THE SHADOW’S DAUGHTER AND THE SINS OF SILENCE

The realization struck Christian harder than the stun grenade. The escape route was gone. The mountain was sealed. They were trapped like wolves in a den, and the hunters were pouring down the stairs.

Julian scrambled to his feet, bleeding from a shrapnel wound near his temple, and took cover beside Serena, covering the rear corridor. ""We need to fall back to the central vault! The secondary doors have independent power!""

""No,"" Christian said, stepping forward, reloading his shotgun with methodical, mechanical precision. ""The vault is a tomb if they bring more thermite. We take the courtyard. We break their line and steal their transport.""

He turned to Serena, his eyes wild with adrenaline. ""Can you shoot that thing while moving?""

Serena swallowed hard, looking down at the heavy revolver in her hands. Her fingers were trembling, but she nodded. ""If it keeps her alive, I'll shoot the devil himself.""

Christian looked at Mia. The little girl had tears running down her cheeks, but she wasn't crying out loud. She had clamped her teeth onto her bunny's ear to keep herself silent, an instinct born of years living in hiding.

""Mia,"" Christian said, his voice cutting through the ringing in her ears. ""Get on my back. Wrap your arms around my neck and do not let go. No matter what sounds you hear, no matter what happens. You hold on to me.""

The girl nodded instantly. She dropped the toy’s ear from her mouth, climbed onto the armory table, and threw her arms around Christian’s broad neck. Christian pulled a heavy tactical strap from the wall, looping it securely around her waist and his chest, anchoring her firmly against his back like an armored pack.

""Julian, lead the vanguard. Serena, right behind him. I hold the rear,"" Christian commanded. ""We move now!""

They burst out of the bunker into the mansion’s lower service hallway. The once-immaculate corridors were now a war zone. Plaster rained from the ceilings, water sprayed from broken fire sprinklers, and the smell of ozone filled the air.

Three Moretti soldiers turned the corner from the grand kitchen. Julian eliminated the first two with surgical headshots. The third lunged with a combat knife, tackling Julian into the drywall. Serena stepped forward without hesitation, leveled the revolver, and fired twice into the soldier’s back, dropping him instantly.

Christian turned at the sound of heavy boots behind them. Viktor Moretti was limping through the broken blast doors, flanked by his last four personal bodyguards, holding an automatic submachine gun.

""Vance!"" Viktor screamed, his voice cracked with pain and madness. ""You die in the ruins of your own empire!""