He Returned Home Hours Earlier Than Expected—Then His Maid Pulled Him Aside and Whispered, “Don’t Make a Sound”

"Declan!" Tessa’s voice screamed from behind him.

The heavy oak front doors of the estate had been forced open. The sharp, rhythmic sound of tactical boots on slate echoed up the grand staircase, accompanied by the distinct metallic racks of automatic rifles.

"Moretti's secondary team!" Dr. Aris yelled, suddenly diving behind the heavy mahogany bed.

Camille acted instantly. She didn't hesitate or show fear. She lunged toward the nightstand, hit the panic button, and pulled a hidden Glock 19 from beneath the mattress, firing two rapid shots toward the doorway.

The bullets splintered the oak doorframe inches from Declan’s head.

Declan ducked, grabbing Tessa by her uniform and pulling her down to the floor behind the marble wall divider as return fire erupted into the room.

"Clear the floor!" a harsh voice shouted from the hallway in a thick Eastern European accent. "Moretti said kill everyone! Secure the ledger!"

Automatic gunfire tore through the master suite, shattering the antique mirrors, shredding the silk drapes, and exploding the glass windows overlooking the lake. Plaster dust rained down in a suffocating white cloud.

"They weren't just coming for you, Declan!" Camille shouted over the gunfire from behind the bed. "Moretti knew about the fifty million! He's clearing the board!"

Declan checked the magazine of his Sig Sauer. Fifteen rounds. He had two spare magazines in his jacket pocket.

He looked at Tessa. The young maid was curled into a tight ball, her hands clasped over her ears, her body shaking so violently her teeth were chattering.

"Tessa," Declan whispered loudly, grabbing her shoulder to force her to look at him. "Listen to me."

Her wild, terrified eyes met his.

"The panic button Camille hit seals the panic room at the end of the east wing," Declan said, his voice steady despite the deafening roar of automatic weapons fifty feet away. "I need you to crawl down this hallway, turn left, and hit the blue button inside the linen closet. Can you do that?"

"I... I can't..." she whimpered, tears cutting clean streaks through the white plaster dust on her face. "They'll kill me!"

"They will kill everyone in this house if we stay here," Declan said firmly, pressing his secondary snub-nosed revolver into her shaking hands. "You saved my life ten minutes ago when you warned me in the hallway, Tessa. Save your own now. Go!"

Tessa looked at the revolver, then looked at Declan. She took a deep, trembling breath, nodded once, and began crawling rapidly along the baseboard toward the east wing.

Declan didn't wait to watch her. He popped up from behind the marble wall, firing three precise shots down the hallway.

The first round hit the lead mercenary in the chest, sending him falling backward into his partner. The second and third rounds forced the remaining two gunmen to take cover behind the grand staircase columns.

"Camille!" Declan called out, ducking back as a hail of bullets chipped the marble above his head. "The service elevator in the closet! It leads to the subterranean garage!"

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Camille spat back, returning fire toward the hallway with icy precision.

"If you stay here, Moretti's men will butcher you!" Declan shouted. "You want the money? You need to stay alive to reach Zurich!"

Camille paused firing, looking at the door that was slowly being chewed to pieces by high-caliber rounds. She knew he was right. Moretti’s mercenaries didn't care about her deal with Victor—they were loose ends clean-up.

"Aris, get the duffel!" Camille ordered, sliding out from behind the bed and keeping her low profile toward the walk-in closet.

Dr. Aris scrambled across the hardwood floor on his hands and knees, dragging the leather bag containing the ledger and bearer bonds.

Declan provided cover fire, emptying his magazine into the hallway to keep the mercenaries suppressed. As the slide of his Sig Sauer locked back on empty, he ducked into the master closet, slamming the heavy steel-reinforced door behind them and sliding the deadbolt into place.

For a brief moment, the heavy insulation of the closet muted the sound of gunfire outside.