Chapter 6 - Glass and Blood
The darkness in the conservatory was suffocating, broken only by flashes of distant lightning illuminating rows of exotic ferns and dangling orchids. The metallic scent of wet earth mixed with the sharp copper odor of fear. Daisy’s wheezing grew fainter, her head lolling against Clara’s shoulder, her skin clammy and ice-cold.
""Damian, please,"" Clara begged, tears streaming down her dirty cheeks. ""Take her. Leave me here. Just get her to a hospital.""
Damian didn't answer with words. He stripped off his soaked cuff links and ripped a heavy iron garden spade from a potting bench. His eyes were entirely predator now, devoid of corporate civility. ""Julian thinks he owns this security force. He forgot who signed their private contracts.""
A boot shattered the side glass pane near the rear entrance. A silhouette entered, weapon raised, fitted with a suppressor.
""Clara, crawl beneath the cast-iron staging tables at the center. Cover Daisy's ears,"" Damian commanded in a chillingly calm whisper.
Clara obeyed instantly, dragging herself and Daisy into the crawl space between the iron planters. She pressed Daisy tightly against her chest, whispering lullabies into the girl's damp curls while listening to the slow, calculated crunch of combat boots on broken glass.
Step. Step.
A shadow slipped past Clara's line of sight.
Suddenly, Damian struck from the darkness. The iron spade swung with ferocious speed, catching the armed man across the neck with a sickening crack. The guard collapsed without a sound. Damian instantly caught the falling rifle before it hit the stones, stripping the man’s tactical vest and radio in three fluid motions.
The radio crackled on the guard's collar: ""Thorne here. Confirm the target is neutralized. Eleanor wants the woman and child handled before the city police dispatch answers our panic alarm.""
Damian pressed the push-to-talk button, his voice pure venom. ""Julian. You have five minutes to run before I tear your throat out with my bare hands.""
Silence followed on the frequency, then static.
Damian slung the rifle over his shoulder, knelt beside Clara, and lifted Daisy into his arms. Daisy's pulse was fluttering like a dying bird's wings.
""We're going to the garage,"" Damian said grimly. ""My medical transport is parked beneath the carriage house. We move now.""
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They slipped out the shattered rear frame into the rain, sprinting toward the underground tunnel connecting the conservatory to the estate garages. But as Damian reached the subterranean door, the heavy reinforced steel clicked from the inside.
The door swung open slowly, revealing Eleanor Vance holding a small, silver .22 caliber pistol, with Julian Thorne standing nervously behind her.
