Chapter 2 - The Hidden Viper
I drew my weapon immediately and shoved my mother’s wheelchair behind my heavy oak desk.
Clara moved with a fluid speed that proved she was no ordinary civilian.
She snatched the fallen bodyguard’s pistol from the floor and checked the magazine without a single tremor in her hands.
I stared at the maid who suddenly looked like a seasoned cartel enforcer.
“How many men guard the perimeter tonight?” Clara asked sharply.
I told her there were twelve armed men patrolling the estate.
“If he made it to your office, your men are already dead or they let him in,” she deduced coldly.
Heavy footsteps began to echo up the grand marble staircase.
I positioned myself by the door, ready to execute anyone who stepped through the frame.
A man wearing a tactical mask stepped into the hallway, raising a suppressed automatic rifle.
Clara fired twice, hitting the intruder perfectly in the chest before he could even pull his trigger.
I moved forward to inspect the body, pulling the heavy mask off the dead man’s face.
My blood ran cold when I recognized the intricate serpent tattoo on his neck.
It was the mark of the Volkov family, our biggest Russian rivals.
“The Volkovs wouldn't dare strike my home without inside help,” I muttered in disbelief.
Clara knelt beside the body and pulled a familiar silver lighter from the dead man's pocket.
It was a custom lighter I had gifted to my own underboss, Marcus, just last year.
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Suddenly, the lights in the entire mansion cut out completely.
In the pitch black darkness, a cold metal barrel was pressed firmly against the back of my head.
