Chapter 6 - The BreachBefore Elliot could process her words, the overhead kitchen light flickered once and died.
The house plunged into sudden, suffocating darkness, illuminated only by the pale streetlamp filtering through the living room windows.
"Get down," Naomi hissed, grabbing his sleeve with terrifying urgency.
From the front hallway came the sharp, unmistakable sound of splintering wood. The heavy oak front door was kicked off its hinges. Heavy footsteps thudded across the hardwood floor—rhythmic, disciplined, and moving with terrifying speed.
"They found us," Elliot breathed, adrenaline flooding his veins.
"Upstairs! In Bella's room!" Naomi whispered, pushing him toward the narrow stairwell.
They raced up the steps in the dark, moving with practiced stealth. Elliot’s heart hammered against his ribs. He wasn't the helpless corporate puppet he had been three years ago. The anger boiling inside him burned away every trace of hesitation.
They slipped into the small upstairs bedroom just as a flashlight beam cut across the hallway wall outside. Little Bella stirred in her crib, letting out a soft, frightened whimper.
Naomi rushed to the crib, scooping the toddler into her arms and holding her tight against her chest, hushing her with gentle, desperate murmurs.
The bedroom door clicked open.
A tall man in a dark tactical suit stepped into the room, a suppressed pistol leveled toward the bed. The red dot of a laser sight danced across the floral wallpaper.
"Mr. Rhodes," a cold, mechanical voice echoed from behind a dark balaclava. "Your father sends his regards. Hand over the key, and we make this quiet."
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Elliot stepped between the masked man and Naomi, his hands raised slightly, his jaw set like granite. "You touch them, and I swear to God I will burn the entire foundation to ash before the sun comes up."
The man chuckled darkly, tightening his grip on the weapon. "You don't have the stomach for it, Elliot. You never did."
