Chapter 5 - The Approaching Storm
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Adrian recovered quickly. Arrogant men almost always mistake a temporary delay in their punishment for proof that they are still fully in control of the room.
“Dogs?” he snapped, letting go of my hair to step backward. He let out a harsh, incredulous laugh. “You honestly think a pack of stray dogs is going to save you from this?”
The massive library doors were firmly closed and locked from the inside, but I didn't need to see them to know what was happening just on the other side.
I could hear the distinct, terrifying sound of heavy claws spreading across the polished oak floorboards in the hallway. They weren't charging wildly. They weren't barking in a chaotic frenzy.
They were pacing. Waiting. Breathing heavily through their noses, sniffing the air directly beneath the crack of the door.
These weren't family pets. They were elite, military-grade Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherds, imported and trained exclusively for high-threat containment, not mindless attack. They moved like a synchronized tactical unit, communicating through low, vibrational rumbles in their chests.
Adrian didn’t know that. And neither did the three hired mercenaries he had brought into my home.
Suddenly, a voice echoed from down the hall—one of the men who had been stationed by the front entrance.
“Hey! What the—get back! Get the hell back!”
A second, deeper voice cursed violently. Then came the unmistakable, heavy metallic crash of someone dropping a firearm onto the marble floor in pure, unadulterated panic.
Inside the library, Marissa stopped pacing. Her high heels went dead silent.
“Adrian…” she whispered, her voice trembling violently. “Adrian, what is out there?”
“Shut up, Marissa!” he barked, his bravado rapidly crumbling at the edges.
May you like
He lunged forward, grabbing my chin with a sweaty, shaking hand. He yanked my face upward.
“You call them off right now,” he threatened, his breath hot against my face. “You call them off, or I swear to God, your parents die in that basement right now.”
