Chapter 2 - Blood in the Dark
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The second intruder hit the hardwood floor with a dull thud. His weapon skidded under the nightstand.
The third man—clearly the commander of the breach team—didn't panic. He abandoned his rifle, drawing a heavy combat knife from his chest rig. He knew gunshots, even suppressed ones, created light and noise that risked bringing the rest of the estate down on them.
"Who trained you?" the commander snarled, stepping over his fallen teammate. "The Ferrantes don't hire military field operators for elder care."
"Twenty-eight dollars an hour doesn't cover interrogations," Marin said flatly.
She clicked the high-powered penlight in her hand directly into his eyes. The blinding beam of pure white LED light hit his dilated pupils in the pitch darkness, instantly scorching his vision.
He swung the knife blindly, cutting through the sleeve of Marin's scrubs. Blood bloomed hot against her skin, but she didn't flinch. Pain was just data.
Marin pivoted inside his guard, grabbing his knife wrist with both hands and driving her knee viciously into his groin. As he bent over, she wrapped her arm around his throat in a tight, mechanical rear-naked choke.
"You have six seconds before your brain starves of oxygen," Marin whispered into his ear, her grip tightening like iron. "Tell me who shut off the main generator."
The commander thrashed, his combat boots scraping wildly against the rug. He reached up, trying to break her grip, but her form was flawless—built on instincts forged long before she ever wore a blue uniform.
"Valenti..." he gasped out, his air supply cut to zero. "Valenti opened the gate..."
His body went limp in her arms. Marin held the choke for two more seconds to ensure unconsciousness, then let him drop to the floor like a sack of lead.
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In the bed, Adelaide let out a slow, steady breath. "You're bleeding, Marin."
Marin pulled a roll of medical tape from her pocket and wrapped her arm tightly. "It's just a surface cut. Lie still, Adelaide. The house guards will be here in three minutes."
