Chapter 6 - The Red Laser
The tiny crimson dot danced across the lapel of my father’s expensive designer suit before freezing dead center over his heart, casting a faint, baleful glow against his white shirt.
For a second, the universe seemed to compress into absolute silence. The ambient murmur of the ballroom cocktail party behind us—the clinking crystal, the polite laughter, the soft jazz piano—felt a million miles away.
“Dad, get down!” I shouted, releasing the contractor with a violent shove that sent him sprawling across the stone flags.
I lunged forward, catching my father by the shoulders and tackling him hard to the ground just as a high-velocity crack split the night air. A chunk of masonry exploded from the terrace wall right where his head had been a heartbeat before, showering us in sharp, grey dust.
My father let out a breathless gasp, his crystal glass shattering against the flagstones, spilling amber scotch across the concrete like liquid copper. His face turned the color of wet chalk, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly as he stared up at the starlit sky in total, paralyzed shock.
“What... what was that?” my father choked out, his hands clawing uselessly at my sleeves. “Maya... was that a—?”
“Sniper overwatch,” I hissed, keeping my body pressed flat against the stone alongside his, my eyes scanning the high roofline of the maintenance annex across the ravine. “Get inside, Dad. Now! Crawl if you have to!”
Across the patio, the contractor I had pinned earlier scrambled to his feet, clutching his bruised arm, and bolted toward the open terrace doors.
“Hey! Stop him!” a voice rang out from the doorway.
It was Daniel. He had stepped out onto the patio, holding his phone, his face twisted in annoyance until his eyes caught sight of the shattered glass, the smoking chip in the stonework, and his father lying flat on his back in the dirt.
“Dad? What on earth are you doing? Get up, you’re ruining your suit—!” Daniel started, taking a step forward.
“Daniel, hit the deck!” I roared.
Before my brother could even process the warning, another supersonic crack snapped overhead. The impact blew a heavy flowerpot apart beside the doorway, showering Daniel in ceramic shards and sending him tumbling backward into the ballroom with a terrified shriek.
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I didn't hesitate. I rolled across the patio, grabbed the heavy iron framework of a patio table, and dragged it over to shield my father as I pulled him up by the collar, dragging him backward through the shattered glass doors into the safety of the interior hallway.
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