Page 139 of Silent Damage

Lightning flashes, illuminating the boathouse and revealing a door leading to the lower level of the estate, where the vault sits. Max approaches the door first, sliding a mirror under the base to spot guards on the other side. His thumbs-up is our signal that the area is clear, and he pulls out his lockpick to open the door.

Max opens it, but the fucker creaks, and he stops. He reaches into his satchel, pulls out WD-40, and gives the bolts a quick spray.

Max slowly opens the door, using the mirror to see around corners before leading us inside. Once the four of us are in the house, Dexter takes us through dark hallways lined with pictures of Rhett and his family.

Dexter raises his clenched fist, signaling he’s found the vault door, and Max presses forward to examine it.

I take my stance, acting as a lookout while they work.

Dexter stands next to me, the two of us scanning the area while Max uses bolt cutters to break into the steel door.

The rain is loud, masking the sound of steel being cut, and soon, the door opens.

Tobias releases a satisfied sigh.

A moment later, I see him exiting the vault with a giant blue necklace. He holds it in his hands, examining it before placing it in a zippered pocket of his pants.

“Let’s get out of here,” he says. “Back out the way we came in.”

Dexter takes the lead, the four of us rushing to the boathouse, when a door flies open right next to me, and someone screams.

My reflexes ignite, and I pop the guy in the face, knocking him out cold.

“Fuck,” I hiss right as a piercing alarm goes off and red lights flash throughout the space.

Doors slam a flight above us, and the thunderous sound of boots racing down the stairs sends my heart into my throat.

“Let’s move,” Tobias yells.

Rhett’s men spill out into the basement just as we round the corner and race along the corridor leading to the boathouse.

Gunshots ring out, sending bullets through the wall.

Plaster explodes.

The four of us fall flat on the floor, and we scramble into position.

As Rhett’s men round the corner, we unleash an all-out assault, firing nonstop.

Two fall, while another jumps back, concealing himself behind the corner.

“Run,” Tobias yells. We scramble to our feet and race to the boathouse, but pause before entering.

“Guards might be on the dock—” Dexter says right as a bullet pierces the wall, hitting him in the shoulder.

He falls, writhing on the floor, and I fucking let loose, shooting at the wall to hit whoever is on the other side.

Tobias and Max do the same, all three of us crouched low as bullets fly above us, hitting vases and mirrors. Glass and crystal shatter all around us.

Tobias raises his fist, and we stop firing. There’s a five-second pause, then he kicks open the boathouse door, quickly scans the area, then signals us to follow.

Max and I help Dexter up and follow Tobias into the boathouse, revealing two guards, dead on the dock.

Tobias hops into a boat and radios for Cash to meet us on the other side of the lake. Max and I help Dexter board when suddenly Tobias shoots. I look over my shoulder to see a third guard fall to the floor, dead.

We sail through the crashing waves while Tobias radios Cash to say we’re on the move and gives him a precise location.

We beach the boat and rush to the van. Once we’re in, I gasp for air.