Chapter 1 - The Traitor's Mask
The air in my study turned to ice.
Warren didn’t make a sound. His right hand remained frozen beneath the lapel of his tailored suit jacket, his fingers inches from his concealed firearm. Around him, four of my most elite tactical guards—men he had personally hired and trained—aimed their suppressed weapons directly at his chest.
I looked at the man who had stood at my right hand for eight years. He was a veteran, a ghost from my early days rising through the city’s underworld. He knew where my offshore accounts were kept, he knew the patrol routes of my estate, and most importantly, he knew where my six-year-old daughter slept every night.
“Take his gun,” I said. My voice was a flat, gravelly whisper, devoid of anger, which made it far more dangerous.
Marcus, my head of outer perimeter security, stepped forward and roughly yanked Warren’s hand away from his jacket, disarming him in one swift motion. He tossed Warren’s custom Sig Sauer onto my desk.
Warren straightened his tie, forcing a calm smile that failed to reach his hollow eyes. “Sebastian, listen to yourself. You’re letting a starving street rat and a half-dead stray dog destroy eight years of loyalty. He’s lying. Or worse, he’s being used by whoever actually took Ruby.”
On the floor beside my desk, the German Shepherd let out a low, vibrating growl from deep within its chest. Blood still trickled down its matted leg, but its yellow eyes were locked on Warren with unwavering hatred. Theo, the small boy standing beside the dog, didn't flinch. He clutched Ruby’s silver charm bracelet tightly against his ribs.
“Ranger doesn’t forget scents,” Theo said softly, his voice raspy from hunger and cold. “The man who grabbed my little brother smelled like sweet tobacco and lavender soap. Just like him.”
I stepped around the desk. The faint scent of expensive lavender soap and Dutch tobacco drifted off Warren’s jacket—a specific blend I had imported for him last Christmas.
“The security cameras, Warren,” I said, stopping less than an inch from his face. “Eleven high-definition cameras failed simultaneously at 9:14 PM. The manufacturer guaranteed an isolated hard drive backup that couldn't be jammed remotely. The only way those feeds went dark was if someone manually pulled the secondary breaker inside the security bunker.”
Warren’s jaw tightened. A single bead of sweat broke out near his hairline.
“Who has the master keycard to the security bunker?” I asked quietly. “Only two people. Me. And you.”
“Sebastian, I swear on my life—”
I didn't let him finish. I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the heavy oak bookshelf behind him. Books rattled and fell to the floor. My guards didn't move an inch to help him.
“Where is my daughter?” I growled, digging my thumb into his windpipe. “Where is Ruby?”
Warren choked, his face turning dark crimson. “If... if you kill me... you’ll never find her,” he gasped out.
I eased my grip just enough for him to draw air, though I didn't let go. “That implies she’s still alive. Which means you just confessed.”
I threw him onto the floor at Marcus’s feet. Warren coughed violently, clutching his neck as he looked up at me with open panic.
“Get the truth out of him,” I commanded Marcus. “Take him to the sub-basement. No doctors, no mercy. I want names, locations, and every piece of garbage involved in this within twenty minutes.”
“Boss,” Marcus acknowledged, dragging Warren up by his collar. Two guards seized Warren’s arms, hauling him out of the study. His desperate pleas echoed down the stone corridor until the heavy steel doors shut, sealing him into the dark.
I turned back to the boy. Theo looked frail beneath his oversized, mud-stained coat. His lips were chapped, and his hands shook from exhaustion, but his posture was straight. He was a survivor.
I knelt on one knee in front of him, bringing myself to eye level. I was a man feared by mayors, judges, and mob bosses across three states, yet right now, this eight-year-old orphan held my entire world in his dirty hands.
“Theo,” I said, my voice softening as much as my harsh throat would allow. “Tell me about your little brother.”
Theo swallowed hard. “His name is Leo. He’s four. We’ve been living in the old abandoned church near the timber yards since winter. Three days ago, those men came. They didn't beat us. They gave us food—real food, like warm meat and bread.”
He paused, looking down at his dog. “They told Leo that if he played a game with a little girl at a big party, they’d give us a real house. They told him to walk up to the garden fence, show her his wooden toy robin, and ask her to help him find his lost puppy in the woods.”
My chest constricted. Ruby loved animals. She was soft-hearted, just like her mother had been. If a four-year-old boy showed her a toy and asked for help finding a lost puppy, she would have followed him anywhere without a second thought.
“They used a child,” I whispered, the rage burning hot and lethal inside my veins. “They used a starving four-year-old child to bait my daughter.”
“Leo didn't know it was a trap!” Theo cried out suddenly, tears finally cutting tracks through the dirt on his cheeks. “He thought he was helping! But when they grabbed your daughter near the creek, they threw Leo into the back of a black van, too! Ranger tried to bite the driver, and they shot him!”
The dog Whined softly, resting its heavy head against Theo’s knee.
“I tracked the van’s tire marks as far as I could,” Theo continued, wiping his nose with his sleeve. “I found Ruby’s bracelet where they dragged her into the van. Leo dropped his toy robin in the mud. I knew if I went to the police, those men would kill my brother. But then I saw the news on a TV through a store window... I saw your face, Mr. Cross. I saw the news saying your daughter was missing from this mansion.”
I reached out, placing a gentle hand on Theo’s trembling shoulder. “You brought me the first real hope I’ve had in twelve hours, son. You and Ranger.”
I stood up and called for my housekeeper, Mrs. Gable. She appeared at the doorway within seconds, her eyes red from weeping over Ruby.
“Take Theo and Ranger to the guest quarters,” I ordered. “Get a private veterinarian here immediately to patch up the dog. Feed the boy whatever he wants, get him clean clothes, and have a doctor check him over.”
“No!” Theo stepped forward, clutching my coat sleeve. “Please, Mr. Cross! Let me go with you! Leo is terrified of the dark! I know the woods near the timber yards better than anyone!”
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I looked down at his fierce, desperate eyes. He was protecting his brother with the same ferocious instinct I had for my daughter.
“You rest for thirty minutes while my men prepare,” I told him firmly. “Once we have a target location from Warren, you ride in my car. I give you my word as a father: I will bring your brother back alive.”
