Chapter 7 - The Ambush at the Estate
"What have you done?!" David yelled, charging at Robert.
Robert swiftly drew a small, sleek black pistol from his coat holster and aimed it directly at David's chest. David stopped dead in his tracks.
"Don't be stupid, David," Robert warned coldly. "This house was designed by your father to keep the outside world out. Once the lockdown protocol is engaged from my master override tablet, no signal goes in or out. The cell towers are jammed. The fiber-optic line is cut."
Outside the steel shutters, we heard the heavy rumbles of multiple engines pulling up to the front courtyard.
"Arthur's men are already inside the perimeter," Robert continued, smiling sinisterly. "In ten minutes, they will breach the side service door. They will take Lily, retrieve the silver flash drive, and make sure that Thomas suffers a sudden, tragic 'heart failure' brought on by the stress of his scandal."
"And what about us?" Hannah sobbed, terrified. "What about me, Robert? I'm your wife!"
Robert looked at Hannah with cold indifference. "You will be the grieving daughter who inherits her father's company—under my guidance, of course. If you keep your mouth shut and do as you're told, you'll live a very comfortable life."
Hannah stared at him in utter horror, realizing that the man she had loved for eight years saw her as nothing more than an inheritance vehicle.
"You won't get away with this," Thomas said, standing tall despite his age, his hand gripping his cane tightly. "You forgot one thing, Robert."
Robert raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what is that?"
"You learned security from my textbooks," Thomas said softly. "But I wrote the system from scratch."
Without warning, Thomas struck his heavy wooden cane against the floor tiles directly beneath a hidden pressure sensor.
CLICK.
A high-frequency acoustic shockwave emitted from the ceiling speakers—a non-lethal defense system designed by Turner Smart Tech for high-risk home invasions. The agonizing, high-pitched screech echoed through the hall, violently disorienting anyone without protective ear protection.
"AGHHH!" Robert screamed, dropping his gun and clapping both hands over his ears, collapsing to his knees in sheer agony.
"NOW, DAVID!" Thomas yelled.
David dove forward, tackling Robert to the ground. The gun skittered across the polished floor. I rushed over and kicked the weapon far under the heavy mahogany sofa.
Meanwhile, Martha grab Lily and pushed her into the kitchen pantry, locking the door behind them to keep her safe.
Robert groaned, struggling against David, but David delivered a solid right hook to Robert's jaw, knocking him unconscious onto the cold marble floor.
Breathing heavily, David stood up and looked at his father. "Dad! The acoustic shockwave only bought us time! Arthur's men are still outside!"
"We need to get to the master control hub in the basement," Thomas said, coughing slightly as he gripped his chest. "I can manually override the lockdown and broadcast a distress signal to the police grid!"
Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the side of the house. The steel service door downstairs buckled under a heavy breach charge. Arthur's men had blown the lock.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the lower corridor.
"They're inside!" Hannah cried out in panic.
"David, take Nancy and Lily to Catherine's room!" Thomas commanded, pulling a emergency access keycard from his pocket and shoving it into David's hand. "It has reinforced walls and an independent power line! Lock yourselves in!"
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"I'm not leaving you, Dad!" David refused.
"You have to protect Lily and the code!" Thomas demanded, his voice filled with unquestionable authority. "This is Julian's legacy, David! It's the only way to save this family!"
