Chapter 32 - The Captured Mercenary
Before the main assault could begin, Arthur noticed that the third assassin—the one Emily had shot—was still breathing. The bullet had struck the edge of his trauma plate, incapacitating him but leaving him conscious.
Arthur hauled the wounded mercenary up by the collar of his tactical vest and dragged him ruthlessly into the basement of the villa. He tossed the man onto the concrete floor under the harsh glare of a single, swinging incandescent bulb.
Emily and Sarah rushed downstairs to meet him. Emily looked at the bleeding man writhing on the floor, feeling absolutely zero pity. She had exhausted her capacity for mercy three years ago.
"Who is coordinating the assault?" Arthur demanded, stepping hard onto the man's wounded shoulder.
The mercenary screamed in agony, spitting blood onto the concrete. "Go to hell! You're dead anyway! Victor has fifty men waiting outside!"
Arthur drew his pistol, aiming it directly at the man's knee. "I asked you a question. And I don't ask twice."
"Wait," Emily said, stepping forward. She crouched down until she was eye-level with the terrified mercenary. Her expression was completely void of emotion, a cold, terrifying mask of absolute control.
"Listen to me very carefully," Emily whispered, her voice slicing through the damp basement air. "Victor Sterling thinks he is a god. But he sent you over that wall to die while he sits safely in the back of a luxury van. If you die for him tonight, he won't even remember your name tomorrow. Give me his operational frequency, and I will let you walk out the back door and disappear into the city. Refuse, and my father will shatter every joint in your body before he puts a bullet in your head."
The mercenary stared into Emily's eyes and saw the undeniable truth. She wasn't bluffing. She was a survivor who had lost all fear of the dark.
"Channel four," the mercenary choked out, his chest heaving. "Encrypted frequency 442.8. He... he is commanding from a mobile heavily armored command center down the street."
Emily stood up, looking at Arthur. "Tie him up. Let's tap into their comms."
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Sarah immediately pulled a portable radio scanner from her gear bag, tuning it to the exact frequency the mercenary had provided. The static cleared, and suddenly, the cold, arrogant voice of Victor Sterling filled the basement.
"Prepare the thermal breaching charges for the main gate," Victor commanded his troops. "I want the father dead. I want the girl brought to me alive."
