Chapter 4 - The Hunt in the Dark
Adrian threw himself backward as the glass door shattered.
A suppressed bullet tore through the air and annihilated his crystal whiskey decanter.
He scrambled behind the heavy oak desk while glass rained down on the carpet.
Heavy combat boots crunched on the ruined glass.
A mercenary dressed in tactical black stepped into the study.
Adrian grabbed a heavy bronze paperweight from the floor.
He waited until the boots were inches from the desk.
With a roar, Adrian lunged upward and smashed the bronze statue into the man's temple.
The mercenary collapsed instantly.
Adrian grabbed the man's dropped rifle, his hands shaking violently.
He had to find Naomi and Zuri before Vance's hour was up.
He slipped into the hallway, moving like a ghost through his own home.
The mansion was eerily quiet, the rest of the staff completely absent.
He tracked small, muddy footprints across the white marble foyer.
They led directly toward the indoor botanical conservatory.
Adrian pushed open the heavy glass doors of the greenhouse.
The humid air smelled heavily of orchids and wet earth.
He found Zuri hiding beneath the broad leaves of a monstrous fern.
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She held out a small, metallic object toward him.
It was a heavy, ornate key stamped with the Vale family crest, but it was dripping with fresh blood.
