Chapter 43 - Fire in the Foyer
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Smoke billowed into the grand foyer as Elena and I took cover behind the massive marble pillars framing the staircase. The tactical squad moved with terrifying precision, sweeping the burning wreckage of the front entrance with laser sights cutting through the dust.
"I count twelve in the first wave," Elena whispered over her comms earpiece, her eyes dead-focused. "Heavy armor. Military issued."
"They want Chloe alive," I replied, wiping sweat and ash from my forehead. "Which means they won't throw frag grenades. Aim for the joints and the neck. Ready?"
"Always."
I stepped out from the pillar and fired twice. The heavy slugs from my shotgun tore through the first two mercenaries, sending them crashing backward into the shattered glass of the front windows.
"Contact left!" one of the intruders shouted, returning fire.
Bullets chewed through the marble pillar, sending razor-sharp stone shrapnel flying past my face. Elena leaned out from the opposite side, firing controlled, rapid bursts from her pistol. Three more men dropped, but the rest immediately adapted, laying down a suppressing fire that pinned us completely.
"We can't hold them here!" Elena yelled over the deafening roar of gunfire. "They're flanking through the kitchen!"
"Fall back to the library!" I ordered, throwing a flashbang grenade into the center of the foyer.
A blinding white light erupted, followed by a concussive boom that shattered the remaining chandeliers. We sprinted down the hallway, glass crunching beneath our boots. I kicked open the heavy mahogany doors of the library and slammed them shut behind us, engaging the heavy steel deadbolts.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was Marcus.
"Audrey, we are in the panic room," my father's voice crackled, laced with panic. "But they’re cutting the power. The biometric locks on the vault door won't hold if they use thermal charges!"
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"We're coming to you, Dad," I promised, reloading my shotgun with shaking hands. "Just hold the line."
I looked at Elena. There was no way out but through the hidden tunnels beneath the floorboards, and the Architect's men were already pounding on the library doors.
