CHAPTER 7 — THE FALL OF THE SHADOW COUNCIL
CHAPTER 7 — THE FALL OF THE SHADOW COUNCIL
The lights died.
For one terrifying second, the mansion disappeared into complete darkness.
Then emergency generators roared to life.
Red security lights flooded the hallways, bathing the estate in a crimson glow that made everyone look like ghosts.
Another scream echoed from upstairs.
Marco drew his pistol instantly.
"Nobody moves Claire."
Four bodyguards surrounded her in a defensive circle.
The Council members looked at one another uneasily.
If someone had managed to cut the power inside the most heavily guarded estate in Boston, it meant the enemy already had people inside.
A security officer sprinted into the dining room.
"Boss!"
Marco didn't turn.
"Report."
"The surveillance system has been hacked."
"By whom?"
"We don't know."
"But someone unlocked every exterior gate."
Before anyone could react, explosions thundered outside.
The windows shook violently.
Claire rushed toward one of them.
Black smoke was rising from the front entrance.
Three security vehicles burned in the driveway.
Gunfire erupted from every direction.
Marco's expression hardened.
"This wasn't a police raid."
Julian laughed quietly from where he remained handcuffed.
"I warned you."
Marco looked at him.
"You knew."
Julian nodded.
"The Council invited Detective Hayes."
One elderly councilman immediately stood.
"That's absurd!"
Julian ignored him.
"They promised him enough money to disappear after tonight."
Claire stared in disbelief.
"The detective who investigated my disappearance..."
"...was working for them."
Marco finally understood.
No wonder Claire had never been found.
Every search warrant...
Every witness interview...
Every piece of evidence...
Had been buried from the very beginning.
The front doors exploded inward.
Armed men wearing tactical gear flooded into the entrance hall.
Detective Richard Hayes walked calmly behind them.
He wasn't carrying a police badge anymore.
Only a rifle.
He smiled at Claire.
"I've been looking for you."
Marco stepped forward.
"You picked the wrong house."
Hayes smiled.
"No."
"I picked the right heir."
Without warning, one of the Council members pulled a hidden pistol and aimed it—not at Marco—
—but at Claire.
"You should have stayed buried."
The shot rang out.
Marco threw himself between them.
The bullet tore through his shoulder.
He stumbled but remained standing.
Claire caught him before he fell.
Blood soaked through his white shirt.
"Marco!"
"I'm fine."
He wasn't.
But he refused to go down.
His bodyguards opened fire.
The Grand Hall erupted into chaos.
Council members scrambled for cover.
Several confessed their allegiance instantly.
Others fought beside Hayes.
Within minutes, the mansion had become a battlefield.
Hayes reached Claire first.
He grabbed her arm.
"You come with me."
Claire reacted on instinct.
Months of emergency-room training returned in an instant.
She drove her elbow into his throat.
Hayes staggered backward.
Marco fired once.
The bullet struck Hayes in the leg.
He collapsed.
Federal sirens suddenly echoed from beyond the estate walls.
Hayes looked genuinely shocked.
"What?"
Marco smiled through the pain.
"I called them the moment I found Claire."
More than fifty federal agents surrounded the mansion.
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Escape was impossible.
The Shadow Council had finally run out of places to hide.
