Chapter 17 - Gunfire in the Ruins
The tension in the charred library was suffocating. Evie stood perfectly still, the tactical flashlight trembling slightly in her hand, illuminating the three heavily armed Vanguard operatives. They moved with the terrifying, synchronized precision of military veterans, fanning out to eliminate any possible crossfire angles.
"I won't ask twice, Detective," the lead operative, a tall man with mirrored sunglasses despite the gloom of the dawn, stated calmly. "Put the titanium box on the ground, kick it over to me, and you all get to walk out of these ashes alive."
"I highly doubt that," Thorne replied, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. He slowly lowered the heavy orange box to the soot-covered floor, but he kept his hand hovering dangerously close to his holstered weapon. "Vanguard doesn't leave witnesses. Especially not a police detective and the girl who just put your best hitman, Silas, in the intensive care unit."
The lead operative chuckled, a cold, humorless sound. "Silas got sloppy. He underestimated a terrified child. We won't make the same mistake. Kick the box."
Thorne looked at Arthur, offering a microscopic, almost imperceptible nod.
"Now!" Thorne roared.
Arthur grabbed the heavy, scorched brick that Thorne had pulled from the fireplace and hurled it violently at the operative on the right. The brick struck the man squarely in the chest, knocking him off balance just as he pulled the trigger. The shotgun blast went wild, obliterating a remaining section of the brick wall into a cloud of red dust.
Thorne drew his service weapon with lightning speed, dropping to one knee. He fired two precise, rapid shots, hitting the lead operative in the shoulder and forcing him to dive behind a collapsed support beam for cover.
"Run, Evie!" Arthur shouted, grabbing her arm and shoving her toward the rear exit of the library.
Gunfire erupted through the ruins, the deafening cracks echoing like thunder across the empty estate. Evie sprinted blindly through the smoke and ash, dragging the heavy black box she had scooped up from the floor during the initial chaos. Bullets whizzed past her head, shattering the remaining stained-glass windows of the conservatory.
She dove behind the shattered remains of a massive marble fountain in the center of the ruined courtyard, gasping for air. Arthur collapsed next to her, clutching his side. A stray bullet had grazed his ribs, staining his shirt a dark, horrifying red.
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"I'm fine," Arthur hissed through gritted teeth, seeing the panic in her eyes. "Protect the box. Without it, your father walks free."
Thorne was engaged in a brutal, suppressive firefight in the library, preventing the operatives from advancing into the courtyard. But he was vastly outgunned, and his ammunition was severely limited. They needed a miracle, or they were all going to die in the ashes of the Vance estate.
