Chapter 4 - Blood in the Hallway
Before Nathan could reach for his own weapon, Marcus and Daniel burst through the drawing room doors, their submachine guns raised and locked onto Nathan’s chest.
"Drop it, Cross," Marcus barked, his finger twitching near the trigger.
Nathan froze, his hand hovering inches from his shoulder holster. He looked at Dominic, searching the boss's eyes for a flicker of hesitation, a remnant of their seventeen-year brotherhood. He found only ice.
"You're making a mistake, Dom," Nathan warned quietly. "The house is surrounded. Half the guards at the front gate answer to me, not you. If I don't walk out of this room in five minutes, your estate becomes a slaughterhouse."
"Let them try," Dominic said coldly. He pulled his Sig Sauer from his holster, cocking the hammer with a sharp, echoing click. "Marcus, take Claire down to the holding room. Make sure she’s comfortable. We wouldn't want her to catch a cold."
"Gladly," Marcus grunted, grabbing Claire by the arm and hauling her screaming toward the service exit.
Dominic stepped closer to Nathan, the barrel of his gun resting lightly against Nathan’s collarbone. "You talk about brotherhood, Nathan. You talk about old ghosts. Let me tell you something about ghosts—they don't stay buried."
Nathan sneered, his eyes flashing with desperate venom. "You think you're untouchable? The Russians are already at the outer gates. You won't make it to sunrise."
Bang.
The gunshot echoed through the grand drawing room, shattering the remaining crystal windows. Nathan stumbled backward, clutching his shoulder as blood began to soak rapidly through his white shirt. He hit the floor with a heavy thud, gasping for air.
"That was for the seventeen years I wasted trusting you," Dominic said, stepping over him without looking down.
He strode out into the grand hallway, his radio crackling to life against his lapel.
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"Boss! Boss, we got movement at the west gate!" Daniel’s voice shouted over the static amid the sound of screeching tires and automatic gunfire. "A convoy of unmarked SUVs just breached the perimeter! They’re coming up the drive!"
Dominic didn't flinch. He walked down the grand marble steps, his coat billowing behind him like the wings of a dark angel. The war had come home, but this time, he knew exactly who the enemy was.
