Chapter 18 - The Syndicate's Shadow
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An hour after Sebastian left with Gabriel and his elite strike team, the lights in the estate flickered, then died completely.
Clare sat up in the darkness. The emergency backup generators didn't kick on. The security monitors in the hallway went black. A terrifying, heavy silence fell over the massive house.
“Mom?” Oliver’s voice trembled from the couch. His filtration machine was beeping, running on its internal battery.
“It’s okay, baby,” Clare whispered, grabbing a heavy brass lamp from the bedside table. “Stay quiet.”
Someone had bypassed the security. The realization hit her like a physical blow. Romano being cornered at the docks was a diversion. He had sent a hit squad directly to the house while Sebastian was gone. A rat on the inside had cut the power.
Footsteps echoed on the marble staircase outside their suite. Heavy, tactical boots.
Clare rushed to the door, throwing the deadbolt just as someone tested the handle. A muffled curse came from the hallway.
“Blow the lock,” a gruff voice ordered outside.
Clare’s heart stopped. She ran to Oliver, scooping him into her arms. “We have to hide. Now.”
She dragged him into the massive walk-in closet, shoving him behind a row of heavy winter coats. “Do not make a sound, Ollie. No matter what you hear. Promise me.”
“I promise,” the boy cried silently.
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Clare gripped the heavy brass lamp, standing beside the closet door. She wasn't a mafia soldier. She was a physical therapist. But she was also a mother, and she was in love with a man who had taught her how to fight. She raised the weapon, ready to die to protect her son.
A massive explosion blew the bedroom door off its hinges.
