Chapter 8 - The Fall of Mercer
Before Julian could pull the trigger, Adrian threw himself into the line of fire.
POP. POP. POP.
Three muted gunshots echoed through the hallway.
Adrian's body jerked as two bullets struck him in the chest and shoulder. He collapsed onto the floor with a heavy thud, but even as he fell, he fired a single, brilliant shot upward.
The bullet caught Julian directly in the knee.
Julian let out a agonizing shriek, his leg buckling beneath him as he crashed onto the concrete floor, dropping his weapon.
"Adrian!" I screamed.
The remaining mercenaries surged forward, but the heavy steel blast doors of the master bedroom, triggered by Adrian's fallen radio, slammed shut automatically with a thunderous CLANG, sealing me and Lily inside the suite, away from the attackers.
I dropped to my knees beside the secret staircase door, tears blinding my vision, but I knew I couldn't stop. Adrian had sacrificed his body to buy me seconds.
I shoved Lily into the padded chest carrier strapped to my front, grabbed the tactical flashlight from the nightstand, and descended into the dark stone staircase of the emergency tunnel.
Behind me, the sound of heavy breaching charges being planted against the blast doors vibrated through the concrete walls.
THREE... TWO... ONE...
BOOM!
The shockwave rattled the staircase, but I was already sprinting through the narrow stone corridor beneath the earth. The tunnel stretched for two hundred yards, lit only by dim emergency LED strips along the floor.
I ran until my lungs burned, until my legs felt like lead, clutching my daughter tightly against my heart.
At the end of the tunnel, a heavy steel hatch opened upward into a dense thicket of bushes at the edge of the estate grounds. I crawled out into the crisp morning air, gasping for breath.
Parked in a small clearing fifty yards away was a single, unmarked matte-black SUV.
Standing beside the open driver's door was a towering man with grey hair, wearing a tactical vest stamped with the Vale Syndicate emblem.
He drew his sidearm as I burst from the bushes, but when he saw my face—and the silver pendant hanging around my neck—he lowered his weapon instantly.
"Miss Vance?" the old man asked, his voice rough with emotion. "I am Marcus. Mr. Vale's senior lieutenant."
"He's hurt!" I sobbed, running toward the vehicle. "Adrian took two bullets in the hallway! Julian Mercer is inside!"
Marcus’s face hardened into granite. He tapped his earpiece.
"Team Alpha, Team Bravo, this is Marcus," he commanded into his radio. "Target acquired. Execute full breach on the primary estate. Suppress all hostiles. Secure Mr. Vale immediately."
Overhead, the heavy thrum of three tactical helicopters roared through the clouds, descending upon the estate like an angry storm.
Marcus opened the rear door of the SUV for me. "Get in, Miss Vance. You and the child are safe now. My men will bring Adrian out."
I climbed into the back seat, holding Lily close as the sounds of heavy gunfire and flashbangs echoed from the ridge above.
Ten minutes felt like ten hours.
Then, through the trees, four tactical officers emerged, carrying a blood-soaked stretcher toward the SUV.
Adrian lay on the gurney, a oxygen mask strapped to his face, his chest bandaged tightly. But his dark eyes were open. Searching.
The moment he saw me sitting in the SUV, his hand lifted weakly off the stretcher.
I threw the car door open and ran to his side, gripping his trembling fingers.
"I'm here," I cried, pressing my forehead against his hand. "I'm here, Adrian. You made it."
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Adrian pulled off his oxygen mask with his remaining strength, a weak, beautiful smile touching his pale lips.
"I told you..." he whispered, his voice faint but filled with absolute conviction. "I'm never letting them take you again."
