Chapter 5 - The Flashbang
The heavy tactical boot rested squarely on the polished wood of the table directly above Julian and his family, vibrating through the structure as the intruder swept the area with a thermal scanner. Julian held his breath, his muscles coiled like a steel spring beneath his tailored black suit, his thumb resting lightly on the trigger of his concealed firearm.
Through the darkness, the red laser sight of an assault rifle danced across the white tablecloth just inches from Lucas’s small shoulder.
"Sector clear near table four," a harsh voice crackled through a tactical radio clipped to the intruder's vest. "Moving toward the service corridor to secure the secondary exit."
Julian exhaled slowly, waiting for the precise moment the heavy boot shifted its weight away from their position. As the tactical operative stepped off the wooden table to advance toward the kitchen, Julian burst from beneath the cover like a coiled predator unleashed.
"Now! Move, move, move!" Julian roared, shoving Clara and Elena toward the darkened service corridor while scooping Lucas up into his left arm with effortless strength.
They scrambled across the polished marble floor, their footsteps muffled by the thick Persian rugs scattered near the dessert bar. Behind them, a sharp metallic clatter echoed through the banquet hall, followed by a blinding, earsplitting hiss.
"Flashbang!" Elena screamed, throwing her hands over her eyes as an intense white magnesium flare detonated in the center of the room.
A deafening shockwave reverberated through the hall, accompanied by a blinding flash that burned white-hot against their retinas. Leo stumbled forward, disoriented and temporarily blinded, crying out as he tripped over a fallen chair.
Clara whipped around instantly, ignoring the blinding pain in her eyes, and dropped to her knees to haul Leo back to his feet.
"I've got you, baby, I've got you," Clara panted, dragging her son toward the heavy metal service door where Julian was already forcing the latch with the butt of his gun.
With a loud metallic pop, the heavy fire door swung inward, revealing a dimly lit concrete stairwell smelling of damp concrete and old paper. Julian shoved Elena and the boys inside first, covering their rear as gunfire erupted behind them, chewing up the doorframe with terrifying force.
"Get down the stairs! All the way to the basement garage!" Julian yelled, firing two suppression shots back into the dark banquet hall to buy them precious seconds.
Clara pulled Leo through the doorway, her emerald dress snagging and tearing on the metal frame, but she didn't care as she descended into the concrete abyss.
Julian backed into the stairwell, slamming the heavy fire door shut and spinning the manual locking wheel just as heavy fists hammered against the other side.
"They're through the outer perimeter," Elena shouted from the landing below, her voice echoing in the concrete stairwell. "Julian, look at the wall!"
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Julian turned around sharply, his gun raised, only to freeze at the bloody symbol spray-painted across the concrete wall right beside them.
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