Chapter 6 - The Snake in the Grass
The kiss was an explosion of suppressed heat, fierce possession, and undeniable need.
Elias pulled me flush against his body, his large hand wrapping around my waist, holding me so tightly I could feel every hard line of his chest against mine. I ran my fingers through his thick, dark hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss, pouring every ounce of gratitude, strength, and newly awakened passion into his mouth.
When he finally pulled back, breathing heavily, his eyes were blazing with a dark, intense hunger that made my blood burn.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” Elias growled softly, resting his forehead against mine.
“Good,” I smiled, my cheeks flushed. “Because we have a mole to catch.”
Elias blinked, his tactical mind instantly snapping back into focus. “A mole?”
I took a step back, smoothing down my dress, and pulled a small leather ledger from the drawer of his desk.
“While you were in Newark today, I went through the delivery receipts for the nursery’s organic milk shipments,” I explained, opening the ledger to a highlighted page. “Dr. Mercer orders the milk through a private farm in Vermont. But the delivery route was changed yesterday morning by someone inside this house—rerouted through a hub in Brighton Beach.”
Elias’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. “Brighton Beach.”
“Whoever changed that route was setting up a delivery truck to breach the front gate under the cover of a routine supply drop,” I continued, pointing to the digital signature on the invoice. “And the override code used to authorize the route change belonged to Dominic.”
Dominic was Elias’s head of house security—a man who had been on the Vance family payroll for eight years.
Elias took the ledger from my hands, staring at the signature. A cold, terrifying stillness settled over him.
“Dominic,” Elias whispered, his voice dropping into the terrifying register he used when he was preparing to execute an enemy. “His mother has a gambling problem in Atlantic City. Viktor Volkov must have bought her debts.”
“He’s planning to let Viktor’s mercenaries in through the service gate tonight at 3:00 AM,” I said, looking at the clock on the wall. It was 1:45 AM. “We have seventy-five minutes.”
Elias looked at me, a proud, ferocious grin spreading across his face. He leaned down and kissed me hard on the lips once more.
“Get Knox,” Elias commanded. “It’s time to welcome Dominic to his final shift.”
Thirty minutes later, the sub-basement security room of the estate was pitch black, lit only by the blue glow of twenty surveillance monitors.
Dominic sat at the main console, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he subtly disabled the motion sensors along the perimeter fence near the service gate. He kept glancing nervously over his shoulder toward the heavy steel door.
“Everything running smoothly, Dominic?”
A voice cut through the dark like a razor blade.
Dominic jumped out of his chair, spinning around so fast his mug spilled hot coffee over the console.
The lights in the room snapped on, blinding him.
Elias stood in the doorway, wearing his dark coat, his hands tucked casually into his pockets. Standing right beside him was Knox, holding a suppressed 9mm pistol, and behind them stood me, holding my phone displaying the altered delivery invoices.
Dominic went completely pale, his hands shaking as he backed against the glowing screens. “B-Boss! What are you doing down here? You should be asleep!”
“I was going to sleep, Dominic,” Elias said smoothly, walking into the room. “But my wife noticed a discrepancy in our milk delivery routes.”
Dominic’s eyes darted toward me, shock and confusion registering on his face. “Your... your wife?”
“Ava discovered your betrayal in five minutes, Dominic,” Elias said, stopping three feet away. “A woman who spent her life surviving predators saw through your pathetic little game instantly. How much did Viktor offer you? Half a million? A million?”
“Boss! Please!” Dominic dropped to his knees, weeping hysterically. “They have my mother! Viktor said he’d cut her throat if I didn't open the gate at 3:00 AM! I didn't have a choice!”
Elias looked down at the kneeling man with absolute disgust.
“You always have a choice, Dominic,” Elias said coldly. “You chose to sell out the woman and children who sleep under my roof.”
Elias looked at Knox. “Send Viktor’s mercenaries a confirmation message from Dominic’s phone. Tell them the gate is open. Let them come through.”
Knox grinned darkly. “And Dominic, sir?”
May you like
Elias turned his back on the traitor, taking my hand in his.
“Put him in the delivery truck,” Elias ordered. “He’s going to be the first one to greet Viktor’s men when they cross the gate.”
