Chapter 4 - The Shattered Glass
The assault on Sterling Manor began at 2:00 AM.
The thunder outside was drowned out by the sudden, deafening BOOM of an explosive breaching charge detonating at the estate’s heavy iron perimeter gates.
Inside the second-floor guest suite, Megan pressed herself against the wall beside the curtained window. Down on the vast stone driveway, headlights slashed through the heavy rain. Three black armored SUVs smashed through the ruined gates, tires screeching against wet asphalt.
Automatic gunfire shattered the night air.
TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK!
Muzzle flashes lit up the dark courtyard in strobe-like bursts. From the upper balconies of the manor, Lucian’s guards returned fire with disciplined, military precision, heavy suppressed rounds thudding into the armored plating of the invading vehicles.
Megan clutched her hands over her mouth, her heart hammering wildly.
She saw Lucian step out onto the grand stone terrace directly below her window. He wore a long dark trench coat over his white shirt, holding a heavy matte-black pistol in his hand. He moved through the gunfire with terrifying, majestic composure, firing precise, controlled shots that dropped two advancing hitmen before they could reach the main steps.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the rear corridor of the second floor.
Megan spun around. Glass shattered in the adjoining balcony doors of her suite.
A tall man wearing a dark tactical vest and a ski mask burst through the broken glass, holding a silenced submachine gun!
"There she is!" the man barked into his shoulder radio, lunging forward to grab Megan by her sweater.
Megan didn't freeze.
Four years of living in fear had taught her how to react to danger. Instead of screaming, she grabbed the heavy brass teapot off the side table and swung it with all her strength!
CLANG!
The boiling tea and heavy brass struck the hitman square across his face mask. He roared in pain, stumbling backward, his gun firing a wild burst into the plaster ceiling.
"You crazy bitch!" the hitman yelled, wiping scalding tea from his eyes as he lunged for her again.
Megan scrambled toward the main suite door, but a second hitman stepped into the hallway, blocking her escape. She was trapped between the broken balcony and the locked door.
"Croft wants her alive!" the second hitman yelled, reaching out with thick, leather-gloved hands to seize her wrists. "Grab her!"
"Get your hands off her!"
A voice roared through the corridor like a thunderbolt.
The heavy oak door was kicked completely off its hinges, flying inward and crushing the second hitman against the wall.
Lucian Sterling burst into the room.
His trench coat was wet with rain, his face splashed with dark blood that wasn't his own. His gray eyes were filled with a wild, primordial rage that made the room temperature plunge into sub-zero ice.
The remaining hitman raised his submachine gun, but Lucian crossed the room in the blink of an eye.
He grabbed the hitman’s weapon by the barrel, twisting it upward as a spray of bullets tore through the ceiling. With his other hand, Lucian grabbed the hitman by his throat, lifted him clean off his feet, and slammed him backward out through the shattered balcony glass!
The hitman screamed as he fell two stories down into the courtyard below.
Silence descended upon the room, save for the howling wind whipping through the broken balcony doors and the heavy, ragged breathing of Lucian Sterling.
Lucian turned slowly.
He looked at Megan, standing beside the overturned tea tray, her hair wild, her breathing fast, holding a broken chair leg like a club.
His eyes scanned her from head to toe, checking every inch of her body for injuries.
"Are you hurt?" Lucian demanded, his deep voice trembling slightly—not with fear, but with intense, raw adrenaline and protective rage.
"I... I hit him with the teapot," Megan gasped out, her hands shaking so hard she dropped the wooden chair leg onto the rug.
Lucian stepped across the broken glass, closing the distance between them. He didn't hesitate this time. He reached out, his large, warm hands coming up to gently cup her face, his thumbs wiping a smattering of dust from her cheek.
"You fought back," Lucian whispered, a fierce, glowing pride illuminating his gray eyes. "You beautiful, brilliant girl. You fought back."
Megan looked up into his face—at the dark blood on his jaw, the rain in his dark hair, and the intense, absolute devotion shining in his eyes. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel small. She didn't feel flawed. She felt seen.
"Lucian..." she breathed, resting her hands against his broad, wet chest.
Before he could answer, Valentina appeared at the shattered doorway, holding an assault rifle, her face pale.
"Lucian! Croft isn't at the gates!" Valentina shouted over the wind. "The breach was a distraction! Croft’s main team just landed by boat at the North Bay docks on her grandfather’s old land! They’re burning the public records office to destroy the land titles!"
Lucian’s jaw set into iron. He looked down at Megan, his grip on her face tightening gently.
"It’s time to end this," Lucian said.
"I'm coming with you," Megan stated firmly, her dark eyes flashing with an unyielding fire that surprised even herself.
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Lucian stared at her for a second, then a dark, magnificent smile broke across his face.
"Get her a coat," Lucian ordered Valentina. "The girl comes with us."
