He hated waiting.
He’d rather be charging headfirst into battle than sitting here like a target.
He adjusted his earpiece, listening for the faint static of Ethan’s channel. Still nothing, just that long, agonising quiet.
Upstairs, Barnaby sat quietly staring at the monitors in front of him.
A part of him still stung from Corey’s words earlier —you’ll just get in the way.
Maybe that was true.
But this… this was his domain. He could still protect them, even from behind a screen.
Then suddenly there was a flicker.
Movement on the northwest camera. A blur that didn’t belong.
“Corey…” he whispered into the comms. “Got something. Far left perimeter. Fast.”
No answer. Just static.
Barnaby frowned, switching to another feed. Nothing. The movement was gone.
His chest tightened. “This isn’t good,” he muttered, standing. “They’re here.”
He ran fast down the stairs, his footsteps echoing through the hallway.
Straight to the window where he knew Corey would be.
He tapped hard against the glass. Corey turned, still scanning his surroundings, gun ready.Barnaby unlatched the window and leaned out, breathless. “There’s movement on the northwest camera.”
Corey’s face shifted instantly, that calm soldier’s mask snapping into place. “Tell the others inside,” he said quietly. “I’ll alert the rest outside.”
Barnaby nodded, disappearing back into the hall. Corey turned and sprinted toward the outer line.
He found Ethan first, crouched low behind a column of ivy.
With quick hand signals, Corey told him to stay silent. Then, in a whisper that barely carried over the wind: “We’ve been breached.”
Ethan’s expression hardened. Together, they moved quickly toward the next corner, where two Doves stood watch. Both men’s eyes widened as Corey’s gestures told the story,they’reinside the perimeter.
No shouting. No panic. Just motion.
They advanced toward the final guard post, the last outer corner of the grounds, but stopped dead.
Two Doves were on the ground, motionless. From a distance, Corey could see the vines shifting just beyond them, retracting slowly back into the growth.
He raised a hand. “Stop,” he hissed.
For a moment, all they could hear was the faint rustle of leaves.
Whoever had done it was still close.
Corey’s eyes flicked toward Ethan. “We need to get inside.Now.”
Without another word, they moved, fast and silent, slipping back through the side door.
Barnaby tore through the house, his breath loud in his ears. He could already hear the muffled thud of boots moving outside, the creak of the old walls groaning under the weight of something approaching. The manor seemed to sense it too the air was heavier it was charged with static and fear.
