Chapter 17 - The Siege of the Sanctuary"Chloe, take Leo into the panic room right now," Eleanor commanded in a sharp, quiet whisper, her voice leaving no room for argument.
"Mommy, what's happening?" Chloe whimpered, grabbing Leo’s hand.
"Do as I say, sweetheart! Go!" Eleanor urged, pulling a heavy brass fireplace poker from the hearth as she stepped toward the landing.
Downstairs, a shadowy figure dressed in black tactical gear glided silently through the dark dining room. It was Marcus Miller, holding a suppressed handgun, his eyes fixed on the grand staircase. His instructions were clear: leave no witnesses, make it look like a high-stakes home invasion gone wrong, and ensure Julian’s offshore accounts remained unthreatened by a living heir.
As Marcus reached the foot of the stairs, Eleanor didn't run. She stood at the top, her eyes burning with a mother’s lethal determination.
She knocked a massive bronze vase off the marble pedestal at the landing, sending it crashing down the stairs directly into Marcus’s chest. The sudden impact threw him off balance, sending him tumbling backward onto the marble floor.
"Run!" Eleanor screamed to the children.
Marcus scrambled to his feet, growling with rage as he raised his weapon toward her. But before he could pull the trigger, the heavy front doors burst open with explosive force.
Detective Sarah Lin and four armed tactical officers swept into the foyer, their laser sights painting Marcus's chest in crimson dots.
"FEDDERAL AGENTS! DROP THE WEAPON!" Detective Lin thundered.
Marcus hesitated for a fraction of a second before dropping the gun to the shattered glass on the floor, raising his hands into the air.
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Detective Lin had put a covert intercept order on Julian's legal team three days earlier, tracking Marcus's movements the moment he attempted to access the Cayman accounts.
Eleanor sank to her knees on the stairs, her breath coming in ragged gasps, as the officers pinned the assassin to the floor.
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