Chapter 10 - The Knock on the Iron Gates
The sound of shattering glass tore through the quiet evening air of the library.
Daniel froze, his hands releasing mine as his instincts as a protector instantly flared back to life. Before he could stand up, the security monitor on the mahogany desk began flashing a rapid, blinking crimson alert.
Perimeter breach. Main security gate compromised.
“Stay here, Emma,” Daniel whispered fiercely, standing up and pulling a heavy brass fireplace poker from the stand near the hearth before moving swiftly toward the library doors.
“No! Don't leave me!” I cried out, scrambling off the sofa and following him closely as he stepped out into the dimly lit upstairs hallway.
Below us, in the grand marble foyer, the heavy front double doors stood wide open to the cold night air. Heavy footsteps crunched across the shattered glass of the entryway table.
Three figures in dark, unmarked tactical uniforms stepped into the foyer, their weapons drawn and leveled upward toward the grand staircase. But they weren't state welfare officers or local police. They wore black body armor without insignia, carrying heavy-duty breaching tools.
“Daniel Anderson!” a harsh, distorted voice echoed up the stairwell from a megaphone-like device. “Step out with the child now! You’re harboring federal assets under illegal jurisdiction!”
Daniel positioned himself in front of me on the landing, raising the heavy brass poker like a club, his breathing steady and dangerous. “You have exactly five seconds to drop your weapons and get off my property before my private security detail turns this entire courtyard into a shooting gallery!”
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One of the armed men in the foyer lowered his megaphone, chuckling darkly. He tapped his comms headset and spoke into the radio, loud enough for us to hear every word across the open hall:
“Target acquired at the primary residence. The CEO thinks he bought a federal judge. Tell the syndicate principal that Phase Two is a go.”
