Chapter 9: The Lakeside Breach
Chapter 9: The Lakeside Breach
The first alarm tripped at exactly 2:14 AM. A silent laser grid at the edge of the pier. James didn't move fast. He moved efficiently. He slipped through the back kitchen door, vanishing into the darkness like a ghost. I stood at the top of the stairs, my weapon raised, shielding the hallway leading to the nursery. The power died. Total darkness swallowed the house. But the grandfather had prepared for that too. A secondary, independent battery backup kicked in, illuminating the floorboards with a faint, tactical red light. The front glass doors didn't shatter. They clicked. Professional lockpicks. Two figures stepped into the foyer, wearing dark tactical gear and night-vision goggles. They didn't see the tripwire at the base of the grand staircase. Snap. A heavy, iron-weighted security grate dropped from the ceiling header, slamming into the floor with a resounding crash. One operative was pinned beneath it instantly, his weapon skidding across the marble. The second operative spun around, raising his rifle toward the stairs. I fired twice. Precise. Restrained. He fell to his knees, his weapon dropping from his hand. Outside, the sound of gunfire echoed across the water. Two more shots. James. The breach had failed in less than ninety seconds. I walked down the stairs, kicking the fallen weapons away from the pinned operative. He was bleeding from his shoulder, his teeth clenched in agony. "Where is Vance?" I demanded, pressing the barrel of my gun against his vest. He didn't answer. "He's in the black SUV down the access road," a voice called out from the doorway. Agent Bennett stepped through the ruined entrance, backed by six federal agents. Their tactical lights cut through the smoke and red illumination. "We tracked the satellite signal from the landline call," Bennett said, adjusting his vest. "Vance didn't run, Daniel." "He thought his men would have cleaned this up by now." I looked back up the stairs. Claire was standing at the top, holding Ethan tightly against her chest. She looked down at the ruined foyer. Then she looked at me. "Finish it," she said quietly.
