Chapter 2: The White-Out
The detonation was a localized supernova.
A blinding arc of white magnesium light vaporized the shadows, accompanied by a concussive shockwave that shattered the grand chandelier above. Thousands of razor-sharp crystal shards rained down on the party guests like a deadly hailstorm.
Jack had already moved before the flashbang peaked. Turning his back to the blast, he curled his body entirely over the girl—Lily—shielding her with his heavy leather jacket. The concussive force threw the armed guards backward, their guns discharging wildly into the ceiling and the tiered wedding cake, sending clouds of white frosting and pink sugar roses exploding into the air.
Evelyn, the matriarch in the blue suit, had hit the deck the moment she saw the pin drop.
Ears ringing with a high-pitched whine, Jack scrambled to his feet. Smoke thick with the smell of sulfur and burnt sugar choked the ballroom. Panic was absolute. Elite socialites trampled one another in their desperate scramble for the emergency exits, their screams muffled by the ringing in Jack's ears.
He drew his sidearm—a customized SIG Sauer P226—from his shoulder holster. Through the stinging gray smoke, a guard stumbled forward, rubbing his scorched eyes and raising an assault rifle. Jack didn't hesitate. Two suppressed coughs from the SIG, and the guard crumpled to the marble.
"Hold on tight, monkey," Jack whispered to Lily, feeling her small arms tighten around his neck.
He moved with tactical precision, weaving through the chaos. He locked eyes with the woman in the velvet dress—the Impostor—through the dissipating smoke. She wasn't cowering. She had drawn a compact silver derringer from a thigh holster and was aiming it directly at Lily.
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Jack fired first, shattering the champagne fountain next to her. The Impostor ducked, cursing viciously. Jack didn't stick around to finish the job. He sprinted toward the towering floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the estate's sprawling gardens.
Without breaking stride, he fired three rounds in a tight circle into the reinforced glass, then launched himself shoulder-first into the weakened center. The glass gave way in a spectacular cascade. Jack and Lily tumbled out into the cold, torrential rain of the night, disappearing into the dark hedge maze before Evelyn’s guards could recover their senses.
