Chapter 5 - The Blackwood Protocol
"Breach at Gate Two!" Marcus shouted, his hand instantly flying to his radio headset as alarms wailed across the compound. "Heavy artillery! Private military contractors—they’re driving armored SUVs straight through the courtyard!"
The sound of automatic gunfire rattled through the ventilation shafts. Victoria let out a low, hysterical laugh in the dark, her teeth illuminated by the red emergency strobes.
"Did you really think I didn't have a contingency plan, Christian?" she mocked, straining against the zip-ties on her wrists. "The Blackwood board doesn't leave loose ends. If Elena is alive, the whole syndicate gets exposed. They aren't here to rescue me. They're here to burn this entire estate to the ground and kill every witness inside."
Christian didn't waste a second. He drew his sidearm from under his jacket, racked the slide, and sprinted straight for the observation door. He kicked it open and knelt before Elena, who had already scooped Leo into her arms, backing away from the glass.
"Elena, we have to move," Christian said urgently, his eyes searching hers for any sign of hesitation. "The panic bunker is under the east wing, but the service tunnels lead out to the river. We take the tunnel."
"Why should I trust you?" Elena's voice was ice, though her eyes betrayed the panic of a mother protecting her child. "You signed my death warrant. You signed the papers to harvest my organs while I was still breathing!"
"I was drugged, Elena! Victoria had me sedated for three weeks after the crash report came in. I didn't know what I was signing!" Christian plead, reaching out to touch Leo's back. "Look at me! I spent three years dying inside because I thought you were gone! I swear to God on our son's life, I didn't know!"
A heavy explosion shook the ceiling above them, raining dust and plaster down on their heads. Leo woke up with a sharp cry, clinging to Elena's neck.
"Mommy! Bang! Loud!" Leo sobbed, trembling violently.
"I know, baby, Mommy's got you," Elena hushed him, her motherly instinct overriding years of bitterness. She looked at Christian, seeing the raw, unvarnished agony in his eyes. There was no corporate facade left. Just a broken father ready to die for them.
"If we survive this, you answer every single question," Elena said fiercely.
"Every single one," Christian promised. "Marcus, unlock the maintenance hatch! Leave Victoria strapped in that chair."
"Christian, you can't leave me here!" Victoria shrieked as Marcus slammed the heavy observation door shut, locking her inside the interrogation cell. "They won't check this room! They'll throw thermite grenades into the vents! Christian!"
Her screams were swallowed by the sound of another explosion upstairs as Christian led Elena through a narrow steel doorway behind the wine racks.
The service tunnel was damp, narrow, and lit only by Christian's tactical flashlight. The sound of boots stomping above them grew louder, accompanied by the rhythmic pops of silenced assault rifles taking down the perimeter guards.
"They're inside the house," Marcus whispered, taking the lead with his weapon raised. "They're moving room to room. Standard kill-and-clear protocol."
Suddenly, the steel hatch at the end of the tunnel groaned under the force of a hydraulic breaching tool.
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Sparks flew. The heavy door was kicked open from the outside, revealing three masked operatives in black tactical gear, night-vision goggles glowing green in the gloom.
"Target confirmed," the lead mercenary barked, raising his weapon straight at Elena and Leo. "Execute."
