Chapter 5 - The Perimeter Lock
The doors of the four matte-black SUVs slammed open simultaneously. Twelve men in tactical black uniforms, unbranded plate carriers, and tactical headsets poured out of the vehicles with disciplined, terrifying precision. They moved not like civilian guards, but like a private military unit responding to an active war zone.
Within thirty seconds, tactical operators positioned themselves at every exit point of the estate—the main iron gates, the side garden paths, and the perimeter stone walls.
Guest shrieks echoed across the lawn as white silk tents were bypassed and champagne glasses were knocked over in the panic.
"Nobody leaves," Marcus ordered into his radio, his gaze fixed on the front facade of the main house. "Lock down the perimeter. No vehicles in or out until I give the word."
"Copy that, Commander," a voice crackled through his earpiece. "Perimeter sealed. Primary house exits secured."
Inside the living room, Julian had managed to drag himself up to his feet. Standing at the window, he watched the scene on the lawn unfold in absolute horror. He saw the black SUVs blocking his sports cars in the driveway, the armed men fanning out across the grounds, and Marcus standing in the center of the driveway like a storm incarnate.
Julian's breath hitched. He had known Marcus Vance was a wealthy man who owned a private security firm, but he had naively believed Marcus was just another corporate executive—a man who worked behind desks and signed contracts. He had never seen the shadow of the commander Marcus used to be.
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Panicked, Julian stumbled back into the hallway, searching desperately for another way out. He reached for his pocket, pulling out his car keys, his fingers shaking so badly he dropped them twice onto the hardwood floor.
He needed to get to the server room in the basement. He needed to delete the security feeds before Marcus’s men secured the house. And more than anything, he needed to get his hands on Clara’s cracked phone.
