Chapter 6 - The Traitor in the Shadows
As the security team rushed to unlock the perimeter gates and clear the driveway for the arriving paramedics, a heavy, suffocating tension still lingered in the great hall. The fire in the west gallery had been contained by the automatic suppression sprinklers, but the air remained thick with acrid smoke.
Maya was already kneeling beside Adrian, working with lightning speed. She had ripped open a trauma pack, pressing a heavy gauze compress firmly against the wound on his temple while securing an intravenous line into his forearm.
"His pulse is thready," Maya called out over her shoulder, her voice sharp and urgent. "Where is that blood transport? If we don't get volume into him in five minutes, we're going to lose him."
From the shadows near the grand marble staircase, a figure watched the frantic scene with cold, unblinking eyes.
Elena adjusted the collar of her cashmere coat, her manicured fingers tapping a slow, rhythmic beat against her thigh. The arrival of the nurse—and worse, the fact that the animal had allowed a stranger to pierce his defense—had completely ruined a two-hour window of opportunity. If Adrian died on the floor before the ambulance arrived, the transition of corporate assets would trigger automatically under clause 14-B of the family charter.
But if Adrian lived... he would remember the 11:31 PM gate override. He would check the digital logs. And he would know exactly whose thumbprint had authorized the intrusion.
Elena turned silently toward the service corridor, her mind racing. There was still one exit left unguarded—the lower loading dock behind the kitchens. If she could reach her private car before the state troopers arrived at the front gates, she could disappear across state lines before dawn.
"Going somewhere, Mrs. Vance?"
Elena froze mid-step.
Marcus stepped out from the shadow of the arched stone pillar, blocking the narrow corridor leading to the service wing. His service pistol wasn't drawn, but his hand rested comfortably inches from the holster, and his eyes were hard as flint.
"I’m going to check on the staff, Marcus," Elena replied smoothly, her voice dropping into an icy, commanding register. "This house has been subjected to a terrorist attack, and I am the senior administrator remaining on-site."
"Senior administrator?" Marcus let out a short, harsh laugh that held no humor. "Funny. Because the digital access logs on the main terminal just finished processing ten minutes ago. Guess whose thumbprint was used to disable the north gate at 11:31 PM, right before the glass shattered?"
May you like
Elena’s face went pale for a fraction of a second, her composure slipping just enough to reveal the panic underneath. But she recovered quickly, her chin lifting with haughty defiance. "You’re delusional, Marcus. Anyone could have cloned my credentials. If you touch me, my legal team will—"
"Your legal team can talk to the state attorney general," Marcus interrupted, stepping forward and clamping a heavy steel handcuff around her right wrist with a sharp, definitive click. "You’re coming with me to the grand hall. Adrian is waking up."
