Chapter 4 - The Extinguisher
The masked mercenary stepped slowly into the panic room, sweeping his flashlight across the walls.
He hadn't seen Maeve crouching in the corner yet.
He was looking for the Falcone brothers.
Maeve gripped the heavy brass fire extinguisher, her knuckles turning completely white.
She knew she couldn't outrun him, and she knew she couldn't overpower him.
She had to rely on absolute surprise.
As the beam of the flashlight passed over her worn boots, the mercenary froze.
He began to turn his weapon toward her.
Maeve didn't hesitate.
She swung the heavy metal cylinder with every ounce of strength her exhausted body possessed.
The fire extinguisher smashed brutally into the side of the mercenary's head with a sickening crack.
The man collapsed to the floor instantly, his gun clattering across the concrete.
Maeve dropped the extinguisher, gasping for air.
She didn't waste a second staring at the unconscious man.
She grabbed the suppressed pistol from the floor and bolted out of the panic room.
The library was filled with thick, acrid smoke.
She crept toward the hallway, keeping her back pressed tightly against the wall.
The sound of gunfire had ceased.
The silence in the massive house was terrifying.
She carefully peeked around the corner into the grand foyer.
The scene was a bloodbath.
Bodies of heavily armed mercenaries littered the marble floor.
Roman, Declan, and Gabriel were standing in the center of the carnage, bruised and bleeding, but very much alive.
Gabriel was holding a mercenary by the throat against a shattered pillar.
“Who sent you?” Gabriel asked smoothly, pressing the barrel of his gun against the man's temple.
“Tell me, or I blow your brains all over this expensive wallpaper.”
The mercenary coughed up blood and laughed bitterly.
“You’re dead, Falcone.”
“Your own uncle sold out the security codes.”
Roman’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
His uncle, the man who had raised them after their father was murdered.
Gabriel pulled the trigger without a second thought.
The mercenary slumped to the floor.
“Uncle Carlo,” Declan growled, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles bled fresh.
“He betrayed the family.”
Maeve stepped out from the shadows, still holding the stolen pistol.
The three brothers whipped around, raising their weapons instantly.
When they realized it was just the maid, they slowly lowered their guns.
“I thought I told you to lock the door,” Declan said, his voice dangerously low.
“Someone guessed the code,” Maeve replied, pointing the pistol toward the floor.
“I hit him with a fire extinguisher.”
Gabriel let out a sharp, genuine laugh, shaking his head in disbelief.
Roman walked over to her and gently took the gun from her trembling hand.
“You shouldn't have seen this,” Roman said softly.
May you like
“Now, Uncle Carlo will know you were here.”
“He doesn't leave witnesses.”
