Chapter 7 - The Long Hallway
The front double doors of the manor splintered inward under the force of a battering ram. Rain and wind tore through the entrance, carrying with them four heavily armed private contractors clad in tactical gear. They moved in standard diamond formation, sweeping their weapon-mounted lights across the vaulted ceilings and gilded paintings of the grand hallway.
""Target is hostile and armed,"" the squad leader barked into his throat mic. ""Lethal force authorized on all occupants.""
Julian watched from the shadows of the mezzanine balcony above. He didn't waste ammunition. Waiting until the squad passed beneath the colossal Bohemian crystal chandelier—the very one that had hung over three generations of Vance dinners—Julian aimed at the brass suspension ring holding the two-ton fixture to the ceiling beam.
He pulled the trigger twice.
The high-caliber rounds severed the reinforced link. With a deafening screech of ripping metal, the chandelier plummeted, crashing down directly onto the center of the squad with the force of a collapsing building. Crystal and steel crushed two of the mercenaries instantly, while a blast wave of sharp glass shards scattered across the foyer.
The remaining two contractors scrambled backward, firing blindly toward the upper floor. Bullets tore into the balcony railing, sending splinters of ancient oak into the air.
Julian dropped low, rolling across the Persian carpet to the head of the curved staircase. He leaned around the marble balustrade and fired three precise bursts, eliminating the third shooter before the man could acquire his target.
The squad leader retreated behind a heavy marble pillar, reloading his weapon with lightning speed. ""Julian Vance! You're an amateur playing soldier!"" the man taunted, his voice amplified by the cavernous acoustics of the room. ""Your mother paid us twenty million to ensure you and that bastard child never leave this valley! You think you can save her?""
Julian discarded the empty magazine, slapping a fresh one into place. ""You made one mistake when taking this contract,"" Julian said, his voice echoing from the darkness above.
""Oh yeah? What's that?""
""You didn't bring enough men.""
Julian vaulted over the railing, dropping down behind the pillar with absolute precision. The confrontation lasted less than three seconds. Julian parried the contractor's barrel, swept his legs from underneath him, and pinned the squad leader against the shattered remains of the chandelier.
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""Who hired the boat captain four years ago?"" Julian demanded, pressing the barrel directly against the man's throat.
The contractor coughed blood, a sickening grin spreading across his bruised face. ""Ask your dear uncle Arthur... He’s waiting for your mother at the private airstrip right now. With the legal papers signed in your blood.""
