Chapter 10 - The Assassin
The thunderstorm from the previous night returned with a vengeance, wrapping the Sterling estate in darkness and heavy rain. Julian had tripled the security, but Vanguard didn't hire amateurs.
At 2:00 AM, the power to the entire estate was abruptly cut. The emergency generators, sabotaged from the outside, failed to kick in. The mansion plunged into pitch blackness.
Julian instantly woke up. His military training from his younger years kicked in. He pulled a suppressed handgun from the biometric safe under the bed and turned to Clara, who was already trembling.
"Hide in the panic room," Julian whispered, pressing his thumb to a concealed panel in the wall. A steel door slid open. "Do not come out unless you hear my voice."
Clara nodded, her eyes wide with terror, and slipped inside. The heavy door sealed shut behind her, rendering her completely invisible.
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Julian stepped out into the dark hallway. The silence was deafening, broken only by the crashing thunder outside. Then, he heard it. A faint squeak of rubber on the hardwood floor downstairs. Someone had bypassed the perimeter guards.
Julian moved like a ghost, descending the back staircase. In the faint flashes of lightning, he spotted a figure dressed in tactical black, moving silently toward the main breaker box. The assassin wasn't here to rob the place. He was here to finish Isabella’s dirty work. He was here to kill Clara.
