Chapter 9 - The Cleansing Fire
Through the dense smoke of the flashbang grenade, Donald fired two suppressed rounds, eliminating the mercenary guarding Eleanor before the man could draw a breath. Alexander surged forward with feral speed. As Madeline’s lead contractor swung his rifle toward Javier, Alexander intercepted him, slamming his shoulder into the man's ribs and driving him hard against the panoramic glass wall.
The reinforced glass cracked into a spiderweb of fracture lines under the violent impact. Alexander drove his combat knife into the contractor’s shoulder harness, twisting until the weapon dropped clattering to the floor. With a brutal knee strike to the operative's sternum, Alexander threw him across the room, neutralizing the threat in seconds.
The third contractor, stunned by the blast, raised his sidearm toward Alexander's back.
BANG.
The mercenary crumpled instantly, a bullet hole through his temple. Behind him, Eleanor stood trembling on her bare feet, smoke curling from the barrel of the bodyguard's dropped pistol held firmly in both of her hands. Her face was bloody, but her eyes burned with maternal fury.
Silence descended upon the ruined penthouse, broken only by the whimpering of Javier and the heavy breathing of the survivors.
Madeline backed away, her designer heels crunching over broken porcelain and shell casings, until her back pressed against the fractured floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the midnight abyss.
""Alexander..."" Madeline whispered, her haughty composure entirely gone as she clutched her pearls. ""You can't do this. The police... the media... you will lose everything you built.""
May you like
Alexander walked toward her, stepping over the fallen men, his eyes darker than the storm outside. ""I built this empire to protect what is behind me. You walked into my home and broke my daughter. You have nothing left to threaten me with.""
Donald hurried to Eleanor's side, securing the perimeter. ""Sir, the vault door is opening. Miss Clara is coming out.""
