Chapter 12 - The Cleaners
Shards of tempered glass rained down across the room like deadly confetti. Danielle threw her body over baby Liam's bassinet, her heart hammering against her ribs as bullets chewed through the plaster walls.
Through the chaos, she watched Julian move. He didn't cower like a wounded teenager. He moved with terrifying, predatory fluidness. Grabbing a heavy oxygen tank, he hurled it directly at the shattered window.
A tactical operative in night-vision goggles had just hooked a grappling line to the ledge. The steel tank caught him squarely in the chest, sending him plummeting into the London night with a muffled scream.
"The Syndicate," Julian stated coldly, snatching a discarded assault rifle from the fallen mercenary's grip. "They know I uploaded the files. They've sent the Cleaners to erase all of us."
"We have armed guards outside that door!" Danielle yelled over Liam's terrified wailing.
"Your guards are already dead," Julian replied, pulling back the charging handle of the rifle. "If you want to keep that baby alive, you do exactly as I say. Understood?"
Danielle's maternal instinct warred with her absolute hatred for the imposter standing before her. But looking at the cold, calculating efficiency in Julian's eyes, she knew he was their only chance. She tightened her grip on Liam and nodded.
"Sarah, take the hallway," Julian ordered, tossing a sidearm to the older woman. "Danielle, stay behind me. We are going to the roof. Your helicopter is still there."
They burst into the VIP corridor. Julian was right; Danielle's elite security team lay scattered across the marble floor, neutralized with chilling precision.
Three Syndicate killers emerged from the stairwell at the far end of the hall. Julian didn't hesitate. He raised the rifle, firing in short, controlled bursts. Two of the assassins dropped instantly. The third ducked behind a medical cart, returning fire.
Sarah screamed as a bullet grazed her thigh, dropping to one knee. Julian threw himself into the line of fire, providing covering fire while Danielle dragged Sarah into the service elevator.
As the heavy metal doors slid shut, Julian dove inside at the last possible second. He leaned against the mirrored wall, blood seeping through his hospital gown, his breathing heavy but controlled.
Danielle looked at the man who had lied to her, the assassin who had manipulated her deepest grief. "Why are you helping us?" she demanded, clutching her crying baby. "You have the files. Your mission is over."
May you like
Julian looked at Liam, a strange, haunted softness breaking through his icy facade. "Because Richard isn't done," he whispered. "The files I stole are incomplete. To finalize his immortality formula, he needs pure, uncorrupted stem cells."
Julian looked directly into Danielle's terrified eyes. "He doesn't want me, Danielle. He wants Liam."
