Chapter 4 - Fire and Blood
The western wall of Ricardo Vasquez’s estate shattered under the concussive force of military-grade C4. The explosion tore through the serene night air, sending chunks of stone and wrought iron flying into the manicured gardens. Before the dust could even begin to settle, my men poured through the breach like a tide of black water, their weapons spitting fire into the darkness.
I walked through the chaos with a singular, blinding focus. The gunfire around me was a white noise that I easily tuned out. Vasquez’s guards scrambled, caught completely off guard by the sheer, overwhelming brutality of our assault. They had expected a desperate father coming to bargain; they received an entire syndicate coming to slaughter.
I moved through the outer courtyard, dropping two men with precise shots to the chest before they could even raise their rifles. Blood painted the white marble statues that lined the pathways. The smell of cordite and copper filled the air.
"First floor clear!" Marco yelled through the comms in my ear as we breached the grand mahogany doors of the main house.
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I stepped over the bodies of Ricardo's elite guard, my boots leaving dark crimson footprints on the imported rugs. Every room we cleared, every man we dropped, brought me closer to the center of the estate. I was a man possessed, a ghost returning from the underworld to collect a debt that had accrued eight years of interest.
We reached the grand staircase leading to the master wing. Three of Ricardo’s heavily armed enforcers tried to hold the high ground. I didn't even break my stride. I raised my weapon and fired, the brutal efficiency of my syndicate clearing the path. I kicked open the double doors at the top of the stairs, stepping into the expansive, opulent room I had seen in the photograph.
