Chapter 8 - THE EXPLOSIVE INVASION
Smoke billowed into the grey morning sky.
The eastern perimeter wall was reduced to a jagged pile of rubble.
Alarms wailed across the Cole estate like a dying banshee.
Heavy armored trucks bearing no license plates poured through the breach.
Men in tactical black gear spilled out onto the manicured lawns.
Automatic weapons fire chewed up the ancient oak trees.
Evander didn't flinch. He drew his weapon with practiced ease.
"Viktor!" Evander shouted into his encrypted earpiece.
"Activate lockdown protocol Omega!"
"Protect the medical wing at all costs!"
Daisy crouched behind a marble pillar in the grand foyer.
Glass from the shattered front windows littered the Persian rug.
"Who are they?" Daisy asked over the deafening gunfire.
"Not the FBI," Evander gritted his teeth, firing three precise shots.
"That's the Russian Bratva."
"Marceline's final insurance policy."
Heavy boots thundered across the front porch.
Three armed mercenaries kicked the mahogany doors wide open.
They raised their assault rifles, scanning the grand foyer.
Evander moved like a ghost in the dim light.
Two quick shots echoed through the vaulted ceiling.
The lead mercenaries dropped instantly without a sound.
The third mercenary swung his barrel toward Daisy.
Before he could pull the trigger, Evander tackled him to the marble floor.
A brutal struggle lasted barely three seconds.
Evander cracked the mercenary's helmet against a stone planter.
The man went limp instantly.
Evander stood up, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling.
"Are you alright?" he asked Daisy, extending a gloved hand.
She took his hand and stood up, her knees shaking slightly.
"I'm fine," she nodded, her eyes fierce.
"We need to get to the security control room."
"If they breach the central server, they can unlock Leo's wing."
Evander nodded approvingly.
"Follow me. Stick close to the wall."
They navigated the labyrinthine corridors of the mansion's lower level.
Gunfire echoed from the west wing as Viktor's men pushed back.
They reached the heavy steel door of the security bunker.
Evander punched a rapid sequence into the biometric keypad.
The heavy steel door hissed open.
They stepped inside into a sanctuary of glowing computer monitors.
Daisy immediately sat down at the primary control console.
Her fingers flew across the mechanical keyboard with practiced speed.
"I'm rerouting all internal cameras to our console," Daisy announced.
"I see them. Five men in the west corridor."
"Heading straight for Leo's room."
Evander's face hardened into a mask of pure ice.
He pulled a spare ammunition magazine from his tactical belt.
"Lock the blast doors to the medical wing," Evander ordered.
"Gas them through the central ventilation system."
"The non-lethal knockout gas."
"I want at least one of them alive to talk."
Daisy clicked the command on her screen with a satisfying *enter*.
A soft hiss echoed through the mansion's intercom system.
Moments later, the audio feed picked up heavy thuds.
The Russian mercenaries collapsed in the west hallway one by one.
Viktor's voice crackled over the secure radio.
"Boss, the immediate threat is neutralized."
"We captured their team leader."
Evander exhaled slowly, his shoulders dropping an inch.
"Bring him to the underground holding cell."
"I'll be down in five minutes."
He turned his gaze toward Daisy.
Her face was smudged with soot and dust, but her eyes were bright.
"You handled yourself like a seasoned operative today," Evander noted.
"Medical school taught me how to stay calm under pressure," Daisy replied quietly.
"And living in Queens taught me how to dodge trouble."
Evander smiled faintly—a rare, genuine expression.
"You're full of surprises, Daisy Sutton."
"Let's go see what our Russian friend has to say."
They descended into the cold, concrete bowels of the estate.
The holding cell smelled of damp earth and old iron.
The captured mercenary was chained to a heavy steel chair.
His face was bruised, and his tactical vest was torn.
Evander stepped into the cell, his towering presence filling the room.
He grabbed the mercenary by the collar and yanked his head up.
"Who sent you?" Evander demanded in Russian.
The mercenary spat blood on the floor and grinned wickedly.
"You're already dead, Cole."
"Vassily has your entire supply chain cut off."
"By sunset, the Cole empire will belong to Moscow."
Evander didn't blink. He simply nodded to Viktor.
"Lock him up and double the guard."
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"We're paying Vassily a visit tonight."
[CLIFFHANGER: As Evander turns to leave, his phone rings with an unknown number—and a computerized voice whispers: "Check the master bedroom safe, Evander. Your real enemy was never Marceline."]
