the police!"
Nathaniel, my fourth brother, stepped forward with a chilling, predatory smile.
"I am a federal judge, Julian," Nathaniel said smoothly.
"I signed the no-knock warrant for this raid exactly fifteen minutes ago."
"The police chief you think you have on your payroll is currently sitting in a federal holding cell."
Julian's face drained of all color as his chest heaved with panicked breaths.
Serena pressed herself against the staircase railing, whimpering in pure terror as the red laser sights of the operators locked onto her chest.
I walked slowly down the stairs, leaving Lily safely hidden in her bedroom upstairs.
My five brothers looked up at me simultaneously.
The terrifying anger in their eyes softened for a fraction of a second when they saw my face.
Then their gaze shifted back to the man who had dared to hurt their blood.
"Nora," Julian stammered, looking at me with wide, desperate eyes.
"Tell them to leave right now!"
I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked at the man I had quietly served for nine miserable years.
"They are my family, Julian," I said softly.
"And you just put your hands on a Vance."
Julian stumbled backward into a decorative table as the horrifying reality of my words hit him.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone with violently trembling hands.
"I am calling my private security contractor," Julian threatened desperately.
My third brother, Silas, stepped out of the dark shadows of the hallway.
"Call them," Silas whispered, his voice dripping with pure malice.
Julian pressed the speed dial, put the phone on speaker, and waited in terrified silence.
A gruff, panicked voice answered on the first ring.
"Boss, we have a massive problem out here," the security contractor gasped over the phone.
"We have red sniper dots on every single one of our chests, and the perimeter is completely overrun."
Silas smiled a terrifying smile that made the underworld of Chicago tremble.
"Tell your men to drop their weapons, or my snipers will paint your beautiful green lawn red," Silas commanded into the open line.
May you like
The man on the phone gasped loudly as he immediately recognized the infamous, deadly voice.
"Oh my god, it's the Ghost of Chicago," the contractor whispered before the line went completely dead.
