Chapter 27 - The Safehouse Siege
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"Move an inch, and you die right here on this balcony," a deep voice commanded from behind me.
I turned slowly. Two men in sharp tuxedos had stepped out of the shadows, their suppressed pistols pointed directly at my chest.
Victoria straightened her velvet dress calmly. "Take her to the estate. We'll retrieve the master drive from her father, and then we will finalize the Hayes family legacy once and for all."
Adrenaline surged through my veins, pushing away every trace of fear. My father had trained me for this exact scenario since I was old enough to walk.
"You forgot one thing, Victoria," I said softly.
"And what is that?" she sneered.
"I never come to a fight without a dead-man's switch."
I reached into my evening bag and pressed the emergency panic button linked directly to my father's private security team. Instantly, the glass doors of the balcony shattered outward as three heavy smoke grenades bounced across the marble floor, thick white fog engulfing the balcony within seconds.
Gunfire erupted in the darkness. I dropped to the floor, rolling beneath the stone balustrade, and grabbed a fallen bronze statue from a display pedestal. As one of the armed men stumbled through the blinding fog, I swung the heavy statue with all my strength, striking him across the knee.
He went down with a scream. I snatched his fallen weapon from the floor, kicked the balcony's fire-escape door open, and sprinted down the metal stairs into the dark alley below.
My phone vibrated violently. It was my father.
"Audrey! Where are you?" he shouted over the roar of an engine.
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"I escaped the gala!" I gasped, running toward the street. "They compromised Elena's van! What about Chloe?"
"They tripped the perimeter sensors at the safehouse five minutes ago!" my father roared. "I'm en route now! Get there!"
