Vlad moved toward the kitchen, the heart of the mansion's open-concept floor plan, when a shadow detached itself from the stainless steel pantry. A massive guard, standing a towering 6'2", lunged out. Unlike the others, this man was clad in a full-faced ballistic mask and wielded a gleaming Japanese katana.
The guard swung with terrifying speed. Vlad, at 5'8", used his lower center of gravity to duck the initial decapitating blow, which sheared through a hanging copper pot with a resonant ring. However, the guard's reach was superior. He used the momentum of the miss to shoulder-charge Vlad, slamming him backward onto the granite kitchen counter.
The katana clattered to the floor as the guard opted for brute strength, pinning Vlad's throat against the stone with both hands. Vlad's boots kicked fruitlessly against the cabinetry as the massive guard leaned his full weight into the choke, the ballistic mask inches from Vlad's face.
Vlad didn't panic. He reached up, digging his thumbs into the pressure points beneath the guard's jaw while simultaneously driving his palms upward against the man's elbows. The sudden leverage forced the guard's arms to lock and buckle. With a guttural growl, Vlad tucked his chin and twisted, slipping out from under the grip like a shadow.
As the guard stumbled forward into the counter, Vlad didn't give him an inch. He vaulted off a kitchen stool, launching his entire body weight into a vicious dropkick that caught the masked giant square in the chest, sending him crashing back toward the center island.
While the guard was mid-stumble, Vlad's hand blurred to his thigh. In one fluid motion, he drew and hurled his titanium dagger. The blade whistled through the air, burying itself deep into the side of the guard's neck, just above the collar of his tactical vest.
The giant let out a choked gasp, his hands flying up to the hilt of the blade in a desperate attempt to pull it out. Vlad was already on him. He leaped into the air, grabbing the guard's shoulders for stability, and drove his knee upward with bone-shattering force. The impact hit the butt of the dagger, driving the blade deeper into the man's throat and through the spine.
The guard's body went limp instantly, crashing to the hardwood floor with a heavy, final thud. Vlad landed lightly on his feet, the silence of the kitchen returning, save for the hum of the refrigerator.
"Target neutralized," Vlad said, his voice raspy from the choke. He reached down to retrieve his blade.
Vlad didn't waste a second. He moved to the kitchen island, a massive slab of white Carrara marble. He reached underneath the overhang, his fingers searching for a specific indentation in the mahogany cabinetry. With a sharp click, a motorized panel slid back, revealing a recessed, high-security terminal.
He didn't have the code, but he had the Agency's bypass. He slotted a small interface device into the port. A moment later, a hidden drawer hissed open, revealing a glowing, silver-cased flash drive secured in a velvet-lined slot. Vlad snatched the drive and tucked it into a protected compartment in his tactical vest.
"Got the drive," Vlad reported, his voice low.
"Don't get comfortable," Vance's voice cut through the comms, his tone losing its playful edge. "Vlad, you've got a problem. My thermal scan just lit up. A second wave is breaching the front lawn—six operatives, heavy armor, and they aren't Nashville security. These guys look like Black-Ops contractors."
Vlad looked toward the grand foyer, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of his remaining dagger.
"They're moving fast, Vlad," Vance continued, the sound of a bowstring being drawn audible over the link. "I can pick off two from the treeline, but the rest are going to be on your neck in thirty seconds. Get out of the kitchen, now!"
Vlad glanced at the dead giant on the floor and then at the wide-open floor plan of the mansion. He was pinned in a house of glass and marble with four professional killers closing in.