Chapter 6 - Whispers of Betrayal
The victory at the gala was short-lived. The next morning, the estate’s primary security perimeter was breached not from the outside, but from within.
Joan was in the east wing conservatory, helping Betty pack a small box of belongings for a weekend trip to a secure safehouse in Vermont, when the estate’s emergency sirens began to shriek—a high-pitched, deafening wail that shattered the quiet morning.
"Joan! What is that?" Betty cried, throwing her arms around Joan’s waist.
"It’s okay, sweetie. Remember the game we practiced?" Joan said, her voice remaining perfectly calm despite the adrenaline flooding her system. She pulled the small silver handgun Gideon had taught her to use from her waistband. "We go to the library. Right now."
They ran through the grand corridors, the red emergency lights along the baseboards flashing violently. When they reached the library, the hidden vault door was already open. Standing inside, his hands frantically typing codes into the master server console, was Marcus.
Joan froze in the doorway, the gun raised, her hands steady. "Marcus? What are you doing?"
Marcus spun around, his face pale, a flash drive gripped in his hand. He looked at Joan, then at Betty, a expression of pure desperation in his eyes. "Joan... you don't understand. They have my son. Aldis Pike intercepted his school bus this morning. He told me if I don't download the estate’s biometric override codes, they’ll send him back to me in pieces."
"You betrayed Gideon," Joan whispered, her heart dropping into her stomach. The most trusted operative, the man who managed their daily survival, had opened the gates.
"I’m a father, Joan!" Marcus screamed, tears streaming down his face. "Just like Gideon! I can't let my boy die!"
Suddenly, the heavy glass windows of the library shattered inward as a tear gas canister exploded on the rug, filling the room with thick, white choking smoke.
"Down, Betty!" Joan roared, throwing her body over the little girl as the sound of heavy boots echoed from the terrace outside.
Through the smoke, three men in tactical gear with the Vance Cartel insignia burst through the broken windows, their weapons raised. Marcus tried to reach for his gun, but one of the intruders shot him square in the chest, dropping the older operative to the floor.
Joan didn't hesitate. She fired twice, the heavy report of the silver handgun echoing loudly in the enclosed space. The first bullet struck the lead intruder in the shoulder, forcing him back, but before she could fire again, a heavy boot slammed into her wrist, sending her weapon skittering across the marble floor.
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A rough hand grabbed her by the hair, lifting her off Betty. Standing over her, his face covered in a black balaclava, was Aldis Pike.
"Well, well," Pike hissed, his voice muffled by the mask. "The pretty little waitress. Victor Vance is finished, but I still have a contract to fulfill. Take the kid. Kill the woman."
