Chapter 6: The Midnight Breach
Before the guards could even reach the doors, all the lights in Carter Manor went completely black.
The massive crystal chandeliers died.
The security systems beeped once, then shut down.
Total darkness consumed the mansion.
“What’s going on?!” Victoria yelled, grabbing Lucas and pulling him under the heavy oak table.
“The main power line has been cut!” one of the guards shouted, turning on a high-powered flashlight.
In the darkness, Richard realized his mercenaries had arrived early.
Marcus and Kane were inside the gates.
This was his only chance to escape.
Richard backed away toward the servant's hallway, slipping into the shadows while the guards were distracted.
Outside, the storm was brewing. Heavy rain battered the windows.
Suddenly, the sound of breaking glass shattered the silence.
The French doors in the drawing room had been kicked in.
Heavy, wet footsteps echoed on the marble floors.
“Spread out!” William ordered his security team. “Protect Victoria and the boy! Get them to the panic room!”
Victoria scooped Lucas into her arms.
The boy was shaking violently. He recognized the sound of those heavy boots.
“Mom... it’s them,” Lucas cried into her neck. “The men from the basement.”
Victoria felt a surge of adrenaline. Fear was replaced by an absolute, blinding rage.
These were the men who stole five years of her life.
These were the monsters who tortured her baby.
“Go, Victoria! Now!” William shouted, pulling a hidden revolver from his desk drawer.
Two armed guards escorted Victoria down the long, dark hallway toward the steel-reinforced panic room in the center of the house.
Suddenly, a flashlight beam cut through the darkness.
“Well, well, well,” a rough, gravelly voice echoed.
Marcus stepped out of the shadows, his scarred face illuminated by the harsh light. He pointed a heavy assault rifle directly at them.
“Going somewhere, Mrs. Carter?”
Before Marcus could pull the trigger, the Carter security guards opened fire.
Gunshots deafened the hallway.
Victoria threw herself over Lucas, shielding him with her own body as bullets tore through the expensive wallpaper.
“Keep moving!” one guard screamed before being hit in the shoulder.
Victoria scrambled to her feet, dragging Lucas down the corridor.
They reached the massive steel door of the panic room.
She punched in the passcode. Her hands were covered in sweat and blood from the injured guard.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The heavy door hissed open.
She shoved Lucas inside, but before she could step in herself, a massive hand grabbed her by the hair.
Kane had flanked them.
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He yanked Victoria backward, raising his weapon.
“Say goodbye, rich lady,” he sneered.
