Chapter 8 - The Burning Sanctuary
"We have exactly two minutes before those charges detonate!" Leo shouted over the deafening sound of incoming fire.
"We have to evacuate to the extraction point in the woods immediately," Marcus commanded, grabbing a spare rifle.
I hoisted Lily onto my back, telling her to wrap her arms and legs tightly around me like a little monkey.
"Don't let go, sweetheart, no matter what happens," I whispered fiercely into her ear.
"I won't, Mommy," Lily whimpered, burying her face into my neck.
Silas and Arthur grabbed Julian by his collar and hauled him roughly to his feet.
"You are coming with us, Julian," Arthur said coldly.
"You are going to face federal prison for what you did to my sister."
We moved as a tight, highly trained unit toward the reinforced backdoor of the kitchen.
Marcus and his tactical operators laid down a massive wall of suppressing fire, forcing the mercenaries to duck for cover.
We burst through the wooden door and sprinted into the freezing, dark air of the backyard.
The dense forest at the edge of the property was our only cover against the snipers hiding in the tree line.
We ran desperately across the manicured lawn, the mud ruining our expensive shoes and clothes.
Suddenly, the night sky illuminated with a blinding flash of orange fire.
The explosive charges on the house detonated simultaneously with a deafening, earth-shattering roar.
The shockwave knocked us completely off our feet, sending us tumbling violently into the wet grass.
I shielded Lily with my body as flaming debris rained down around us.
The beautiful, five-bedroom estate I had called a sanctuary collapsed into a massive, burning pile of rubble.
As I pushed myself up from the mud, I realized Arthur was shouting in panic.
"Julian is gone!" Arthur yelled, searching the dark shadows of the lawn.
During the chaotic blast, Julian had used a piece of shattered glass to cut his zip ties.
I looked frantically toward the tree line and saw Julian sprinting away from us into the dense woods.
He had stolen one of the fallen tactical operator's communication devices and a heavy flashlight.
"He knows the access codes to the underground bunker in those woods!" I warned my brothers.
"If he locks himself inside, we will never be able to dig him out before the cartel finds us."
Silas raised his weapon, preparing to shoot Julian in the leg to stop him.
But I placed my hand firmly on my brother's weapon and pushed the barrel down.
"No," I said, my voice hardening into cold, unbreakable steel.
"He belongs to me."
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I grabbed a loaded handgun from the belt of a wounded operator and stood up in the mud.
"Keep Lily safe," I told my brothers as I sprinted into the dark, burning woods alone.
