Chapter 4 - Fragile Truce
The sudden eruption of violence was swift and brutal. As Vince raised his weapon, Daniel lunged forward, slamming his forearm into Vince’s wrist and deflecting the shot upward. The silenced bullet tore through the ceiling drywall with a sharp pop.
Before Vince could recover, Daniel drove a heavy, calculated right hook into his jaw, sending the intruder stumbling backward against the hallway wall. But the second operative stepped out from the master bedroom, lunging at Daniel’s side with a heavy tactical knife.
“Daniel!” Claire screamed, her voice piercing the chaos.
Reacting with animalistic survival instinct, Daniel pivoted, catching the operative’s wrist mid-air and twisting it violently until the blade clattered against the hardwood floor. With a swift sweep of his leg, Daniel sent the second man crashing down, following up with a heavy kick that rendered him unconscious.
Vince spat a mouthful of blood onto the pristine carpet, wiping his lip with the back of his hand. He glared at Daniel with a mixture of hatred and grudging respect. “You’ve gone soft, Vance. Living the domestic life has made you slow.”
“Get out of my house,” Daniel commanded, standing over Vince with fury burning in his eyes, his chest heaving. “If you or anyone else from the syndicate ever comes near them again, I won't just walk away next time. I will hunt down every single person at the top.”
Vince smirked, rising slowly to his feet while supporting his bruised jaw. He cast one final, chilling look toward the bassinet where the baby had begun to cry softly from the noise. “You can’t protect them forever, Daniel. The past always collects its debts.”
With a swift backward step, Vince melted into the shadows of the hallway, dragging his unconscious partner behind him. The heavy front door clicked shut, leaving behind an echoing, suffocating silence.
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Daniel turned slowly, his heart hammering against his ribs. He looked toward Claire, expecting her to order him out, expecting the fury of a mother whose sanctuary had been violently breached because of him.
Instead, Claire was holding the crying infant tightly against her chest, tears streaming silently down her cheeks, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
