Chapter 4 - The Predator in the Dark
The low growl echoed again, followed by the terrifying sound of heavy claws clicking on the concrete floor.
Margot backed up against the sealed fire door, her breath catching in her throat.
"Stay exactly where you are," Raphael commanded, stepping in front of her to shield her body.
He raised his gun, aiming steadily into the thick, swirling smoke of the ruined archive.
Two massive, heavily muscled Dobermans emerged from the shadows, their teeth bared in aggressive snarls.
They were highly trained attack dogs, bred specifically for the syndicate's brutal security needs.
"Why are they coming after you?" Margot whispered frantically. "You are the owner!"
"The lockdown protocol overrides all visual recognition," Raphael explained, not taking his eyes off the animals.
"To the system, we are just unauthorized heat signatures trapped in a restricted zone."
The larger of the two dogs lunged forward, closing the distance in a terrifying blur of black fur and teeth.
Raphael did not shoot to kill; instead, he fired a single round into the concrete floor right in front of the dog's paws.
The deafening crack echoed in the small space, causing the animal to flinch and retreat a few feet.
"I refuse to shoot my own security dogs because a rival cartel hacked my building," Raphael muttered.
"Then how do we stop them?" Margot asked, panic rising in her chest.
Raphael looked at her, his dark eyes analyzing her with intense focus.
"I need a distraction so I can manually override their electronic collars," he said quickly.
"What kind of distraction?" she asked, already regretting the question.
"I need you to run toward the burning elevator shaft and scream."
Margot stared at him as if he had entirely lost his mind.
But the second dog began to edge closer, ready to strike from the flank.
She didn't have time to argue, so she took a deep breath and sprinted toward the flames.
She screamed at the top of her lungs, waving her arms wildly to draw their attention.
Both dogs immediately turned toward her, abandoning Raphael entirely.
Margot slid behind a toppled metal filing cabinet just as the massive jaws snapped shut inches from her leg.
Raphael moved with terrifying speed, tackling the lead dog and pressing a small remote device against its heavy leather collar.
The collar beeped twice, and the dog instantly sat down, whining softly as the attack command was overridden.
He repeated the process with the second dog just as it tried to leap over Margot's barricade.
Margot collapsed onto the dusty floor, gasping for air as the two deadly animals sat calmly beside Raphael.
"You actually did it," Raphael said, looking at her with genuine, profound respect.
Before Margot could respond, the sealed fire door behind them suddenly hissed and clicked open.
Standing in the doorway was Leo, Raphael's chief of security, holding a massive assault rifle.
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"I'm glad you're alive, boss," Leo smiled, but the gun was pointed directly at Raphael's chest.
"Because the Romanovs are paying me five million dollars to make sure you never leave this basement."
