Chapter 5 - Betrayal at the Penthouse
The lights in the penthouse suddenly flickered and died, plunging the luxury suite into eerie darkness, illuminated only by the distant red glow of emergency backup lights and the flashes of lightning outside.
"Move!" Gabriel barked, his voice instantly dropping all warmth, reverting back to the cold commander.
In a single fluid motion, he pulled a suppressed pistol from beneath his armpit and grabbed Norah by the wrist, shoving her behind his back.
The glass wall of the living room violently shattered inward as tactical explosives detonated on the balcony. Shards of heavy glass rained down like ice.
Four men in black tactical gear and night-vision goggles swung into the room on ropes, automatic weapons raised.
"Protect the girl!" Gabriel roared to Leo.
Guns erupted in the enclosed space. The thunderous roar of automatic fire echoed off the high ceilings. Gabriel didn't flinch. He fired three precise shots into the smoke; two of the invaders crumpled to the floor instantly.
Leo engaged the third man in a brutal, hand-to-hand struggle near the dining table, using his massive frame to drive a heavy brass lamp through the assassin's visor.
Norah crouched behind the thick marble kitchen island, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. This wasn't the quiet violence of the Narrows; this was an armed assault.
Gabriel backed toward the kitchen, firing controlled bursts to suppress the incoming fire. A bullet ricocheted off the marble counter just inches from Norah’s head, spraying dust into her hair.
"Gabriel!" she screamed.
He glanced down at her, his dark eyes ablaze with cold fury. "Stay down!"
Suddenly, the kitchen side-door opened. Another assassin stepped out from the private elevator—a man wearing the uniform of Gabriel’s internal security detail.
It wasn't just an attack from the outside. It was an inside job.
"Gabriel, look out!" Norah yelled.
Without thinking, she grabbed the heavy cast-iron Dutch oven from the stove—the very pot she used to make the stew—and swung it with all the strength in her body.
The iron pot collided with the side of the traitorous guard's head with a sickening crunch. The man dropped his submachine gun and collapsed, unconscious.
Gabriel turned, saw the traitor on the floor, and immediately put a bullet through the man’s vest to ensure he was neutralized. He looked at Norah, who was still holding the iron pot, panting heavily, her knuckles white.
"Remind me never to get on your bad side," Gabriel said, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward a hidden panel behind the wine cellar.
"Where are we going?" she gasped as the sound of more footsteps echoed down the hallway.
"The service tunnel," Gabriel said, hitting a keypad. "The penthouse is lost. Vince threw everything he had at this."
As the hidden door slid open, Leo stumbled toward them, clutching a severe gunshot wound to his chest.
"Go... boss," Leo wheezed, coughing up blood. "I’ll blow the gas lines. Buy you time."
"Leo, no," Gabriel said, his voice cracking slightly.
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"You gotta finish this, Gabriel," Leo grunted, forcing a bloody smile as he held up a tactical detonator. "She’s a good cook. Keep her safe."
Gabriel squeezed his old friend's shoulder once, a silent farewell forged in twenty years of blood and loyalty. He pulled Norah into the dark stairwell just as the doors sealed shut, followed seconds later by a deep, rumbling explosion that shook the entire skyscraper.
