Chapter 7 - The Garden Ambush.
Elena pressed the emergency button on her radio, whispering quickly into the microphone.
"David, there is an armed intruder near the greenhouse, he is cutting the security wires right now," Elena reported with absolute precision.
"Do not move, Elena. Stay completely hidden in the shadows. We are coming to you immediately," David replied through the earpiece.
The heavily armed mercenary finished cutting the wires, pulling a long, silenced pistol from his tactical belt.
He began moving silently toward the back entrance of the mansion, his eyes scanning the dark garden for any movement.
Elena crouched perfectly still behind a large row of rose bushes, holding her breath as the killer walked within inches of her hiding spot.
Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the garden as the mercenary stepped on a dry, broken branch.
He instantly spun around, aiming his weapon directly at the rose bushes where Elena was hiding.
Before the killer could pull the trigger, David leaped from the balcony above, landing squarely on the mercenary's back with crushing force.
The two men crashed heavily into the dirt, fighting brutally for control of the deadly silenced weapon.
The mercenary threw a vicious punch, striking David hard across the jaw and momentarily stunning the security chief.
The killer aimed the gun at David's chest, preparing to fire a fatal shot.
Without a single second of hesitation, Elena grabbed a heavy, solid clay planting pot from a nearby table.
She swung the heavy pot with all of her strength, smashing it violently against the back of the mercenary's head.
The assassin completely collapsed to the ground, unconscious before he even hit the grass.
David groaned and sat up, wiping a small trickle of blood from his bruised mouth.
"You saved my life, Elena. You are completely fearless," David panted heavily, quickly zip-tying the killer's wrists together.
Mark came running out of the back doors, holding a shotgun and searching frantically for Elena in the dark.
When he saw her standing safely next to the subdued killer, he dropped the weapon and pulled her into a desperate, crushing hug.
"I thought I lost you," Mark whispered into her hair, his heart pounding wildly against his chest.
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Elena wrapped her arms around him, finally realizing that their intense bond had grown into something much deeper than just an employer and an employee.
They were a real family now, and they were going to fight this war together until the very bitter end.
