Chapter 7 - The Diversion
For three days, the estate was locked down tightly like a military fortress.
Gunther moved his entire command center into the master suite, refusing to let Kayla out of his sight.
Dozens of armed guards patrolled the perimeter night and day.
Victor Romano arrived every morning to deliver tactical updates on the war with Volkov.
Gunther was systematically dismantling the Russian syndicate, hitting their shipments and seizing their warehouses.
"We have Volkov cornered at his club downtown," Victor reported on the fourth morning.
"He is bleeding money, and his lieutenants are starting to panic."
"If we hit the club tonight, we can cut the head off the snake."
Gunther looked over at Kayla, who was sitting on the sofa reading a book.
He hated the idea of leaving her, even for a few hours.
"Double the interior guard," Gunther commanded Victor.
"I will lead the strike team downtown."
"I want this finished tonight."
At midnight, Gunther kissed Kayla gently on the forehead and left the estate with three heavily armed SUVs.
The house fell completely silent.
Kayla paced the floor of the bedroom, entirely unable to sleep.
At 2:00 a.m., the power to the entire estate suddenly shut off.
The bedroom plunged into pitch darkness.
Kayla froze, her heart leaping into her throat.
A few seconds later, the distant sound of suppressed gunfire echoed from the first floor.
Volkov had not been at the club downtown.
It was a diversion to draw Gunther away from the house.
Kayla knew the guards downstairs were being overwhelmed.
She did not panic.
She remembered her days as a maid, scrubbing every inch of the massive house.
She knew the architecture of the estate better than the men who built it.
She slipped out of her shoes and crept toward the bedroom door.
She locked the deadbolt and engaged the heavy steel chain.
She ran to the walk-in closet and pushed aside Gunther’s tailored suits.
Behind the back panel was a small, hidden ventilation shaft used for the HVAC system.
It was too small for a man, but it was just large enough for her.
She heard the heavy oak door of the bedroom splinter under a massive kick.
Men rushed into the room, shouting in Russian.
May you like
Kayla pulled the panel shut just as the closet doors were ripped open.
She held her breath in the dusty darkness, praying Gunther would realize the trap and return in time.
