Chapter 3 - The Hostile Takeover
The severity of the situation immediately shifted from a personal betrayal to a catastrophic national security crisis.
Chloe had manipulated Mark to get access to my secure military banking portal.
"General, I need a tactical squad deployed to my personal residence right now," I ordered, throwing off my hospital blankets.
"You just gave birth, Anna," the general argued, putting a restraining hand on my shoulder.
"I am not asking for permission, sir," I replied while strapping my concealed holster to my side.
I wrapped my baby securely to my chest using a tactical baby carrier and covered him with my jacket.
Captain Rostova handed me a loaded weapon and nodded in silent solidarity.
We moved through the hospital corridors flanked by four heavily armed covert operatives.
The ride to my suburban home was tense and filled with a suffocating silence.
When the armored SUV pulled onto my street, I saw a dozen black mercenary vehicles parked on my front lawn.
"They breached the perimeter," Rostova yelled over the sudden roar of an explosion.
The front door of my house had been blown completely off its hinges.
Armed men in tactical gear were tearing my living room apart, searching for something hidden in the walls.
"Lethal force authorized," I commanded into my headset as I kicked the car door open.
My squad engaged the mercenaries in a brutal, lightning-fast firefight across the manicured lawn.
I ducked behind a concrete pillar, shielding my sleeping son from the deafening gunfire.
A rogue mercenary flanked my position and aimed his rifle directly at my chest.
Before he could pull the trigger, Rostova eliminated him with a flawless sniper shot from the vehicle.
The remaining intruders quickly realized they were outgunned and fled into the surrounding woods.
I stepped over the debris and walked into the ruins of the home I had shared with Mark.
Standing in the center of my destroyed living room was a man I trusted with my life.
It was Major General Thomas, my direct commanding officer and mentor.
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He casually holstered his weapon and smiled at me with chilling calmness.
"You really should have shared that inheritance with your superiors, Anna," he said.
