Chapter 27 - Blood on the Marble
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Ten minutes felt like ten lifetimes.
I sat in the back of the silent Range Rover, staring at the glowing tactical monitors set up on Lucas's dashboard. On the screen, three green dots representing Ethan, Lena, and a second operative moved stealthily across the perimeter of the chateau.
Pop! Pop!
Suppressed gunshots echoed faintly through the rainy forest, barely audible over the sound of crashing waves against the cliffs.
On the screen, two of the red guard signatures vanished instantly.
"Perimeter clear," Lena's voice crackled through the comms radio on Lucas's shoulder. "Ethan is entering the main foyer now."
I gripped the edge of the leather seat so hard my knuckles turned blue. "Lucas, talk to me. What's happening inside?"
"Ethan just breached the second-floor library," Lucas reported, his eyes glued to the thermal scanner. "He's face-to-face with Vaughn."
Suddenly, static burst through the radio speaker, followed by the muffled sound of shouting!
"You couldn't let it go, could you, Carter?!" Andrew’s voice screamed through the comms, distorted and hysterical. "You had to come all the way to France to play the hero!"
"Drop the gun, Andrew," Ethan’s cold, unyielding voice replied over the feed. "It's over."
"It's never over!" Andrew shrieked. "Ava belongs to me! Her mind, her research, her soul—I built her!"
"She belongs to no one," Ethan growled. "Especially not a coward who hides behind women."
A loud, shattering crash echoed over the radio, followed by the frantic sound of physical struggle—heavy furniture overturning, glass breaking, and the dull thud of fists against flesh!
"Ethan!" I screamed, unable to control myself.
"Ava, sit back!" Lucas warned, reaching back to grab my arm.
BANG!
A loud, unsuppressed gunshot tore through the radio feed!
Then... absolute silence.
The comms channel went dead.
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"Ethan!" I shrieked, pulling my arm free from Lucas's grip. I grabbed a flashlight from the floorboard, kicked open the Range Rover door, and bolted into the freezing rain toward the chateau!
"Ava! Stop!" Lucas yelled, scrambling out of the vehicle behind me, but I didn't stop. Fear gave me wings, driving me across the muddy lawn, past the fallen guards, and through the shattered front doors of the villa.
