PART 5: Shadows at the Gates
PART 5: Shadows at the Gates
Underworld enemies test the new alliance.
The fragile peace of the estate was shattered at 3:14 a.m.
A sharp, piercing klaxon wailed through the reinforced walls of the study, accompanied by the flashing red strobe lights of the automated security grid.
Vance burst through the door, his hand already resting on the grip of a suppressed automatic pistol tucked into his belt.
“Boss! We’ve got movement on the southern perimeter!” Vance barked. “Two vehicles breached the outer gate sensor. They’re professional—cut the power grid lines to the guest wing.”
My blood ran cold.
The North Side syndicate hadn't wasted a single day testing the strength of my new alliance.
They thought bringing Emma into my house was a sign of weakness—a public spectacle they could exploit to strike at my heart while my guard was down.
“Get Emma to the panic room in the basement,” I ordered, my voice hardening into pure, lethal steel as I pulled my own custom firearm from the desk holster.
“No,” Emma’s voice rang out clearly from the doorway.
She had rushed down the stairs at the sound of the alarm, her eyes wide with adrenaline, refusing to cower or hide.
“Emma, this is my world,” I snapped, stepping toward her. “You stay in the safe room—”
“I am a Carter,” she interrupted, her voice carrying a fierce, unexpected authority that silenced the room. “My sister survived your world, and I am not going to hide in a hole while someone tries to burn it down around us. If we are bound by an oath now, Preston, we face it together.”
Vance looked at me, raising an eyebrow as if asking for final instructions.
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I stared at Emma for a fraction of a second, seeing the exact same fire that had once convinced Serena to defy her family and marry me against all odds.
“Vance,” I commanded, locking the slide of my firearm into place. “Give her a vest and a secure comms earpiece. Let’s go show these bastards what happens when you wake the Hale empire.”
