Chapter 6 - The Ghost Awakens
Elena stared at her older brother, completely paralyzed by a toxic mixture of shock and sheer terror.
Leo had been disowned by their family a decade ago after getting heavily involved with an international crime syndicate.
"Leo, what are you doing here, why are you dressed like a police officer?" Elena stammered, stepping cautiously out of the kitchen.
Leo kept his suppressed weapon aimed squarely at Daniel's chest, his eyes filled with absolute malice.
"Marcus was a pathetic idiot, but he gave me the perfect opportunity to use your name to steal two million from the Russian mob," Leo laughed.
He had orchestrated the entire embezzlement scheme, knowing the mob would blame Elena and leave him completely untouched.
But Leo hadn't anticipated that the Russian mob would send him to silence his own sister to tie up loose ends.
"You framed your own flesh and blood to save your pathetic life?" Daniel asked, his voice steady and dangerously calm.
Leo scoffed, stepping further into the living room while his three armed mercenaries fanned out to secure the perimeter.
"She always was the naive one, but right now, I just need the black notebook in your jacket, Daniel."
Leo knew that the notebook contained the master encryption keys to the offshore accounts holding the stolen money.
"If you shoot me, the biometric lock on the digital accounts will permanently wipe the funds," Daniel bluffed perfectly without breaking eye contact.
Leo hesitated for a fraction of a second, lowering his weapon slightly to assess the validity of the threat.
That single second of hesitation was the only opening Daniel needed.
Daniel pressed a hidden panic button located beneath the edge of the dining table.
Instantly, the entire house plunged into absolute, pitch-black darkness as the automated shutters slammed aggressively over the windows.
The sudden darkness disoriented the mercenaries, causing them to shout in panicked confusion.
Daniel moved with the terrifying speed and silent precision of a highly trained combat operative, entirely unlike an accountant.
He grabbed the heavy wooden chair beside him and smashed it violently into the nearest mercenary's knees, dropping the man instantly.
He seamlessly transitioned the momentum, disarming the second thug in the dark and striking him unconscious with the butt of the rifle.
The lights suddenly flickered back on, bathing the room in a harsh, red emergency glow.
Daniel was standing in the center of the room, holding the stolen submachine gun and aiming it directly at Leo's head.
May you like
Leo dropped his own weapon and held his hands up, laughing a dark, unhinged laugh that echoed through the bloody room.
"You might be fast, Daniel, but if I don't send a safe signal from my phone in exactly five minutes, the massive bomb in my van outside will detonate and vaporize this entire block."
