Chapter 6: The Lockdown
Chapter 6: The Lockdown
Ethan didn't wait for dusk to fall. The moment Rosa refused to answer him, his instincts—the very same ruthless, predatory instincts that made him an unstoppable force in the boardroom—kicked in. Something was horribly, fundamentally wrong. The fear he saw in Rosa's eyes wasn't just about the scandal of a secret child; it was a primal, mortal terror.
He marched to the master control panel hidden behind a bookshelf in his study. With a few rapid keystrokes, he initiated the estate's Omega Protocol. Massive steel shutters slammed down over the mansion's towering windows, sealing them off from the outside world. The heavy security doors locked with a resounding, electromagnetic thud.
He walked to a biometric safe concealed behind a Renaissance painting, pressed his thumb to the scanner, and pulled out a customized, suppressed Heckler & Koch USP. He racked the slide, the mechanical click grounding him.
Vanessa walked into the study, feigning confusion, her eyes wide. "Ethan? What on earth is happening? Why are the shutters down? Is there a threat?"
"Pack a bag," Ethan commanded, checking his spare magazines and slipping them into his jacket. "We're leaving. I'm taking Rosa and the child with us to the safe house."
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Vanessa's eyes flashed with a sudden, dangerous light. The sweet façade dropped entirely. "I don't think so, Ethan."
Before he could react or raise his weapon, the power to the entire estate was abruptly cut. The hum of the climate control died. Plunged into total, suffocating darkness, the true nightmare began.
