CHAPTER FIVE: THE FRAGILITY OF GLASS

The house of glass was a beautiful mistake. As the first barrage of gunfire shattered the eastern wall, the structural elegance of the Greco estate became its greatest liability. Millions of shards of reinforced crystal cascaded like a frozen waterfall, catching the red pulse of the alarm lights.

It didn't sound like a battle; it sounded like a thousand chandeliers breaking at once.

"Get down!" Rocco roared, tackling me to the floor of the library just as ...