Chapter 8 - The Clearing of the House
Leo didn't waste a single word. He raised his left hand, signaling into the dark tunnel behind him.
Out of the darkness came twenty-four heavily armed men, moving in total, disciplined silence. They wore dark gray tactical uniforms without insignia, night-vision goggles resting on their helmets, and silent rubber-soled boots that made no sound against the wet cellar floor.
They moved past Maya like specters, splitting into three tactical teams.
Team One, led by Leo, headed directly for the subterranean stairs leading up to the grand library. Team Two moved toward the service elevator to secure the perimeter hallways. Team Three took the rear stairs to secure the master bedroom and protect Vincent.
Maya followed Leo up the concrete stairs, staying ten feet behind the lead element.
When Team One reached the green iron door at the top of the cellar stairs, Leo held up two fingers.
Through the crack in the door, the voice of Frank—the lead security guard—could be heard coming from the library hallway.
“Dominic just called from the harbor,” Frank was telling another guard. “The family bosses are all at the office. He wants us to clean up the doctors as soon as the sun comes up. Load them into the utility van and drive them to the warehouse near Pier 4.”
Inside the library, a muffled scream of terror broke out as one of the specialists realized what “clean up” meant.
Leo turned his head, looked at the two men behind him, and gave a sharp, downward hand signal.
The green iron door was kicked open with a thunderous CRACK.
Before Frank or his partner could reach for their holstered sidearms, three silent shots from Leo’s suppressed carbine echoed down the service corridor.
Thwip. Thwip. Thwip.
Frank slammed backward against the wood paneling, his gun dropping to the floor with a loud metallic clatter, before he slid down into an unconscious heap. His partner was tackled to the floor by two tactical operators and zip-tied before he could scream.
Leo stepped over Frank’s body, grabbed the heavy brass key ring hanging from the guard's belt, and inserted the master key into the grand library doors.
He threw the doors wide open.
Inside, the twelve specialists were huddled together in the center of the room beneath a grand chandelier, their hands over their heads, terrified that their executioners had arrived.
Dr. Vance looked up, his face gray with tears, his silk tie completely ruined. “Please! We are doctors! We didn't do anything!”
Leo stepped into the library, lowering his weapon.
“Quiet,” Leo commanded, his voice echoing off the high book-lined walls. “Dr. Vance. Dr. Thorne. Get your bags.”
Dr. Thorne blinked through his wire-rimmed glasses, looking at the tactical team standing in the doorway. “Who... who are you?”
“We’re Vincent Costa’s security detail,” Leo stated flatly. “And you’re going back upstairs to finish your job.”
Maya stepped out from behind Leo into the bright light of the library chandelier.
The twelve specialists stared at her in absolute shock. The girl in the faded navy tunic, who thirty minutes ago had been kneeling by their trash, was now standing at the front of an armed tactical force, holding the master keys to the estate in her hand.
“Maya?” Dr. Vance gasped, his voice trembling. “What... what is happening?”
“Vincent is waiting for you upstairs, Doctor,” Maya said, her voice cool, clear, and completely composed. “He needs his central line flushed, his cardiac monitoring updated, and a formal medical statement prepared for the city council.”
She looked around the room at the twelve most famous doctors in the world.
“And if any of you touches his IV bags without me watching,” Maya added softly, “Leo won't lock you in a library.”
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Dr. Thorne took a deep breath, grabbed his medical bag off the billiard table, and looked at the young woman with a profound, humbled respect.
“Lead the way, Miss Lin,” Thorne said.
