The glass from the shattered balcony door crunched under the heavy tactical boots of the intruders, a sound that resonated like bone snapping in the hollow silence of the penthouse. Kai was already in motion, his movements a carefully constructed lie of desperation and frantic energy. He looked every bit the terrified husband, his face a mask of pale shock, yet his eyes never stopped scanning the room for the most efficient path of evasion. He was playing a part for the unblinking lens in the clock, a performance where the stakes were his very life and the safety of the woman now clutching a cast iron skillet behind him.
"Stay back, Elea! Don't let them near you!" Kai shouted, his voice cracking with a manufactured tremor that made his throat ache.
The lead attacker, Marcus, lunged for
