Chapter 4 - THE ULTIMATUM
The red emergency strobes painted the smoke in bloody shades of crimson.
Nathaniel stood frozen.
His finger rested on the trigger of his Glock.
His dark eyes shifted from Viktor to Alma.
Alma’s eyes were wide with terror.
A single drop of blood trickled down her pale neck where the steel blade pressed.
"You brought trash into my house, Viktor," Nathaniel’s voice was dangerously low.
Viktor laughed.
A harsh, grating sound that echoed off the concrete walls.
"Trash?" Viktor sneered, pressing the blade slightly deeper.
"This maid is more than she seems, Nathaniel."
"Ask her what she was doing in your private study last night."
Nathaniel did not look at Alma.
His gaze remained locked on Viktor’s trigger finger.
"Alma?" Nathaniel called out.
"Is this true?"
Alma shook her head frantically.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"No, Mr. Rook! I swear on my mother’s grave!" she sobbed.
"He is lying! He forced me!"
Vivian cowered behind the metal table.
Her hair was completely undone now.
"Kill them all!" Vivian shrieked hysterically.
"Kill them and let me out of here!"
Viktor glanced down at Vivian with disgust.
"Shut up, you idiot," Viktor snapped.
"You were just a pawn to get past the front gate."
The realization hit Nathaniel like a physical blow.
Vivian hadn't just humiliated Elodie for fun.
She had orchestrated the entire breach.
Inviting the Bratva into his home under the guise of an engagement banquet.
"You used my daughter," Nathaniel whispered.
The air in the room dropped ten degrees.
The temperature of pure, unadulterated rage.
"Children are fragile, Nathaniel," Viktor mocked.
"A little scare makes them compliant."
"Now... drop the gun."
Nathaniel slowly lowered his arm.
His fingers loosened around the grip.
The heavy metal clattered against the concrete floor.
Viktor grinned, lowering his guard for a fraction of a second.
"Smart—"
Bang!
A silenced gunshot echoed from the shadows behind Viktor.
Not from Nathaniel.
From the ceiling vent.
A tiny red dot appeared right between Viktor’s eyes.
Viktor froze.
The knife slipped from his trembling hand.
He collapsed backward like a felled tree.
Dead before he hit the floor.
Alma scrambled away from the falling body.
Gasping for air.
Nathaniel looked up toward the ceiling vent.
A figure dropped silently from the duct.
Dressed head-to-toe in matte black tactical gear.
The mask came off, revealing a sharp, scarred jawline and piercing blue eyes.
Marcus.
Nathaniel’s most trusted shadow operative.
"You took your time, Marcus," Nathaniel said evenly, bending down to retrieve his pistol.
"Traffic in the ventilation shaft was terrible," Marcus replied dryly.
He holstered his sniper rifle.
"And by the way... the perimeter breach wasn't just Viktor."
"There’s a second team heading toward the nursery right now."
Nathaniel’s blood ran cold.
May you like
Elodie.
Cliffhanger: Nathaniel sprinted out of the holding room, screaming Elodie's name, only to find the nursery door blown wide open and his daughter’s favorite teddy bear lying in a pool of fresh blood on the floor.
