Chapter 6 - Shattered Sanctuary
Glass exploded inward like crystalline shrapnel. Marcus took the brunt of the impact, his back shielding Lily as they rolled across the hardwood floor of the study. Gunfire erupted behind them; Clara fired three blind shots through the broken threshold before the helicopter's side door slid open and a designated marksman fired a single, deafening round into the terrace concrete, forcing her to retreat.
"Up, Lily! Up!" Marcus gasped, hauling her to her feet. Blood was seeping through his shirt from a deep gash along his shoulder, but his grip remained iron-clad.
"Where is that helicopter from?" Lily cried, running alongside him through the sprawling mahogany library toward the service hallway.
"Not mine," Marcus said grimly, pulling a concealed Glock from a magnetic holster hidden beneath the study desk. "The syndicate has deep pockets. That helicopter isn't law enforcement—it's the transport team sent to collect Clara and you."
The penthouse fire alarms finally engaged, filling the corridors with piercing digital screams and strobing amber lights. The heavy fire doors began descending from the ceilings, sealing off section by section. Marcus and Lily sprinted toward the rear service elevator that bypassed the main lobby and dropped directly into the building’s underground furnace infrastructure.
As they reached the service threshold, the elevator chime rang. The metal doors slid open, revealing two heavily armed operatives dressed in matching sterile grey uniforms, night-vision optics mounted to their helmets.
"Target acquired," the lead operative muttered, raising his suppressed rifle.
Marcus didn't ask questions. He raised his handgun and fired twice through the opening doors. Both shots hit center mass, dropping the first guard, but the second lunged forward, tackling Marcus into the narrow service corridor.
May you like
The impact knocked the gun from Marcus’s hand, sending it skittering across the floor toward Lily’s feet. Marcus and the operative locked into a savage grapple against the wall, trading brutal, bone-jarring blows.
The fallen guard on the floor began to stir, his hand reaching sluggishly toward his dropped sidearm. Lily looked at the gun resting near her bare feet.
