Chapter 9 - The Fire in the Hearth
The second operator rolled off the porch into the rhododendron bushes, returning fire in a rapid three-round burst that shattered the remaining glass in the front window. Plaster dust rained down from the ceiling as bullets chewed through the Victorian woodwork.
Jax dropped low, ducking beneath the windowsill as a flash-bang grenade arced through the broken frame, bouncing twice across the hardwood floor.
"FLASHOVER!" Jax roared, turning his face to the wall and closing his eyes.
A blinding white light burst through the living room, followed by a concussive shockwave that rattled the river-stone fireplace. The door burst open. The second operator stepped through the smoke, his rifle raised to sweep the room.
Before he could center his sight, Knox materialized from the dark kitchen hallway like a specter. His massive hand locked around the operator's weapon, twisting the barrel upward into the ceiling while his right fist struck the man’s throat with the force of a sledgehammer. The operator dropped to his knees, gasping for air, as Knox swept his legs out and pinned him to the floor.
"Room cleared!" Knox shouted, wiping plaster dust from his forehead.
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From the cellar stairs, Eleanor stepped up into the hazy light, holding a compact 9mm pistol in her right hand, her expression entirely unbothered by the smoke.
"That's four of four," she said, looking at the two unconscious men on her floor. "The perimeter is secure."
