Chapter 4 - Breathing in the Dark
The hum of the refrigerator died instantly. The soft nightlight in the hallway flickered and vanished. The silence that followed was suffocating, heavy with violent intent.
""Stay down,"" Mark commanded, racking the slide of the pistol with a quiet, practiced click. He dropped low, pulling Sarah down beside the bed frame.
From below, the unmistakable sound of a latch being forced open echoed up the stairwell. No shouting. No footsteps. Just the subtle friction of rubber tactical boots testing the hardwood floor. Professionals. Two, perhaps three.
Mark leaned in close to Sarah’s ear. ""If I say run, you take Leo through the master bathroom, out the fire escape window onto the garage roof, and drop into the bushes. Run straight to Miller’s barn. Do not look back.""
""Mark, don't leave us—""
""I am buying your exit.""
He slipped into the hallway like a shadow, sinking into the dark contours of the upper landing. Through the banister rails, he caught the briefest glint of a suppressed barrel reflecting the ambient moonlight from the street. The point man was ascending the staircase, weapon raised, moving with fluid, methodical speed.
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Mark waited until the intruder reached the third step from the top. He leaned over the rail, grabbed the collar of the intruder’s tactical vest, and wrenched him violently backward over the banister. The man plummeted ten feet into the foyer with a sickening thud.
A muffled gunshot snapped through the dark, chipping drywall an inch from Mark’s ear.
